Sara Christian

Sara W. Christian (August 25, 1918 – March 7, 1980) was the first woman driver in NASCAR history.

Driving career

1949

She competed in NASCAR's first race on June 19, 1949 at Charlotte Speedway. She qualified 13th in the #71 Ford owned by her husband Frank Christian. During the race, Bob Flock took over her car after his engine expired on the 38th lap. He drove the car until it overheated, and finished 14th.

She competed in the second race at the Daytona Beach Road Course on July 10, 1949, and finished 18th. The 28 car field also included Flock's sister Ethel Mobley and Louise Smith which made it the first race to include three woman drivers. Frank also competed in the race and finished sixth in his only career start. They became the only married couple to compete in a NASCAR race until 1986 when Patty Moise and Elton Sawyer would compete for the first time together in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. Patty and Elton would get married in 1990 and continued to compete against one another for years to come.