Janet Guthrie: Legend Talks Racing Then and Now, Danica Patrick

Janet Guthrie rolled into motorsports at a time when women's rights had just started gaining traction. Except for the one place she longed to make her mark—IndyCar and NASCAR racing. The only place for a female college graduate in the 1960's to pursue automobile racing was in the SCCA series. What started as an avocation became a passion for the aerospace engineer. Guthrie soon discovered she had to race. She worked long, lonely hours on her personal 1956 Jaguar XK 140 roadster. As she put it, "because I could not do otherwise." Guthrie garnered attention from team owner, Rolla Vollstedt, who sought out the best female road racer. The call came in 1976 when he asked the young woman if she would like to test for the Indianapolis 5...

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