List of all 17 female NASCAR Cup Series drivers ahead of Katherine Legge’s debut at Phoenix

On Sunday, March 9, Katherine Legge will become the 17th woman to start a NASCAR Cup Series race and the first ever to drive a Next Gen car. The Guildford, England native will be behind the wheel of the #78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports in the next race in Phoenix, Arizona.

But before Legge, there came sixteen other trailblazers, each one paving the way for the next. Since Sara Christian, who ran in the very first NASCAR-accredited race back in 1949, women in the sport have been tirelessly carving out their place, overcoming countless challenges.

Let's take a look into the most notorious ones, starting with P39 in the 2025 Shriners Children's 500: Katherine Legge.

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Katherine Legge to make her NASCAR Cup Series debut in Phoenix

Katherine Legge is a four-time GT category winner in IMSA and has driven in a variety of competitions that go from IndyCar, Champ Car, Formula E, Formula Renault, Formula Three, and Deutsche Tourenwagen to ARCA Menards, Xfinity, and now the Cup Series. On Sunday, she will make her Cup Series debut at the Shriners Children's 500 in Phoenix, Arizona.

She holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history after her performance at the legendary track in 2023. In 2005, she triumphed in the 2005 Atlantic Championship to become the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America.

Ahead of the Sunday race at Phoenix Raceway, she talked about her expectations.

"I want to finish all of the laps, I want to do a good job minimizing mistakes and I want to stay out of trouble, show respect and prove I belong. If I finish anything but last, it'll be a win for us honestly. I don't have the experience that any of these guys have. I don't have the car, at the moment, that's capable of running up front," Katherine Legge said to David Brandt, writer for the Associated Press.

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Sara Christian, the very first woman in NASCAR

Sara Christian, born in Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1918, ran in the very first NASCAR-accredited race in history, back in 1949 in Charlotte Speedway. She drove the #71 Ford owned by her husband and started P13. After 38 laps, Bob Flock took over her car after his engine expired and went on to finish P14.

During her 2-year career, she collected two top 10s and a fifth-place finish at Heidelberg Raceway, which represents the best performance by a woman in NASCAR's top category.

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Danica Patrick takes the history of women in NASCAR to new heights

Danica Patrick, by far the longest-lasting woman in NASCAR, set a precedent for women in sports in the 2010s. With 191 starts, Patrick raced in five times more races than second-place Janet Guthrie, with only 33.

Although she didn't win any races in her six seasons as a full-time driver for Stewart-Haas Racing, she did win pole position in Daytona Beach and amassed seven top 10s. Patrick, Shawna Robinson, and Katherine Legge are the only three female drivers in NASCAR's top category in the 21st Century.

Here is the complete list of all 17 women:

1. Danica Patrick (2012-2018)
2. Janet Guthrie (1976-1980)
3. Louise Smith (1949-1952)
4. Shawna Robinson (2001-2002)
5. Sara Christian (1949-1950)
6. Patty Moise (1987-1989)
7. Robin McCall (1982)
8. FiFi Scott (1955)
9. Ethel Mobley (1949)
10. Ann Chester (1950)
11. Marian Pagan (1954)
12. Lella Lombardi (1977)
13. Goldie Parsons (1965)
14. Christine Beckers (1977)
15. Ann Slaasted (1950)
16. Ann Bunselmeyer (1950)
17. Katherine Legge (2025)