Louise Smith (July 31, 1916, in Barnesville, Georgia – 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 and

Sara Christian Sara Williams Christian (August 25, 1918 – March 7, 1980) was the first woman driver in NASCAR history. Driving career Christian raced at the Looper Speedway, the former racetrack which now lies beneath the waters of Lake Lanier. She won a ...

). 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' Rookie of the Year attempt in 1978.

Award

She became the first woman inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 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 Biography
* *

Louise Smith Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Louise 1916 births 2006 deaths 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 sportswomen Racing drivers from Georgia (U.S. state)