Top-10 Female NASCAR Drivers of All Time

Despite limitations and cultural barriers, NASCAR has seen some impressive female racing talents over the years.

Hailie Deegan, Danica Patrick, and Janet Guthrie.

NASCAR is the premier stock car racing series in the world. Like most of its motorsports racing counterparts, it’s also a male-dominated sport. The culture and intensity of the sport along with many factors have constrained women drivers from racing at the highest level.

But some female drivers have proved their worth at a higher level. They have raced against the men who are considered legends of their time and have secured accolades some of their male counterparts can dream of.

Though some female drivers are making a name for themselves in NASCAR right now, such as Hailie Deegan and Christmas Abbott. None of them wouldn’t have been here if not for the pioneer women drivers such as Danica Patrick and Janet Guthrie. Let’s look at the top 10 female NASCAR drivers of all time.

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10. Chrissy Wallace

Hailing from the iconic Wallace family, Chrissy Wallace is the nice of NASCAR legends Rusty Wallace and Kenny Wallace. Her father Mike Wallace was a veteran lower series driver. She worked her way through the local series and was the first female late-model driver to win at Hickory Speedway.

Wallace has made seven Truck series and 2 Xfinity series starts. Chrissy Wallace failed to make a name for herself though she had the talent and resources at her disposal. She would have retired as a legend if she had been able to use the connections and resources she had productively.

9. Jennifer Jo Cobb

An ARCA racer turned NASCAR driver; Jennifer Jo Cobb has been making waves in the lower seeress for many years. She has made 30 Xfinity series starts and 230 Truck series starts. A top 10 Truck Series finish is the highest finish of her career.

April 2021, Cobb was set to make her cup series debut. But she was denied the opportunity to race in the No:15 Rick Ware Racing car by NASCAR. It was due to her lack of practice and qualifying in a cup car. Due to funding and equipment issues, she is working part-time now. She has made 3 appearances in the Truck series this year. She qualified for the Talladega race and finished P32.

8. Johanna Long

Johanna Long has been one of the most impressive female drivers of her generation. Hailing from a racing family and karting background she made a name for herself in the late model series.

Long has made 42 Xfinity series races and 24 Truck series races in her career. Her last NASCAR appearance was back in the 2015 Iowa Xfinity event. Her career was cut short by funding issues.

7. Tammy Jo Kirk

The motorcycle racer turned NASCAR driver is a racing legend in her own right. She was forced to end her Bike racing career due to the refusal of companies to provide spare parts to a female competitor.

Kirk was the first woman to start in the Truck series, she has 32 Truck series outings under her belt. She retired from racing in 2004 after a disappointing Xfinity series season. In the 15 races, she competed that season she failed to secure a single top-20 finish.

6. Ethel Mobley

Ethel Mobley is one of the pioneer women racers of NASCAR. She hails from the Flock family. Her brothers Tim, Fonty, and Bob Flock are NASCAR legends. She and her three siblings made NASCAR history in 1949 at Daytona, the only race in which four siblings raced each other.

She had over 100 appearances in the NASCAR Modifies series but has only made 2 strictly stock car racing appearances. Her career-best finish is p11 in her first start at Daytona.

5. Shawna Robinson

Shawna Robinson is one of the greatest-ever female racers in NASCAR. She raced most of her NASCAR career for mid-table teams. If she had been provided with the right car, she might have become the first female cup race winner.

She has one pole and a top-10 finish from her 61 Xfinity series starts. She also has 8 cups and 3 Truck series starts. She was the 1988, and 1989 Charlotte/Daytona Dash Series Most Popular Driver.

4. Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick in terms of popularity is the greatest female driver of all time. Statistically, she is one of the most accomplished female NASCAR drivers of all time. She first to clinch a pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series. She also holds the record for the most starts, laps led, and top ten finishes in the Cup Series.

She is also part of an elite group of drivers to lead both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500. Patrick is an IndyCar legend and is the only female driver to win a race in the open-wheel series. She has three poles and 7 podium finishes in the series.

3. Patty Moise

Patty Moise is a skillful female racer who started and debuted in the IMSA road course series at the age of 16. She, just like most of the drivers on this list lacked the financial backing that could have hoisted her career to the next level.

Moise had 133 Xfinity series stars in her career. She finished inside the top 10 in the second tier four times. Patty Moise also has 5-cup series tarts under her belt.

2. Sara Christian

1949 United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year and Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Famer, Sara Christian is one of the first women drivers of the sport. She qualified for the inaugural NASCAR race in 1949, at Charlotte Speedway. She held the record for the highest cup race finish by women in the cup series until it was broken by Danica Patrick in 2011.

1. Janet Guthrie

An aerospace engineer turned racer, Janet Guthrie, is one of the greatest women NASCAR racers ever. She was the first women’s competitor in the Indy 500, and Daytona 500 and was the first woman to lead a lap in the cup series. She has over 33 cup series starts and 12 Xfinity series starts. She has secured five top-10 finishes in the cup.