ESPN's latest 30 for 30 film tackles the story of Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
CLOSE Jim Ayello of USA TODAY Sports and the Indianapolis Star breaks down the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. USA TODAY
Now, Guthrie, 81, is regarded as a trailblazer who helped people shed their skepticism about female drivers, opening the door for others like Danica Patrick, Lyn St. James and Pippa Mann — who will compete in her seventh Indy 500 on Sunday. Guthrie: Some of it I could laugh at. Sometimes it made me mad. The only important thing was getting my hands on that car on the race track, and I figured whatever came with the territory, I could deal with.
Post by espn30for30.Both the environments at the Indy 500 and in NASCAR seem fairly hostile toward you, but was one more welcoming? Guthrie: Oh, Richard said things like, "She's no lady. If she's a lady, she'd be home." Or somebody asked him if he thought I could finish the first NASCAR Cup race at Charlotte , he said, "No." And there are other things he said that I have forgotten at this point, but he was a major antagonist.
But eventually, I came to feel it as a responsibility, and I dug into the history of women in racing, of whom there have been quite a few who have done remarkable things, and tried to bring that history forward whenever I spoke to groups. You don't have to dig very far or very hard before you find there have always been women doing amazing things. It's just that their history gets lost.
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