On the surface, motorsports appears to be a male-dominated domain, but there have been plenty of women who have made their marks on the scene and behind the scenes, especially within the Ford sphere (or oval) of influence.

Often left unreported, women have been involved in automobile racing from the beginning of racing’s early days -- on the track, in the pits, and behind the scenes. From Detroit to Daytona, and from Indy to Le Mans and Sebring, women have earned their stripes and checkered flags, and the list reads like a motorsports who’s-who regardless of gender. Drivers such as Michele Mouton – World Rally Championship and Le Mans; Vicki Wood -- The first female to ever to drive in NASCAR; Maria Teresa de Filippis – Formula One; Sara Christian – NASCAR; Janet Guthrie – Indy and NASCAR; Sarah Fisher – Indy car driver and team owner; Donna Mae Mims – SCCA; Brittany, Courtney, and Ashley Force – NHRA; and many more.

Among those women who have been pioneers and winners on the track are a slew of Blue Oval drivers who brought thrills and skills to races while driving Fords.

There are many Blue Oval racing women who have earned due respect, but a few of the most memorable and skillful drivers include the following.

Danica Patrick -- Arguably one of the faces of motorsports in the first two decades of this century, Danica Patrick drove Formula Fords and NASCAR Fords, was 2005 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and raced in 191 NASCAR races. She was the first female to win an Indy Car series race, first female to win a pole position in both Indy Car and NASCAR series, and one of only 14 racers, male or female to lead a both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500. She got her start with Ford backing in the United Kingdom, racing Formula Fords, and drove Ford Fusions in NASCAR races, including the No. 10  Ford Warriors Pink Fusion NASCAR racecar for Breast Cancer Awareness month, marking Ford’s decades-long commitment to raising awareness and funds in the fight against the disease.

Lyn St. James – The first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the year Award, Lyn St. James raced SCCA TransAm, IMSA GT, CART and Indy Racing League races and won at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours at Sebring. She is the only woman to win an IMSA GT race driving solo, when she won in 1988 at Watkins Glen, and she became the first woman driver to reach over 200 mph on a racetrack. For the majority of her career she drove a Ford Mustang, and she used a Ford Thunderbird to break a closed course record for women with 227.32 mph. She often raced driving Mercury Capris Ford Cosworths, and Ford Mustangs.

Shirley Muldowney – “The First Lady of Drag Racing” in the NHRA, Shirley “Cha-Cha” Muldowney began street racing in New York as a teen-ager and competed in Top Gas dragsters before switching to Funny Cars. She won the International Hot Rod Association Southern Nationals in 1971, and she was a three-time NHRA Top Fuel Dragster Champion in 1977, 1980 and 1982. Her first nitro car was a Mustang-bodied, Chrysler-powered Funny Car she bought from Connie Kalitta and raced Mustangs and Mustang bodies for most of her career.

Denise McCluggage – A driver who fought for equality in motorsports and automotive journalism as well, Denise McCluggage, wearing her iconic polka-dot helmet won her class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1961, driving a Ferrari 250 GT SWB. McCluggage also scored another class win at the Monte Carlo Rally in a Ford Falcon in 1964 with her teammate, English rally driver, Anne Hall. She also helped launch Autoweek magazine and won the Ken W. Purdy Award for excellence in automotive journalism, among other journalism awards.

Hailie Deegan --  One of the new faces of racing is female driving phenom Hailie Deegan, who was signed by Ford Performance for ARCA racing. The 19-year-old Deegan is currently driving Ford F-150s in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, piloting the No. 1 Ford F-150 for David Gilliland Racing. Deegan grew up racing off-road and on dirt, but transitioned to competing on asphalt in 2016 to pursue a career in stock car racing. She began her career in NASCAR in 2018 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, and she became the first female driver to win races in the West Series, doing so in 2018 and 2019. To date, Hailie Deegan is the ONLY female ever to compete in the Lucas Oil Off Road Series and in 2016, she was named the circuit's Driver of the Year.

Deegan, will be making an appearance at Carlisle Ford Nationals on Saturday, June 5. You can meet Deegan and get her autograph at the Carlisle Ford Nationals presented by Meguiar's.  As noted, she's at the event on June 5, while the full event itself runs June 4-6 at the Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds. The Carlisle Ford Nationals is the largest all-Ford show in the world, and features more than 3,200 cars – Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Euro Fords -- on National Parts Depot Showfield. Deegan is scheduled to appear Saturday, June 5.

> Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>

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