The day NASCAR fans chanted death threats at a woman driver

Janet Guthrie’s Groundbreaking NASCAR Debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway

In 1976, Janet Guthrie wasn’t welcome at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans yelled crude chants.

Richard Petty gave her the cold shoulder. Yet this physics grad and former NASA engineer had guts to spare.

After missing the Indy 500 cut, she got a shot at NASCAR’s World 600 with just seven practice laps in a 3,700-pound stock car. Despite the hate, she qualified 27th and beat future legends like Dale Earnhardt.

The Charlotte track where she smashed NASCAR’s gender barrier still roars with racing history today.

She Built Rocket Parts Before Racing NASCAR’s Superspeedways

Janet Guthrie got her physics degree from the University of Michigan in 1960. She then worked as an engineer at Republic Aviation, making parts for NASA’s Apollo program.

NASA looked at her as a possible astronaut in 1965, and she made it through the first round of cuts. Guthrie started racing in 1963 with the Sports Car Club of America in a Jaguar XK140.

She built her own engines and often slept in her car to save money. By 1972, she raced full-time and won her class twice in the tough 12 Hours of Sebring race.

Failed Indy 500 Attempt Led Her To NASCAR

Guthrie tried to qualify for the 1976 Indianapolis 500 with Rolla Vollstedt’s team. Engine troubles and car problems kept her out of the race.

A. J. Foyt let her practice in his faster car, but his team didn’t give her a chance to qualify with it. When this door closed, another opened.

Charlotte Motor Speedway promoter Humpy Wheeler noticed the buzz around Guthrie.

He got track owner Bruton Smith to bring her to the World 600, which ran the same day as the Indy 500.

A Speedway Boss Wanted More Women In The Stands

Wheeler came up with a plan to bring more female fans to NASCAR. Only about 15% of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s crowd was women back then.

He got First Union Bank executive Lynda Ferreri to be the owner of a dark red Chevrolet Laguna with the number 68. The car had NAPA and Regal Ride Shocks as sponsors.

Wheeler and Smith put this deal together before they even had a car, crew, or sponsor lined up. The news coverage from her Indy attempt followed Guthrie to Charlotte, and ticket sales jumped.

Cold Shoulders And Sexist Chants Greeted Her Arrival

NASCAR didn’t allow women in the garage and pit areas in 1976. Richard Petty gave Guthrie such a cold handshake that she joked she might “get frostbite.”

He later told reporters, “She’s no lady. If she was, she’d be at home.” Fans yelled crude chants like “No tits in the pits! ” from the stands during practice.

Most news stories about her were either mean or doubtful. Guthrie wrote in her autobiography that almost nobody seemed open-minded about a woman racing.

Stock Cars Posed Brutal Physical Challenges

The NASCAR cars weighed over 3,700 pounds with no power steering to help turn them. Drivers had no cooling suits to fight the heat.

Race day hit 85 degrees outside, but cockpit heat climbed to 130-150 degrees. Forty-eight drivers showed up to fight for just 40 spots in the race.

Guthrie faced all these challenges with almost no practice. She had taken only seven laps in a stock car before qualifying began.

Top NASCAR Teams Stepped In To Help Her Struggling Car

Guthrie’s Chevrolet ran too slow in early practice. She couldn’t get enough speed to make the race.

Famous team owner Junior Johnson asked his driver Cale Yarborough to test her car. Yarborough went just one-tenth of a second faster than Guthrie had.

Johnson saw the car’s problems and told his crew chief Herb Nab to “give them the setup.” This sharing of racing secrets made Guthrie’s lap times 7 seconds faster.

Her Qualifying Run Shocked The NASCAR Establishment

With Johnson’s setup changes, Guthrie’s car became competitive for the first time. She qualified 27th out of 48 drivers trying to make the 40-car field.

This put her right behind future NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott on the starting grid. The 103,000 fans gave her a mixed welcome on race day.

Half the crowd cheered during driver introductions, while the other half booed loudly.

Mechanical Problems Plagued Her Throughout The Race

Guthrie fought a broken radio during the 400-lap race, making it nearly impossible to talk with her crew. Her transmission kept popping out of gear, forcing her to hold it in place while steering and working the pedals.

A broken exhaust pipe leaked carbon monoxide into the cockpit.

Despite these dangerous problems and the extreme heat, she never asked for another driver to take over.

She Finished The 600-Mile Marathon Despite The Odds

The World 600 lasted more than four hours and twenty-two minutes in brutal heat.

Guthrie drove the entire distance without help, showing women could handle NASCAR’s physical demands. She finished 15th, 21 laps behind winner David Pearson but ahead of several known drivers.

Pearson said after the race, “I joked about her all week, but she did a fine job of driving.

Her Race Changed NASCAR’s Gender Rules Forever

Guthrie became the first woman ever to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup superspeedway race. She beat several future Hall of Famers who had dismissed her chances before the race.

National news coverage changed how people thought about women in motorsports.

Wheeler’s promotional gamble paid off with a sellout crowd and many more women watching the race than ever before.

The Smithsonian Now Displays Her Racing Gear

Guthrie’s successful run in the World 600 shut down critics who claimed women couldn’t handle NASCAR’s physical demands.

Her 15th-place finish opened doors that led to her qualifying for both the 1977 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. She cleared the path for every female driver who came after her, from Danica Patrick to today’s racers.

The Smithsonian Institution now preserves her helmet and race suit as important pieces of American sports history.

Visiting NASCAR, Charlotte

Charlotte Motor Speedway at 5555 Concord Pkwy S in Concord honors Janet Guthrie’s groundbreaking 1976 World 600 race, where the aerospace engineer became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway race.

You can take the Feel the Thrill Speedway Tour for $20 or drive your own car around the track with the Fast Pass Tour for $50. Book tours at the Smith Tower’s second floor tour desk.

The gift shop opens 10 a.m. to 3 p. m.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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