Lyn St. James

Lyn St. James Profile

Recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Top 100 Women Athletes of the Century”, Lyn St. James is only one of three women in the 90-year history of NASCAR to compete in the Indianapolis 500, the single largest spectator event in the world. The decorated driver who entered the Indy world at age 45 knows what it takes to persevere even when all the odds seem stacked against you.

Lyn’s first experience driving at the Palm Beach International Raceway ended in humiliation when her car spun out of control and sank in nearby wetlands, but she shook it off and retook the wheel again and again, gradually gaining her peers’ respect as she broke barrier after barrier. She was the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award, a two-time class winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, and a two-time competitor in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Despite being named the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, she still struggled to obtain corporate sponsorships and be taken serious in a male-dominated sport. Her resilience and fighting spirit paid off; eventually, she became known as the American Woman Racing Icon of the Century.

Off the racing track, Lyn has served as President of the Women’s Sports Foundation. She is the ambassador of the Haggerty Education Fund, a member of the NASCAR Diversity Council, and the Founder of the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, where she personally continues to coach aspiring female racecar drivers.

As a motivation speaker she shares how she honed the skills to become a distinguished racer, skills that are necessary to accomplish anything in life.

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  Lyn St. James’s racing resume reads like a bucket list for every aspiring racer. A winner at the 24 hours of Daytona and 12 hours of Sebring, St. James also competed at the 24 hours of Nurburgring, the 24 hours of Le Mans and qualified for Indy 500 seven times, winning Indy 500 rookie of the year in 1992.

  Lyn was the first woman to win the award, doing so at the age of 45, the oldest driver ever to do so. She finished 11th that year, her second best finish before coming 6th in 1994. Though her talent behind the wheel was apparent, St. James did not begin racing competitively until her mid 20’s. The former secretary and piano teacher’s racing career started with a splash, but not the kind that would land her in the winner’s circle.

  After attending a Sports Car Club of America competition driver’s school with her husband, St. James entered her first race at Palm Beach International Raceway in a “Showroom Stock” class Pinto. During the race, she lost control of her car and crashed into a lake. “I got out before the water got too high” St. James said during a 2010 interview with Car and Driver. “It was embarrassing… My husband said, ‘Look, if you want it bad enough, we can figure it out. If not, now’s a real good time to give up.’ I didn’t give up.”

  St. James would later become a regional champion in Showroom Stock. Soon after, St. James set her sights on joining the pro racing ranks. In 1979, she entered the IMSA Kelly American Challenge and notched a second place finish in her first race. Major sponsorship arrived in 1981 when she signed with Ford Motor Company as a factory driver. St. James would compete in 63 IMSA GT races, earning 6 wins and 17 top-5 finishes. She also competed in numerous SCCA Trans-Am races.

  It wasn’t until 1992 that St. James got her start in open wheel racing, qualifying for her last Indy 500 in 2000 at the age of 53. Lyn said of her final Indy 500 “…being able to go back when everyone had written me off… That felt good.”

  As a woman as dedicated to advancing opportunities for female athletes as she is to her driving career, St. James has also served as President of the Women′s Sports Foundation. In 1994, she founded the Lyn St. James Foundation, an educational organization that focuses on worldwide activities and programs for automotive safety and driver development.

  In her autobiography, The Ride of Your Life: A Racecar Driver′s Journey, St. James provides inspirational advice for everyone as she recounts her career as a world-renowned Indy driver.