Female NASCAR drivers history: Complete timeline of women in Cup Series, from Sara Christian to Katherine Legge originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
While NASCAR's bread and butter might be its male fans, plenty of women are passionate about racing and cheer on drivers each weekend. On some occasions, women have even been the ones behind the wheel in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Women have been racing for NASCAR since the organization's inception in 1949, but the number of female Cup Series drivers is still lower than many would like. Some, like Danica Patrick, have become brand names, but the sport is still heavily dominated by men at its highest level.
With Katherine Legge trying her hand at the NASCAR Cup Series and also showing off her versatility in the Indy 500, a new wave of female drivers could be inspired by her efforts.
Here's a look at every woman who has started a NASCAR Cup Series race.
MORE:Meet the starting grid for 2026 Indy 500
How many female NASCAR drivers have there been?
17 women have started a NASCAR Cup Series race. While six of them only started one race, the list has grown with three more women in the 21st century, including Legge as the most recent addition.
Danica Patrick has started more races than of the other 16 women combined, with 191 starts. No other woman has started more than 33 NASCAR Cup Series races.
Who was the first female to drive in NASCAR Cup Series?
It didn't take long for the glass ceiling to break in racing, as Sara Christian participated in the inaugural NASCAR race in 1949.
Then known as the Strictly Stock Series, the inaugural season began with a race at a now-defunct track in Charlotte on June 19, 1949. Christian finished 14th, though Bob Flock took over her car after he experienced engine failure. Overheating ultimately ended the day for the car driven by Flock and Christian.
Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith would also start races during the 1949 season, but female NASCAR drivers became rarer after the 1950s.
MORE:Complete NASCAR Cup Series standings in 2026
How many female NASCAR drivers have won a Cup Series race?
No woman has ever won a NASCAR Cup Series race, despite making more than 275 combined starts. A majority of those starts belong to Danica Patrick, who never won a race, and no other woman has finished ahead of the pack in Cup Series competition.
Christian owns the only top-five finish among women in a NASCAR Cup Series race, while Patrick finished top-10 seven times and Janet Guthrie finished top-10 five times. Patrick is the only female driver to win a pole in a Cup Series race, doing so at the 2013 Daytona 500.
Female NASCAR drivers history
Danica Patrick (191 starts)
Years: 2012-18
Danica Patrick is the most recognizable female driver in NASCAR history, as she made a whopping 191 Cup Series starts between 2012 and 2018 after a successful IndyCar career that saw her become the first woman to win an IndyCar race.
Patrick struggled to find the same level of success as a NASCAR driver, never winning a race and only managing seven top-10 finishes. She won one pole during her Cup Series career and made her final start at the 2018 Daytona 500.
Patrick became a prominent name outside of the sport during her racing career, frequently dabbling in modeling and advertisements.
Janet Guthrie (33 starts)
- Years: 1976-80
Before Patrick arrived, Janet Guthrie was easily NASCAR's leader in starts by a woman with 33. Guthrie debuted in 1976 and put together an impressive first full season in 1977, earning four top-10 finishes and ranking 23rd in the final standings.
After her racing career, Guthrie advocated for women in racing and criticized the lack of willing sponsors for female drivers.
Louise Smith (11 starts)
- Years: 1949-52
While Louise Smith wasn't the first woman to compete in a NASCAR race, she was part of the organization's inaugural season and received the label of "first lady of racing."
Smith, who started her racing career after watching one of the earliest NASCAR races as a fan in 1949, made 11 starts across four years, earning her best finish with a 16th place showing at Langhorne Speedway in that inaugural season.
Shawna Robinson (8 starts)
- Years: 2001-02
Shawna Robinson became NASCAR's first female driver in more than two decades when she debuted in 2001. A regular in some of NASCAR's other series, Robinson tried her hand at Cup Series with a debut at Michigan International Speedway in 2001.
Seven of Robinson's eight starts came during the 2002 season, when she earned a career-best 24th place finish at the Daytona 500 but struggled to keep pace in her final six races.
Katherine Legge (8 starts)
- Years: 2025-26
English-born Katherine Legge is the most recent woman to start a NASCAR race, and she also has 19 IndyCar starts to her name in one of the most accomplished racing careers of any female driver. Legge made her NASCAR Cup Series debut at 44 years old in the 2025 Shriners Children's 500 and finished as high as 17th in seven starts in her first season. Legge will compete in the 2026 Coca-Cola 600 as she attempts to complete both the NASCAR race and the Indy 500 in the same day.
MORE:What to know about Katherine Legge
Sara Christian (7 starts)
- Years: 1949-50
Sara Christian was NASCAR's first female driver, participating in the inaugural 1949 race in Charlotte. Christian's career would be short-lived, as her final race came just a year later, but she earned two top-10 finishes in seven starts and went down in history as a historic figure in the sport.
Patty Moise (5 starts)
- Years: 1987-89
Moise was the final woman to start a NASCAR race in the 20th century, making five starts between 1987 and 1989. Moise's best finish came in what was then known as the Pepsi Firecracker 400 in 1988.
Ann Chester (2 starts)
- Year: 1950
Ann Chester made two Cup Series starts during the 1950 season, finishing 21st and 22nd in a pair of New York races.
Robin McCall (2 starts)
- Year: 1982
Robin McCall was the youngest woman to qualify for a Cup Series race at just 18; she appeared in two races at Michigan International Speedway. McCall would marry NASCAR driver Wally Dallenbach Jr. before splitting up in 2016.
Ethel Mobley (2 starts)
- Year: 1949
Ethel Mobley was one of NASCAR's earliest female drivers, starting two races during the inaugural 1949 season.
FiFi Scott (2 starts)
- Year: 1955
FiFi Scott made two starts during NASCAR's 1955 Cup Series season.
Christine Beckers (1 start)
- Year: 1977
Christine Beckers had a distinguished racing career across a number of different disciplines, including multiple appearances in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. NASCAR invited her to compete in the 1977 Firecracker 400 alongside Formula 1 driver Lella Lombardi.
Ann Bunselmeyer (1 start)
- Year: 1950
Ann Bunselmeyer was one of the earliest female NASCAR drivers, appearing in one race during the 1950 Cup Series season.
Lella Lombardi (1 start)
- Year: 1977
Lella Lombardi made 12 starts and 17 total appearances in the Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, becoming the first woman to score a point, and she was invited alongside Beckers to compete in the 1977 Firecracker 400.
Marian Pagan (1 start)
- Year: 1954
Marian Pagan finished 18th at Oakland Stadium in her one Cup Series start in 1954.
Goldie Parsons (1 start)
- Year: 1965
Goldie Parsons filled in for Buck Baker and finished 14th in a North Carolina race during the 1965 season.
Ann Slaasted (1 start)
- Year: 1950
Ann Slaasted started one race in Dayton, Ohio, during the 1950 season.