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One of the first ladies of NASCAR, and perhaps deserving of a spot whenever NASCAR legends are discussed.
Two quotes and a little history:
"I won a lot, crashed a lot, and broke just about every bone in my body, but I gave it everything I had"
"Sometimes it seemed like the more you drove the less money you had. I remember one time Buck Baker and Lee Petty and I had to put our money together just to split a hot dog and a Coke."
·
· she was born in 1916 in Barnsville Georgia, when women were not considered equal to men
· when she was four she moved to Greenville, South Carolina
· when she decided to learn to drive she ended up crashing the car into the chicken house
· she wanted to succeeded in a sport where women were not allowed
· she raced in the first stock car race she ever saw; and ran modifieds from 1946-1956
· Louise met Bill France before he created NASCAR.
· Louise helped Bill France Sr. promote NASCAR races in there early years because she was a novelty in the sport
· She had a hard charging, fearless style of driving and because of that she was a fan favourite.
· In her first race she finished third in a 1939 modified Ford coupe and after that experience Louise was hooked on racing.
· She raced for the love of the sport.
· During her eleven years of modifieds she won 38 races.
· Louise is remembered for her spectacular crashes and aggressive driving.
· She ended off with 48 stitches and four pins in her left knee after a crash that nearly took her life at Hillsborough.
· In 1956 she quit racing but in 1971 she returned to sponsor cars.
· her first Winston Cup race was a 166-mile race in Daytona where she finished 20th in a Ford after surviving a roll over
· she raced later at Hillsborough, North Carolina placing 27th
· and then again she raced in Langhorne Pennsylvania where she finished 16th
· She currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina
· She was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Two quotes and a little history:
"I won a lot, crashed a lot, and broke just about every bone in my body, but I gave it everything I had"
"Sometimes it seemed like the more you drove the less money you had. I remember one time Buck Baker and Lee Petty and I had to put our money together just to split a hot dog and a Coke."
·
· she was born in 1916 in Barnsville Georgia, when women were not considered equal to men
· when she was four she moved to Greenville, South Carolina
· when she decided to learn to drive she ended up crashing the car into the chicken house
· she wanted to succeeded in a sport where women were not allowed
· she raced in the first stock car race she ever saw; and ran modifieds from 1946-1956
· Louise met Bill France before he created NASCAR.
· Louise helped Bill France Sr. promote NASCAR races in there early years because she was a novelty in the sport
· She had a hard charging, fearless style of driving and because of that she was a fan favourite.
· In her first race she finished third in a 1939 modified Ford coupe and after that experience Louise was hooked on racing.
· She raced for the love of the sport.
· During her eleven years of modifieds she won 38 races.
· Louise is remembered for her spectacular crashes and aggressive driving.
· She ended off with 48 stitches and four pins in her left knee after a crash that nearly took her life at Hillsborough.
· In 1956 she quit racing but in 1971 she returned to sponsor cars.
· her first Winston Cup race was a 166-mile race in Daytona where she finished 20th in a Ford after surviving a roll over
· she raced later at Hillsborough, North Carolina placing 27th
· and then again she raced in Langhorne Pennsylvania where she finished 16th
· She currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina
· She was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
