Fast Smart Women

Danica Patrick finished a respectable eighth in today's Indianapolis 500. In 2005 Danica became the face of IRL racing and that was ok with Indy Officials. Danica came on the scene at a time when Indy racing was facing a bit of a slump. So unlike the reception received by some of the women who came before her, Danica quickly became the "it girl" at Indy, finishing fourth in her rookie season.

Do you remember who broke the glass ceiling on the oval track?

It was Janet Guthrie, who in 1977 became the first woman to earn a starting spot in the Indianapolis 500. Guthrie's reception was much different than that of Patrick. The officials, and the other drivers made it known they did not want a woman in the race.

One of the keys to winning at Indy is to have the best equipment and team money can buy. Janet raced with a team she formed and managed herself. She simply could not afford a car of the same quality as most of her competitors, yet in 1978 she still managed to finish in ninth-place. An accomplishment even more remarkable when you factor in that she was racing with a broken wrist. Her finish was the best by a woman until Danica Patrick's 2005 finish.

Before becoming the first woman ever to compete in the Indianapolis 500, Janet Guthrie had a diversified background. She was a pilot and flight instructor, an aerospace engineer, and a technical editor. She had 13 years of experience on sports car road-racing circuits, building and maintaining her own race cars, before racing at Indianapolis.