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Fans spit at her, drivers talked behind her back and sports writers wrote columns about how her pocketbook would get in the way while she was driving.
It’s been 31 years since Janet Guthrie became the first woman to start at an Indianapolis 500, and the world has changed. For the second straight year, three women will be competing in this Sunday’s 500, and one of them, Danica Patrick, is considered the race’s star attraction after becoming the first woman to win an Indy Car race last month in Japan.
Although Guthrie feels proud about all that is happening for women in her sport, there is another emotion too, one that sometimes makes it difficult to watch the sport that once brought her so much purpose and joy.
“The first word that occurs to me is envy,” the 70-year-old Guthrie said in a phone interview earlier this week. “I certainly wish I had had the opportunity to drive for all the teams that Danica has, and in as many races as she has driven. I guess I should be grateful for the opportunity that I had. It is good to see a woman in that position be up front.”
Perhaps it is Patrick, Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno who need to feel grateful. Because if it weren’t for the spirit, competitive drive and curiosity of a young engineer on Long Island some 48 years ago, they might not be where they are today.
That’s right. Believe it or not, the seeds of women’s race car driving began in Farmingdale where Guthrie was working after recently graduating from the University of Michigan.
“I needed a car, and with my wonderful new salary of $125 a week, I bought a Jaguar,” she recalls with a laugh.
In her autobiography, “A Life Full Throttle,” Guthrie details how she began competing in hill climbs and other minor races around Long Island. She did all of her work on her own car, spending all her spare time in a rented barn. By 1972 she was involved in racing full time.

newsday.com

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Tickets for the 2008 IPL 500 Festival Parade can now be purchased at select AAA Hoosier Motor Club service centers and through Ticketmaster. The 2008 IPL 500 Festival Parade is Saturday, May 24 and will be a celebration of the 2008 theme: Fuel the Dream. Reserved bleacher seats are $13.50; reserved chair seats $17 and reserved VIP seats are $30.
Last year, seats for the Parade sold-out with nearly 30,000 tickets sold.
There are 15 AAA locations in and around Indianapolis. AAA Hoosier Motor Club customers can show their membership card and save on Parade tickets at any location. Parade spectators can also purchase their tickets at all Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (866) 448-7849.
More than 300,000 spectators are expected to line the two-mile parade route to catch a glimpse of the 33 starting drivers of the 92
year, is a representation of the power and pageantry of the month of May in Indianapolis. The Parade has grown to be one of the signature events in the U.S. each year, ranking among the top three parades in the nation including the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The Parade will be televised nationally on ESPN2 from 5-6:30 p.m. (ET), and locally on WISH-TV Channel 8 from 8-10 p.m.
Tickets to the IPL 500 Festival Parade are also available by calling the 500 Festival ticket hotline at (317) 614-6400, or online at www.500festival.com .
Over the past 50 years, the 500 Festival, a not-for-profit organization, has grown to become one of the nation’s largest festivals. The mission of the 500 Festival is to produce events and programs that celebrate the success of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Indiana and their guests.
2008 IMS tickets: Tickets for all three world-class events in 2008 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the 92

indianapolismotorspeedway.com

Tags: 500, festival