Louise Smith (July 31, 1916, in

Barnesville, Georgia Barnesville is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, Lamar County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,755, up from 5,972 at the 2000 census. The city is the cou ...

– April 15, 2006) was tied for the second woman to race in

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

at the top level. She was known as "the first lady of racing." She went as a spectator to her first NASCAR race at the

Daytona Beach Road Course The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set. Beach and ro ...

in 1949. She could not stand watching the races, so she entered her family's shiny new Ford coupe in the race and rolled it. Her hometown

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

paper featured photos of the wreck, and the town knew about it before she got home.Motorsportshalloffame.com
The race was the first race to feature three female drivers (

Ethel Mobley Ethel Ann Mobley (née Flock; March 8, 1914 – June 26, 1984) of Fort Payne, Alabama was tied for the second female to drive in NASCAR history. Her brother Tim Flock said she was named after the gasoline her father used in his car. "Flying Flock ...

and Sara Christian). The trio also competed later that season at the Langley Speedway. She raced from 1949 to 1956. She won 38 races in her career in numerous formats: late models, modifieds (28 victories), midgets, and sportsman.

Car owner

She returned in 1971 as a car owner for numerous drivers. She sponsored

Ronnie Thomas Ronald Darrell "Ronnie" Thomas (born March 8, 1955) is a retired NASCAR driver who drove in the Winston Cup series from 1977 to 1989 and the Busch Series in 1982 and 1985. He was the 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, edging out Roger Ha ...

' Rookie of the Year attempt in 1978.

Award

She became the first woman inducted into the

International Motorsports Hall of Fame The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, east central Alabama. It enshrines those who have c ...

in 1999.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

Bibliography

* ''Fearless: The Story of Racing Legend Louise Smith'' (Dutton Books for Children) by Barb Rosenstock, 2010.

References

External links

nascar.com BiographyNASCAR driver's statistics at racing-reference.infoNASCAR owner's statistics at racing-reference.infoLouise Smith Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Louise 1916 births 2006 deaths Deaths from cancer American female racing drivers NASCAR drivers International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Greenville, South Carolina Racing drivers from South Carolina People from Barnesville, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women