Unveiling the 20 best female NASCAR drivers of all time

NASCAR is a popular motorsports racing competition often dominated by male drivers. However, recent developments have seen more women representation. The best female NASCAR drivers of all time have proved their worth at a higher level and made history.

Many female NASCAR drivers have defied the odds and changed the gender stereotype in the competition. Some have raced against men and won by margins. This article features the most outstanding female drivers NASCAR has produced and their achievements.

How many female NASCAR drivers are there?

The American auto racing company has had over 120 female drivers in history across its competitions. Only around 16 women have started the NASCAR Cup, the top racing series of the competition. Some have also competed in Xfinity, Truck and ARCA NASCAR events.

Who is the best female NASCAR driver?

Shawna Robinson, Hailie Deegan, Manami Kobayashi, and Gracie Trotter are among the best NASCAR female drivers. They are the only women to have won a race in one of NASCAR's touring series.

Who was the first female driver in NASCAR?

Sara Christian became the first female driver to compete in NASCAR's top division. She participated in the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1949 and finished 14th in a Ford owned by her husband, Frank. One of her best races was in September 1949 at Langhorne Speedway in Philadelphia, where he finished sixth among 44 male drivers.

The best NASCAR drivers of all time

Many women have broken the barriers and competed extraordinarily in auto racing. Here is a breakdown of the top 20 best woman NASCAR drivers who have earned a reputation in the sport.

20. Jennifer Jo Cobb

Jennifer began her career in 2004. She has 30 Xfinity series starts and 230 Truck series starts. Jo Cobb debuted at the Camping World Truck in 2008, managing 92 starts. She recently competed in the 2022 Baptist Health 200 (Homestead). She averaged 31.00 starts and 32.00 finishes in 2022.

19. Tammy Jo Kirk

Tammy is a retired NASCAR driver born and raised in Georgia. She started her career in the Xfinity Series in 2003, making 15 starts and finishing in the 45th position. Kirk also won the Snowball Derby in 1994. Her last race was the Las Vegas Camping World Truck Series in 1998.

18. Tina Gordon

Tina began racing in short-track stock cars before climbing to the fast-track cars. She became a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Pro Series in 1998. Her first race was at the 2003 Florida Dodge Dealers. She finished 28th at Talladega in 2004 before competing in her last race at the 2004 Infineon 200.

17. Erin Crocker

Erin Crocker was born in Massachusetts and started in the NASCAR field in 2005. She competed in the Camping World Truck, making 29 starts. Crocker won the Knoxville Award for Best Rookie in 2003. She also received the Quarter Midgets of the American Female Driver of the Year from 1993 to 1995.

Who is the best NASCAR driver? Ranking the 15 best NASCAR drivers of all time

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16. Kim Crosby

Kim rose from teaching in a middle school to racing in tracks. She was a principal at Louisiana Middle School before quitting in 2004 to learn car racing. Crosby competed in her first race in 2004 at Aaron's 312. She raced for Black Cat Racing and won 10 races in three years. Her last race for Xfinity Series was in the 2006 AT&T 250 (Milwaukee).

15. Angela Cope

Angela Cope's first race was at the Xfinity Series in 2011. She finished in the 55th position in her debut season. She was 42nd in the series in 2020, while her best finish was 31st in 2019. Her last race in the series was in the 2020 Vankor 350 (Texas).

14. Dominique Van Wieringen

Dominique is a Canadian stock car racer born in Ontario. She bagged her first win at the Spartan Speedway in Mason. Van Wieringen also won Super Late Model Track Championship in the 2012 Springport Motor Speedway Outlaw. She became the first woman to win the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race (in 2023, Lucas Oil).

13. Johanna Long

Johanna hails from a racing family. She was born on 26 May 1992 in Pensacola, Florida, United States. Long began racing at eight, inspired by her father. She debuted in NASCAR races in 2009 and won the 2010 Snowball Derby. The American racer also competed in the Camping World Truck Series.

12. Patty Moise

Patricia Moise-Sawyer (Patty Moise) is a retired car racer. She is the wife of former fellow NASCAR driver Elton Sawyer. Patty started racing at 16 in the IMSA series. She debuted in Sprint Cup in 1987 and Busch Series in 1986 (Road Atlanta). Patty retired after competing in 133 Busch Series races from 1986 to 1998.

11. Brittney Zamora

Brittney Zamora is a young stock car racer and the first female to win a race and a championship in the Northwest Super Late Model Series. She also competes in the ARCA Menards Series as a part-time driver. Brittney won the Washington State Rookie accolade in 2018 and got invited to NASCAR's 2019 Drive for Diversity.

Top 10 NASCAR drivers female

Some women have earned considerable attention for their attempts to race with the boys and change the narrative and misconceptions. Here are the top 10 competent female NASCAR racers who left a legacy in the male-dominated industry.

10. Gracie Trotter

Gracie began with karting at eight before progressing to advanced cars. She was born on 27 August 2001 and became the first female driver to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 2007 Young Lions division. She is also the second female to win a West Series Race.

9. Tony Breidinger

Breidinger became the first NASCAR driver of Arab-American heritage in the national series. She began by racing in the go-kart as a kid. Tony was also the only female driver with the most wins (19) in the United States Auto Club (USAC). She joined Victoria's Secret as a model on 14 September 2022.

8. Chrissy Wallace

Chrissy hails from the iconic Wallace family. She is the nice of NASCAR legends Rusty Wallace and Kenny Wallace. Her father, Mike Wallace, was a veteran lower series driver. Chrissy Wallace made seven Truck series and 2 Xfinity series starts. She is the first female late-model driver to win at Hickory Speedway.

7. Ethel Mobley

Ethel is among the pioneers of women racers in NASCAR. Her brothers Tim, Fonty, and Bob Flock are also NASCAR legends. They made history by competing in 1949 in Daytona, becoming the first siblings to compete in a NASCAR race. Ethel had over 100 appearances in the competition. Her career-best finish is 11th in her first start at Daytona.

6. Sara Christian

Sara Christian emerged during the 1940s as one of the first female NASCAR drivers. She won the 1949 United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year. The Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Famer competed in the inaugural 1949 NASCAR car race at Charlotte Speedway. She held the record for women's highest cup race finish in the cup series before Danica Patrick broke it in 2011.

5. Janet Guthrie

Janet is an aerospace engineer turned racer. She was the first woman to race in the Indy 500 and Daytona 500. The legendary driver was the first woman to lead a lap in the NASCAR Cup series. Janet has over 33 cup series starts and 12 Xfinity series starts. She finished in the top ten five times.

4. Natalie Decker

Natalie Decker is a young racer and one of the most famous female NASCAR drivers. She competes part-time in the Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series. She also participated in the Drive for Diversity in 2015. Natalie finished 5th at Daytona, the highest finish for a female, in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series in 2020.

3. Shawna Robinson

Robinson is a retired NASCAR driver, born and raised in Iowa, USA. She launched her racing career at the Spring Cup Series in 1995 and made her Camping World Truck debut in 2003. Robinson has finished once in the pole position and once in the top ten in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. She has also raced in ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde and Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series.

2. Hailie Deegan

Hailie Deegan was born and raised in Temecula, California. She is a young talented driver who has proved her abilities to the world. Deegan debuted in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2018, registering 18 victories in under three years. She became the first female driver to win West Series races in 2018 and 2019.

Who is the best female racer?

Danica Patrick is arguably the most outstanding and successful female NASCAR driver. She dropped out of school to focus on her auto racing career. Danica is one of the most successful women in open-wheel race history.

1. Danica Patrick

Danica holds many records in the Cup Series, including most starts, laps led, and top ten finishes. She is the first female driver to win a championship in the IndyCar series after bagging the 2008 Indy Japan 300. The record-breaking driver also got named to TIME's "100 Most Influential People" list.

Current NASCAR female drivers

Many female drivers have raced in different NASCAR events in 2023. The ARCA Menards Series had six women, Toni Breidinger, Amber Balcaen, Natalie Decker, Logan Misuraca, and Mandy Chick. Toni finished 12th as the best-placed female in the race.

Katherine Legge is also among the best female NASCAR drivers in 2023. She was the only female racer in the Indy 500 in May 2023. The American became the fastest woman in the Indianapolis 500 qualifying event at 231 mph. However, Katherine finished last with Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan.

Were there any female NASCAR drivers in Daytona 500?

The 2023 Daytona 500 race went down on 19 February 2023, featuring 40 vehicles. However, the competition had no female racers. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race after 212 laps. Joey Logano came second, while Christopher Bell finished third.

Who is the NASCAR driver on OnlyFans?

Former car racer Renee Gracie quit the sport to join the OnlyFans platform in 2017. Gracie is a two-time Bathurst 1000 competitor. She also competed in the Carrera Cup and Super2 before shifting her attention to posting explicit content on the platform. She recently announced her plans to return behind the wheel and buy a team to race at Bathurst.

The best female NASCAR drivers of all time have set an example to new generations of car racers. Their success in auto racing has paved the way for more women to pursue a career in the male-dominated sport. Today, many NASCAR girls have emerged and continue the legacy left by their predecessors in the NASCAR world.

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