Guthrie opens NASCAR to a whole new World in 1976

In a year when America was celebrating its bicentennial, a revolutionary marketing strategy ended up being Indianapolis' loss and Charlotte's gain.

Janet Guthrie came into the month of May in 1976 hoping to become the first woman to make the Indianapolis 500 field. But despite her best efforts, her underpowered, second-hand racer was too slow to make the grid, leaving many to wonder if her appearance was nothing more than a publicity stunt.

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On the final day of qualifications, A.J. Foyt gave her an opportunity to drive his backup car, and she showed that she had more than enough talent, turning laps at over 180 mph, which would have been fast enough. However, Foyt wasn't interested in running two cars in the race, leaving Guthrie on the outside looking in.

Enter Charlotte Motor Speedway marketing mensch H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler. Seeing a huge opportunity to generate publicity -- and increased ticket sales -- for the World 600, Wheeler worked hard to find a way to get Guthrie entered in the race. Local bank vice president Lynda Ferreri, who to that point had never seen a race in person, suddenly secured a car, engine and entry fee, and within 48 hours, Guthrie was on her way to Charlotte in a chartered plane owned by track president Bruton Smith.

Questions were immediately raised as whether Guthrie's entry was legit or just a marketing ploy, but Ferreri made it clear that she was spending her own money, more than $27,000, to fund the operation.

"About a week ago, when Janet was still trying to qualify at the Indianapolis 500, a friend of mine said, 'She's a hoax,'" Ferreri said. "Well, I didn't like that and I got on the phone to see what I'd have to do to put her in the [World 600]. The speedway is not behind it. I am personally responsible for it. I bought the car."

Janet Guthrie and the No. 68 Chevrolet in 1976

Five days before the race, Guthrie filled out the paperwork for a NASCAR license, took a few laps with Cale Yarborough, then climbed into the cockpit of the No. 68 Chevrolet and got the car up almost to 144 mph. Not too shabby for someone who hadn't ever been in a stock car up to that point. And she obviously understood that she was getting this chance because of the media spotlight, but she wanted to make it clear that she was anything but a novelty.

Guthrie's background certainly was impressive. A physics major at the University of Michigan, Guthrie had worked in aerospace research and applied to become an astronaut. She gravitated toward a full-time racing career soon after, running sports cars at far-flung places like Sebring, Watkins Glen and Daytona before her short-lived fling with Indy.

"I don't think I would be here if people didn't expect I would add to the interest," Guthrie said. "If I get a ride, as a woman, for that reason, there have been a lot I did not get for the same reasons. So I'm not going to throw any rocks at it."

Guthrie knew the learning curve would be steep but already had reasonable expectations. And she hoped fans and fellow drivers would, as well. The biggest concern was whether a woman could handle the physical stresses of driving a stock car for 600 miles. In NASCAR's early days, women like Sara Christian, Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith had competed against the men, but those were shorter races on smaller dirt tracks. To that point, no woman had ever run a major stock-car race on a superspeedway.

Janet Guthrie

Career Stats

Years	1976-78, '80
Starts	33
Wins	0
Top-5s	0
Top-10s	5
Run at Fin.	22
Laps / Led	7,688 / 5
Avg. Start	19.9
Avg. Finish	19.3
Earnings	$79,409

• Complete Stats | Bio

"I know drafting is more important in NASCAR races than anyplace else, and I don't know as much about that," Guthrie said. "But things like concentration, detachment, judgment, well, they're the same in any kind of car. There's a carryover. I've driven cars weighing as much as 3,200 pounds, Mustangs and Corvettes, and I've proven I can drive for long periods of time."

Guthrie accomplished the first goal when she qualified on the second day. Her lap of 152.797 mph, slightly slower than two other young drivers named Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott, earned her a starting spot of 27th. And the news that she was in the race made the phones at the CMS ticket office light up, to Wheeler's delight.

"When she made the field, we sold more tickets the next day then we'd ever sold," he said.

The increased interest also had an unusual side effect. With so many women in attendance, the ladies' restrooms at the track ran out of water midway through the race, forcing Wheeler to call volunteer fire departments in the immediate area to come and pump water back into the system.

On race day, Guthrie admitted her main goal was to be running at the finish. And despite being 21 laps down to eventual winner David Pearson, she crossed the finish line in 15th place. She climbed from the car, happy but far from exhausted, in her opinion. And she admitted she drove a very conservative race in an effort to stay out of the way.

"At three hours, I knew I could go all the way," Guthrie said. "I was careful to watch the mirrors. I don't think I caused anybody any trouble. I was perhaps a bit more conservative than I would have been if I was a male rookie."

Her run drew mixed reviews. Dave Marcis praised her for "always looking in her rear-view mirror. We need more rookies like her." But Yarborough wasn't as complimentary.

"It was obvious she was tired," he said. "She almost wrecked Pearson a couple of times. She should have quit after halfway. She was trying to prove a point, there's no doubt about it. Now she ought to go home. She'll never be competitive."

During the next four seasons, Guthrie made Yarborough eat those words. Showing conclusively that she was much more than a publicity stunt, Guthrie made 33 Cup starts and finished in the top 10 five times, including a sixth at Bristol in the 1977 fall race. She led five laps at Ontario later that season and finished 23rd in the points. And with competitive equipment, Guthrie broke the gender barrier at Indianapolis in 1977, then scored a top-10 finish in the 1978 500.

"What I'm trying to emphasize is that a driver is primarily a person, not a man or a woman, and a great deal of driving is mental," Guthrie said. "You can not afford to get angry behind the wheel. A good driver needs emotional detachment, concentration, good judgment, and desire."

That's good advice for any race driver, male or female.

GREAT MOMENTS IN CHARLOTTE HISTORY
Monday, May 11: Financial gamble pays off for 'greatest driver alive'
Tuesday, May 12: Pearson career soars after Dieringer contract dispute
Wednesday, May 13: NASCAR loses one of its stars in 1964 World 600
Thursday, May 14: Earnhardt's LMS debut a modest 22nd-place finish
Friday, May 15: Wheeler's legacy created in three decades at Lowe's