In 1977 Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500. She starts 26th and finishes 29th.
1911. Ray Harroun won in the Marmon "Wasp."
Bess Paoli is actually considered the first woman of Indy not Janet Guthrie,if you go to Indy check out the Hall of Fame there
Danica Patrick was the first woman to win an Indy car race in Japan.
Danica Patrick in the Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan on April 20, 2008.
On April 20, 2008, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. She won the Indy Japan 300 in Motegi, Japan.
Dan Wheldon
May 30,1911
Ray Harroun became the 1st winner of the Indy 500 car race in 1911. He averaged a speed of 74.6 mph and finished in 6 hours and 42 min.
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The first Indy 500 race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana. It was on May 30, 1911.
The first Indy 500 winner that drove in a Formula One race (other than the Indy 500 which was considered an F-1 race between 1950-1960) was Rodger Ward of the United States, the 1959 and 1962 Indy 500 winner, who drove in the 1959 United States Grand Prix. The first winner that drove full time in Formula One was Jim Clark of Scotland, the 1965 Indy 500 champion.
It was the first time 2 female drivers started the same Indy 500 and the race was won by Juan Pablo Montoya who broke ranks from the CART series and raced at Indianapolis. Montoya dominated on race day, becoming the first rookie winner since Graham Hill in 1966, and the first driver to win from the second starting position since Mario Andretti in 1969.