Now, let me tell ya about Janet Guthrie. This lady, she’s done somethin’ real special in her life. She was born back in 1938, in Iowa City. And would ya believe, she became the first woman to qualify and race in big races like the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Ain’t that somethin’? She tried first in 1976 to get into the Indy 500, but didn’t make it. But she didn’t give up. Nope, she came back in 1977 and raced her way into history. And let me tell ya, that wasn’t easy, ‘cause back then folks thought women didn’t belong on them race tracks. But Janet? She showed ‘em all wrong.
Now, talkin’ about her money, they say Janet Guthrie’s net worth is around $5 million. That’s a lot of cash, ain’t it? She made most of it from racin’ cars and being a pioneer in motorsports. Now, she might not have won all the big races, but she sure made her mark. Heck, just being the first woman to do what she did, that’s worth a lot. People still talk about her today, and she’s in all kinds of Hall of Fames, too. She got into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame back in 1980 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006. She’s a real trailblazer.
Now, you might wonder how Janet got into all this. Well, she started racin’ way back in 1963 with a Jaguar XK140. Not a fancy car by today’s standards, but back then, it was a big deal. She didn’t jump straight into NASCAR or IndyCar. Nope, she started small, racin’ sports cars for a good while. By 1972, she was racin’ full time, and in 1977, she finished sixth in the Bristol Motor Speedway race. That was one of her best finishes. Ain’t too many women who can say they done that.
But you know, life wasn’t always easy for Janet. She faced a lot of hardship, especially bein’ a woman in a man’s world. She didn’t get the big corporate sponsors like some of the fellas did. But that didn’t stop her. She kept racin’ and showin’ folks what she could do. She said in interviews that it was tough dealin’ with all the sexism, but she just put her head down and kept goin’. That’s what I call determination.
Nowadays, Janet’s 85 years old, and she’s takin’ it easy in Colorado. She don’t fly much since the whole COVID thing hit, but she’s still kickin’ around. Just last year, she got a big award, the Landmark Award, for all she’s done for NASCAR. She was real happy about that, said she was “surprised and delighted.” But, honestly, who’s surprised? Janet Guthrie’s done so much, it’s about time she got all the recognition she deserves.
So, if you’re wonderin’ how much Janet Guthrie is worth, well, it’s more than just money. Sure, $5 million is nothin’ to sneeze at, but her real worth is all she’s done for women in sports. She paved the way for others to follow, and you can’t put a price on that. She’s a legend, plain and simple.
Tags： [Janet Guthrie, Net Worth, Women in Motorsports, Racing History, NASCAR, Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500]
