Janet Guthrie through the years

By Staff report | Sunday, March 7, 2021

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Janet Guthrie turns 83 on Sunday. Take a look at some of the most memorable moments of her historic, influential NASCAR career.

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Janet Guthrie drove the No. 68 Lynda Ferreri Kelly Girl Chevrolet on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit from 1976 to 1978 for a total of 31 races. She notched five top-10 finishes.

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1976: Janet Guthrie started in her first NASCAR Cup Series event, placing 15th in the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In doing so, she became the first woman to start and finish a NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway event.

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1976: The historic all-female driving team of (L-R) Janet Guthrie, Suzy Dietrich and Donna Mae Mims pose with their trophy at the conclusion of the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway.

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1977: Janet Guthrie became the first woman to ever start in the Daytona 500. She raced her way to a 12th-place finish, besting Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and David Pearson among others.

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1977: Grand Marshal Lee Petty poses with Janet Guthrie, Lella Lombardi, and Christine Beckers after the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the second Daytona race of the season. This marked the first time since 1949 that three women competed in the same event.

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1980: Janet Guthrie became the first woman to hold a major corporate sponsorship in domestic oval racing by partnering with Texaco Star.

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1980: In her second and final appearance in the Daytona 500, Janet Guthrie finished 11th, driving for Rod Osterlund in the Texaco Star Chevrolet.

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1980: The final event of her historic barrier-breaking NASCAR Cup Series racing career came at Pocono Raceway in the Coca-Cola 500.

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1980: Upon her retirement from NASCAR in 1980, after four seasons at the sport's highest level, Janet Guthrie was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

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