Magic Can Follow Path of St. James

By SHAV GLICK

May 28, 2004 12 AM PT

Share via
- Email
- Facebook
- X
- LinkedIn
- Threads
- Reddit
- WhatsApp

Magic Johnson has thrown his enormous influence behind NASCAR’s diversity program, hoping to attract blacks, Latinos and women into the stock-car racing industry. It is a tremendous undertaking, but Johnson, a basketball legend turned entrepreneur, could make it work in his role with the new Executive Steering Committee for Diversity.

Several lower-key promotions have been launched in the past, but the hopes of young black drivers have failed to materialize when such renowned entertainers and athletes as Bill Cosby, Joe Washington, Julius Erving and Latrell Sprewell have lent their name to drivers or teams or both, only to have their support fade away.

“As long as we’re touching minorities in different ways, whether it’s the scholarship program, the internship program, the drivers, crews, on and on and on, to me that means we’re successful,” said Johnson, a committee co-chairman, in a recent teleconference.

“And hopefully one of these drivers, or two, will have an opportunity to one day go up against a Jeff Gordon on the big-boy circuit.”

It’s a worthy objective.

If Johnson is serious, and we must assume that he is, he could do no better than to chart the progress of Lyn St. James in creating and promoting opportunities for young women wanting to enter the motor racing field as drivers, mechanics, administrators, whatever their desire.

She launched Women in the Winner’s Circle a year ago and last Monday was the host of a luncheon honoring 33 women in racing, ranging from 13-year-old Jessica Brannam to 84-year-old Louise Smith.

“Women in the Winner’s Circle exists because of the vision and determination of one woman: Lyn St. James,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcer Mike King said.

St. James is the most successful woman driver in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and one of the greatest in all fields. Janet Guthrie was the first, but St. James made having a woman in the field almost commonplace. She drove in seven 500s, winning rookie of the year honors in 1992 when she finished 11th.

Among her other accomplishments are driving in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. She also set a world record for women on a closed course with a time of 225.722 mph.

After retiring as a driver, St. James organized a developmental racing series for women, but then changed her focus to promoting their entry into all forms of racing.

“Last year, when we held the first Women in the Winner’s Circle event, we had high hopes that all of us, working together, would continue to make an impact by providing more opportunities for women within the motor sports industry,” she said to an audience at the University of Indianapolis.

“Well, it’s a year later, and I am pleased to report that there has been some positive progress for women in racing.”

She introduced 32 girls and women who had success on the speedways the past year. Among them were Lynsey Tilton, 17, of Lakeside, Calif., and Liz Halliday, 25, of Rancho Santa Fe.

Tilton started racing at age 4 and was a five-time Grand National BMX winner before moving to go-karts at age 9. After being chosen most improved driver in the San Diego Karting Assn., she moved up to midgets this year.

She is also one of four women invited by Ford to participate in a comprehensive test program in Indianapolis to find a woman driver that the manufacturer will support all the way up the ladder to the NASCAR Nextel series. The test included driving at Anderson Speedway in a Ford midget and a Ford Focus under the scrutiny of car builder Bob East.

It also included extensive physical and mental preparation testing by Human Performance International at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport. Ford is expected to announce the winner in the near future.

“One of the testers joked, or maybe it wasn’t a joke, that there probably aren’t many male drivers who could pass such a comprehensive test,” St. James said.

Another of Ford’s four is Erin Crocker, 23, from Wilbraham, Maine. She has been a quarter-midget, mini-sprint and super sprint car champion on her way to driving this year with the World of Outlaws. Last year she became the first woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals where she was chosen rookie of the year.

Crocker also was awarded the Kara Hendrick Spirit Award, presented to a woman driver “whose spirit, determination and driving ability are reminiscent of the excellence demonstrated by Kara Hendrick during her brief career.”

Hendrick was a rising star on the U.S. Auto Club’s western midget circuit when she was killed Oct. 5, 1991, in a racing accident at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon. Her parents, Art and Renee Hendrick, established a memorial scholarship in her name that benefits college students who have a connection to racing.

Halliday, who came to Rancho Santa Fe from Surry, England, has ambitions to make the U.S. Olympic equestrian team and win the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Among her racing accomplishments are winning the British GT Sports Car Spa 1000-kilometer race in 2003 and finishing third in the Grand-Am Grand Prix of Miami this year.

St. James was one of two women in the 2002 Indianapolis 500, along with Sarah Fisher, who is back this year. But St. James said the high watermark for women was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race this year at Mansfield Speedway in Ohio.

“For the first time in NASCAR history, three women took the green flag in a race against 33 men,” she said. “Tina Gordon, Teri MacDonald and Kelly Sutton were the three and although Kelly was the highest finisher at 20th, by increasing the number of women competing, we increase our chances of victory.”

Magic Johnson, in his remarks, said, “I see this just like what Tiger Woods did for golf.”

Maybe he should have added, “and Serena Williams did for tennis.”

Southland Scene

NASCAR will bring its Southwest Series to Irwindale Speedway for the AutoZone 150 on Saturday night. It will be the sixth of a 14-race series.

Former Irwindale track champions Rip Michels of Mission Hills and Todd Burns of Riverside will race the 75-mile, no-pit-stop event against series leader Craig Raudman of Bakersfield, winner of the Mesa Marin race, and defending series champion Auggie Vidovich of El Cajon.

A special NASCAR Grand American modified race will precede the main event at 5:45 p.m.

Perris Auto Speedway will hold its annual Salute to Indy with a 50-lap feature Saturday night for USAC/CRA wingless sprint cars. Rip Williams, who won last week at Ventura Raceway, is 44 points ahead of deadlocked Damion Gardner and Mike Kirby, with Troy Rutherford a close fourth. Gardner won last year’s race; Kirby won in 2002.

The Sprint Car Racing Assn. returns to its home base at Barona Speedway for a 30-lap main event. The track is located between Lakeside and Ramona in San Diego County. Also on the program will be dwarf cars.

Two Southern Californians, Cory Kruseman of Ventura and Jay Drake of Via Verde, are one-two in U.S. Auto Club national sprint car standings after finishing the same way last Saturday in the Hut Hundred at Terre Haute, Ind.

This Week

*--* NEXTEL CUP Coca-Cola 600

*--*

* When: Sunday, race (Channel 11, 2 p.m.).

* Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns); Concord, N.C.

* Race distance: 600 miles, 400 laps.

* 2003 winner: Jimmie Johnson.

* Next race: MBNA America 400, June 6, Dover, Del.

*--* BUSCH Carquest Auto Parts 300

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 10:30 a.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 10 a.m.)

* Where: Lowe’s Motor Speedway.