The First of Many: Women and Programs Who Shattered Records in NASCAR
- Isleen Lee
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
If Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport in Europe, then NASCAR is its American counterpart. Although unaffiliated with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that governs more widely known varieties such as Formula 1 or the World Rally Championship, NASCAR is the highest level of racing in the United States of America and averaged nearly 3 million viewers in 2024. Initiated in 1948, NASCAR has been pioneering gender inclusivity since its beginnings in 1948 with female representation through drivers, employees, and partnership programmes.
If you thought 24 races in the present-day F1 season was a lot, check out a NASCAR season. Over 38 weeks, every driver competes in 26 races for the normal season while 16 qualified drivers take part in 10 more races for the playoff season. Clearly, a NASCAR season is intense but full of opportunity, fierce competition, and the need for strong teamwork. As NASCAR develops as America’s highest-ranking motorsport series and rises to a globally recognised level, the organisation teems with chances for more female inclusion.
Thus, it’s more important than ever to recognise the women who have made NASCAR what it is today. Here are some of the most influential female drivers, pit stop crew members, officials, and women-uplifting programmes within NASCAR.
Kim Lopez
Among the many jobs of a chief starter in NASCAR is waving the start flag. And what better way to start this list of outstanding women than with Kim Lopez?
Kim became the first woman and Latina to be the chief starter for the 57th Daytona 500 race in 2015. Often called the “Super Bowl” and “Great American Race” of NASCAR, the Daytona 500 is no joke. As the season’s opening race, it’s been sold out for 10 seasons in a row, including 2025 when all 100,000+ seats were occupied. Kim had been a long-time official at NASCAR for 11 years by 2015 and flagged races since 2008 for other branches of NASCAR, such as the XFINITY and Camping World Truck series. Hailing from the Bronx with Puerto Rican lineage, her role as chief starter for the Great American Race shows Latina girls across the country that race or gender should be a limiting factor in chasing your dreams.
Janet Guthrie
If anyone ever told you that you can’t be an engineer, NASCAR driver, and icon all at once, tell them they’re wrong. Janet Guthrie was originally an aerospace engineer at Republic Aviation before she began her NASCAR journey in 1976. She became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR superspeedway race – a category of racing within the series known to be the fastest and most chaotic with high inclines and long straights on the track. In 1977, she was the first female to qualify for the renowned Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. Her all-time career best came at the Bristol Motor Speedway where she finished sixth. Within the next year, she founded Janet Guthrie Racing Ent. Inc. – her very own race team – to race at the Indianapolis 500 for the next 24 years. Today, she continues to wow the motorsport world with her autobiography Janet Guthrie: A Life At Full Throttle and her work as a motivational speaker.
Unfortunately, her racing career was cut short due to a lack of funding and she told the Aspen Times that “women who want to accomplish something serious, they’re seen as freaks and their accomplishments are forgotten”. Janet is living proof that women can defy the odds and race just as fast as anyone else!
Betty Jane France
Best known for founding the NASCAR Foundation in 2006, Betty was truly devoted to her community. Many associate her as the wife of Bill France Jr., son of Bill France Sr., the founder of NASCAR, yet her accomplishments range so much farther. She helped to create the Speediatrics Children’s Fund, a children’s care department at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Additionally, she was the Executive Vice President and Assistant Treasurer at NASCAR and eventually became a chair member at the NASCAR Foundation.
Although she passed away nine years ago, her advocacy is remembered through the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award, an annual award given to NASCAR fans who have displayed philanthropic volunteer efforts.
Christmas Abbott
In 2012, Christmas Abbott became the first female to work as a part of a NASCAR Cup Series pit stop crew. She joined the Michael Waltrip Racing team and took the front tire position in the pit lane for driver Clint Bowyer. However, her work wasn’t limited to the more widely-known Cup Series; rather, she also worked tirelessly as a part of the pit crew in the Camping World Truck division (now called Craftsman Truck) for female driver Jennifer Jo Cobb.
Christmas has been in a male-dominated environment for much of her life. When she was 9, she was the only girl on her baseball team. She spent four of her adult years as a military contractor in Iraq, where she was introduced to CrossFit athletics by the military units present. Quickly transformed into a pro CrossFit athlete with outstanding mobility and strength, Christmas became the perfect fit for the demanding nature of the NASCAR pit crew. Through her CrossFit videos and competitions, she was discovered by Ted Bullard, the chief marketing officer of Turner Motorsports.
According to Bullard, Christmas “got all five lug nuts off in 1.7 seconds” during a pit stop challenge with other male CrossFit athletes. He mentioned that even professionals can only do it in 1.0 or 1.2 seconds, so this result was extraordinary. While she no longer works in NASCAR, Christmas continues to empower women through her CrossFit coaching and inspires women worldwide to enter the pit crew.
Katherine Legge
Ever since the legendary Danica Patrick, the first female to win pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series, retired in 2018, there hasn’t been a single woman to follow in her footsteps. That was until Katherine Legge arrived. The British female driver made her NASCAR Cup Series debut just weeks ago in March of 2025 at the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Presently, she is the only woman in the grid among 36 other men. However, one shouldn’t overlook her extensive experience from various racing series – in 2005, she became the first female to test an F1 (with Minardi F1 Team) car since 2002. She’s also been in the NTT IndyCar Series and has four career starts in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 race. If that wasn’t enough, she also took part in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2014.
This isn’t her first time in NASCAR either. She took part in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2018 and 2023, as well as the ARCA Menards Series, both of which are considered feeder series to the NASCAR Cup Series.
Although her debut race in Arizona didn’t go as planned, Katherine is an example of perseverance and grit in chasing one’s dreams. We hope to see her back in the Cup Series soon!
Drive for Diversity & Busch Light
NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity programme works to engage greater diversity among employees, drivers, and pit crew for all branches of NASCAR. This includes bringing more women to the track through coaching, mentoring, and equipment provision through the Driver Development programme underneath the greater Drive for Diversity plan. On the other hand, the Pit Crew Development programme strives to train ambitious individuals to become pit crew members. Busch Light, a beer company that is a Premier Partner of NASCAR’s Cup Series, created its own “Accelerate Her” programme in 2022. For the next three years, they pledged to sponsor and fund every 21-and-above female NASCAR driver through a 10 million dollar investment. Part of that grand sum will also go towards sponsoring the new generation of female talent in the sport. With the help of Accelerate Her, female drivers such as Amber Balcaen, Brittney Zamora, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Toni Breidinger, Melissa Fifield, Natalie Decker, and Stephanie Moyer have already been sponsored.
Women have long played a pivotal role in shaping NASCAR, whether it was through trailblazers like Janet Guthrie, Christmas Abbott, and Betty Jane France. These women have paved the way for future generations, proving that talent and determination transcend gender. As NASCAR continues to grow, increasing female representation will not only honour its legacy but also drive the sport toward greater inclusivity, innovation, and global recognition. With rising talent and dedicated diversity initiatives, the future of NASCAR is faster, stronger, and more diverse than ever.
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