Fansided

Janet Guthrie’s trailblazing career the topic of new ESPN documentary

By Jasmyn Wimbish

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Janet Guthrie #68 stands in front of her car before the 1977 Winston Cup Daytona 500 on February 20, 1977 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Janet Guthrie #68 stands in front of her car before the 1977 Winston Cup Daytona 500 on February 20, 1977 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images) /
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The first woman to ever race in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 will see her story played out in latest 30 for 30 documentary.

In 1977 when Janet Guthrie accomplished the unthinkable by qualifying as one of the 33 racers to compete in the Indianapolis 500 she was doing what she’s always done, chasing after her dreams regardless of what obstacles are lying ahead.

Now 42 years later, Guthrie’s hard fought battle against sexism, judgment and racing with mediocre equipment will be told in the hour-long documentary “Qualified” airing on ESPN May 28th.

However trying ton condense a trailblazing career into an hour is no small feat, but the film’s director, Jenna Ricker, hopes that the documentary does Guthrie’s journey justice.

“When I heard Janet’s story I felt such a kinship with her, granted filmmaking isn’t life or death or going 200 miles per hour, but what I was inspired and fascinated by was that I really could relate so much to the obstacles and barriers,” Ricker told FanSided’s Ashley Young. “You don’t expect someone to tell you no just because you’re a woman, and then you have those first moments and it really does send a shockwave through you.”

Like most extraordinary women before and after her, Guthrie never had the intention of being a trailblazer or being the first anything. As Guthrie puts it, she was born adventurous, and never let the word “no” stop her. That adventurous spirit extends beyond just racing too. Prior to making waves in the racing world Guthrie was an engineer and pilot before she ever thought about getting behind the wheel.

In fact, what led Guthrie to racing was the fact that as a pilot she was unable to do aerobatics in the sky due to the air traffic from World War II fighter planes at the time.

“Instead of buying an AT6 World War II training plane I had my eye on, I bought a 7-year-old XK-1 Jaguar coupe because it was a beautiful car,” Guthrie said. “Then I found out what I could do with it.”

What she could do with it was compete against some of the best racers in the world, and through the setbacks and misogyny Guthrie had a top-10 finish in her second Indianapolis 500 in 1978. But her rise in racing world shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone, she battled her way through the lower ranks to lineup next to those men on some of the most prominent race tracks in the world.

“I had been racing 13 years on the road racing circuits by the time I got my chance at the top level of the sport,” Guthrie said. “It wasn’t as if I came out of nowhere although some of the men acted as if I had.”

Ricker’s hope was to not only capture Guthrie’s journey to the 1977 qualification at the Indianapolis 500, but to shine a spotlight on the obstacles Guthrie overcame and capture the essence of her determination that can be an inspiration to everyone.

“We had a screening recently and a friend came up to me and for 10 minutes she honestly could not stop saying how frustrated she was that Janet’s career what cut short in the way it was,” Ricker said. “You feel so inspired by her it’s a bittersweet story and I think that’s what people come away with. What could’ve been but also celebrating what was, which is an amazing legacy.”

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