The perception of females in motor racing has always been one which has urged on the side of negativity, with most archetypal views of females in the sport often being reduced to that of a glamorous marketing ploy rather than having a strong purpose in the mechanics of the sport. In reality however females have been a significant element of the sport ever since its inception in the nineteenth century, with the Indianapolis 500 playing its own part in showcasing women in the sport in the best possible manner.

Although trailblazing figures such as Dorothy Levitt had been a part of the European racing scene since the start of the 20th century, the first real high-profile female figure in the Indianapolis 500 didn’t come until the 1920’s, when Philadelphia-based businesswoman Maude Yagle agreed a deal to purchase a rear-wheel-drive car formerly owned by former Indianapolis 500 champion Frank Lockhart. Lockhart had used the machine during a land speed record attempt that tragically claimed his life, but Yagle used her investments to restore the machine, entering it in the 1929 Indianapolis 500 under the pseudonym ‘M.A. Yagle’ to avoid any criticism that a woman was invading the all-male world of auto racing. With rookie driver Ray Keesh behind the wheel, Yagle’s Miller Simplex Special went on to dominate the 1929 race, and in the process making Yagle the first and only female team boss ever to claim victory at the Indy 500. Gender equality rules enforced at the speedway at the time however meant that Yagle was never allowed into the pit area to allow her to celebrate her team win, instead choosing to keep an anonymous eye on her machine as a grandstand spectator.

Bowing to the pressures to the growing public mood at the time, speedway officials began to ease many of the restrictions of females at the Brickyard during the 1960s, and in 1971 allowed female figures including team members and journalists access to the pit complex of the Brickyard for the first time. In 1974, Johnny Rutherford’s wife Betty scored for him in his team’s pit area. It was perhaps one of the first driver’s wife to spend the entire race in the pits. Rutherford won the race, and Betty’s presence drew some media attention, leading many other wives to follow suit in future years.

Two years later, Janet Guthrie became the first female to arrive at Indianapolis looking to attempt to qualify for the race. After failing to qualify for the 1976 running of the race due to mechanical issues, Guthrie returned to the speedway the following year to become the first female ever to qualify for the 500, competing in three races over the course of her career with a best finish of 9th in 1978. During her career, Guthrie received a mixed welcome amongst the competitors and fans but was mostly viewed in a positive light by the media. Her experiences were at times frustrating, as setbacks and difficulties ranged from engine troubles to the lack of female restrooms in the garage area at the time. Former Formula One Driver Desire Wilson was next to try her hand at the Brickyard, making three qualifying attempts driving for Hong Kong millionaire Teddy Yip between 1982 and 1984. Despite running the fastest laps ever recorded by a female driver in practice, Wilson failed to make the 500 field on each occasion, with her 1982 at the speedway tainted by a horrific accident that claimed the life of Wilson’s team-mate Gordon Smiley during that year’s qualifying session.

Following Wilson’s exploits, it would take another decade until another female driver would emerge at the Brickyard, when Lyn St. James first attempted to qualify for the 500 driving a car prepared by journeyman team owner Dick Simon. After struggling to get up to speed during the month’s early practice sessions, the former endurance racer leased a backup car from Philippe Gache in a bid to make the race, turning her fastest laps of the month on the final day of qualifying to safely make it into the race in 27th place, becoming not only the second female qualifier for the event but also at the age of 45 the oldest rookie in the race’s 76 year running. In a race of attrition, St. James ran a cautious race to come home in 11th place, winning her rookie of the year honours in the process. Despite running a limited Indycar schedule for the rest of her career, St. James became a regular figure at Indianapolis, competing in 7 races between 1992 and 2000 with her highlight coming in the form of a sixth placed starting spot in the 1994 edition of the race, out qualifying former Formula One champion Nigel Mansell in the process.

As the new millennium commenced, the number of women competing in motor sport had started to grow significantly, with the new influx placing a profound effect on the number of female drivers taking part at the Brickyard come Memorial Day Weekend. In 2000, 19-year-old Sarah Fisher made her first appearance at the speedway, joining St. James in the field for the race in a car prepared by Derrick Walker. With 9 successive appearances in the race, Fisher currently holds the record as the most prolific female entrant in the race, before retiring at the end of the 2010 season to focus her attentions on team ownership, with her eponymous guiding Josef Newgarden to championship contention in 2015.

It would be the arrival of Danica Patrick however that would have the biggest impact on female drivers competing at the Brickyard. The Roscoe, Illinois native had come into Indycar racing amid much fanfare following success in Formula Ford and the Toyota Atlantic championship, and quickly set about re-writing the record books for female drivers competing in the sport. In her first 500 appearance in 2005 (looked at in more detail in #16 of this countdown) Patrick became the first female ever to lead the race on her way to a fourth placed finish, breaking previous best finish of ninth set by Janet Guthrie in 1978. During a further six attempts at the race, Patrick went on to claim top ten finishes on five occasions, including surpassing her 2005 record by finishing third in the event in 2009. By this point however Patrick found herself as one of many females competing in the race. 2007 saw Venezuela’s Milka Duno competed in the event for the first time, whilst the arrival former Toyota Atlantic race winner Simona De Silvestro and Brazil’s Ana Beatriz Figuereido saw a record four participants in the race in 2010, a number which would be repeated in 2011 and 2013. For 2016 however, the flag for female drivers in the race will be flown by the sole figure of Dale Coyne Racing’s Pippa Mann, the London born driver making her fifth successive 500 start.

For today’s video we feature a documentary produced by Versus in 2009 looking at Danica Patrick’s first four years in Indycar racing. Although a divisive figure in the sport it is hard to argue the impact that Patrick had on the sport during that time: