Who was the first female driver to compete in the Daytona 500?

Janet Guthrie was the first female driver to compete in the Daytona 500.

Guthrie made her Daytona 500 debut in 1977, an important breakthrough in a male-dominated era of stock-car racing. She finished 12th despite an engine problem that left her car running on seven cylinders during the closing laps. Her performance also earned her the race’s Top Rookie honor.

The Daytona 500 was not Guthrie’s only historic first that year. She became the first woman to qualify for and race in the Indianapolis 500, making her the first female competitor in both of America’s most famous 500-mile races. She had previously become the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup superspeedway race at the 1976 World 600.

A common mix-up is Danica Patrick, who became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race and later achieved major NASCAR milestones. Patrick was not the first woman in the Daytona 500; Guthrie had done that decades earlier. Guthrie ultimately competed in 33 NASCAR Cup races over four seasons.