Female NASCAR drivers history: Complete timeline of women in Cup Series, from Sara Christian to Katherine Legge

Female NASCAR drivers history: Complete timeline of women in Cup Series, from Sara Christian to Katherine Legge originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . While NASCAR's bread and butter might be its male fans, plenty of women are passionate about racing and cheer on drivers each weekend.

On some occasions, women have even been the ones behind the wheel in the NASCAR Cup Series. Women have been racing for NASCAR since the organization's inception in 1949, but the number of female Cup Series drivers is still lower than many would like. Some, like Danica Patrick, have become brand names, but the sport is still heavily dominated by men at its highest level.

With Katherine Legge trying her hand at the NASCAR Cup Series and also showing off her versatility in the Indy 500, a new wave of female drivers could be inspired by her efforts. Here's a look at every woman who has started a NASCAR Cup Series race. MORE: Meet the starting grid for 2026 Indy 500 How many female NASCAR drivers have there been?

17 women have started a NASCAR Cup Series race. While six of them only started one race, the list has grown with three more women in the 21st century, including Legge as the most recent addition. Danica Patrick has started more races than of the other 16 women combined, with 191 starts.