August 25, 1918 - March 7, 1980
Sara Christian
Christian competed in NASCAR's first race on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte Speedway. She qualified 13th in the #71 Ford owned by her husband Frank Christian. During the race, Bob Flock took over her car after his engine expired on the 38th lap. He drove the car until it overheated, and finished 14th.
Christian competed in the second race at the Daytona Beach Road Course on July 10, 1949, and finished 18th. The 28 car field also included Flock's sister Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith, which made it the first race to include three woman drivers. Frank also competed in the race and finished sixth in his only career start. They became the only married couple to compete in a NASCAR race until 1986 when Patty Moise and Elton Sawyer competed for the first time together in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. Patty and Elton were married in 1990 and continued to compete against one another for years.
Christian finished sixth at the fourth race at Langhorne Speedway, and became the first woman to earn a Top 10 finish. Race winner Curtis Turner invited Christian to join him in victory lane. Mobley and Smith again competed against Christian in the race, and it was the last NASCAR race to have three woman drivers until July 4, 1977 when Janet Guthrie, Christine Beckers and Lella Lombardi all competed in the Firecracker 400.
Christian finished fifth at the ninth race at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The finish was the best-ever and only Top 5 finish by a woman in NASCAR series history, until her record was broken by Danica Patrick in 2011. Patrick finished fourth in the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, ending Christian's 62-year record.
Christian raced in six of the eight events in the 1949 season, and finished 13th in the final points standings. Christian competed in one event in 1950, finishing 14th at the 12th race at the Hamburg Speedway before she retired.
She received the 1949 United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year award.
Sara Christian passed away on March 7, 1980. She was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
This Day In Motorsport History - Home Page
Christian competed in the second race at the Daytona Beach Road Course on July 10, 1949, and finished 18th. The 28 car field also included Flock's sister Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith, which made it the first race to include three woman drivers. Frank also competed in the race and finished sixth in his only career start. They became the only married couple to compete in a NASCAR race until 1986 when Patty Moise and Elton Sawyer competed for the first time together in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. Patty and Elton were married in 1990 and continued to compete against one another for years.
Christian finished sixth at the fourth race at Langhorne Speedway, and became the first woman to earn a Top 10 finish. Race winner Curtis Turner invited Christian to join him in victory lane. Mobley and Smith again competed against Christian in the race, and it was the last NASCAR race to have three woman drivers until July 4, 1977 when Janet Guthrie, Christine Beckers and Lella Lombardi all competed in the Firecracker 400.
Christian finished fifth at the ninth race at Heidelberg Raceway in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The finish was the best-ever and only Top 5 finish by a woman in NASCAR series history, until her record was broken by Danica Patrick in 2011. Patrick finished fourth in the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, ending Christian's 62-year record.
Christian raced in six of the eight events in the 1949 season, and finished 13th in the final points standings. Christian competed in one event in 1950, finishing 14th at the 12th race at the Hamburg Speedway before she retired.
She received the 1949 United States Drivers Association Woman Driver of the Year award.
Sara Christian passed away on March 7, 1980. She was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
This Day In Motorsport History - Home Page
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