Janet Guthrie and Judy Stropus were announced as members of the 2021 class to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America this September at the Festival of Speed in Pontiac, Mich. The virtual announcement was held Saturday at Daytona International Speedway before the start of the Rolex 24. Stropus, representing the new class, was in attendance to answer media questions. Here are excerpts from the press release announcing the MSHFA’s Class of 2021:
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 30, 2021) — The Class of 2021 includes one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers, Davey Allison (Stock Cars), three-time land speed record holder John Cobb (Historic), three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon Jr. (Drag Racing), Indy and NASCAR trailblazer Janet Guthrie (Open Wheel), 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky “Kentucky Kid” Hayden (Motorcycles), legendary Indy correspondent Robin Miller (Media), seven consecutive APBA Gold Cup winner Fran Muncey (Powerboats), multi-time USAC and NASCAR champion Ray Nichels (Historic) and world class timer/scorer Judy Stropus (Sports Cars).
“The Class of 2021 is history-making in so many respects,” said MSHFA President George Levy. “Janet Guthrie, Fran Muncey and Judy Stropus comprise the first ever class with three female inductees. Fran joins inaugural class inductee Bill Muncey as the only husband and wife inductees. And Davey Allison, Bobby Allison and Donnie Allison join Bobby Unser, Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. as the only families with three individually inducted members.”
The MSHFA Class of 2021 was unveiled in an on-line press conference at DIS featuring Levy, new-class representative Stropus, 2005 inductee Hurley Haywood and Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile.
Including the 2020 and 2021 classes, 269 “Heroes of Horsepower” are in the MSHFA. The induction of Guthrie, Muncey and Stropus increases to 10 the number of women enshrined in the Hall.
[Here are the MSHFA bios for Guthrie and Stropus]
Janet Guthrie (Open Wheel) — The first woman to compete in the Indy 500 and Daytona 500, she paved the way for other women at the top levels of the sport, including Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick. She was also the first woman to earn Top 10 starting positions and finishes in both the IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series. She was the first woman to lead a Cup race (Ontario, 1977), and is tied with Patrick for highest Cup finish (6th). Guthrie’s driving suit and helmet are in the Smithsonian Institution. [Britannica image]
Judy Stropus (Sports Cars) — Best known for her savant-like ability to score and time even 24-hour races singlehandedly, without a break before the dawn of computerized timing, Stropus was sought out by top teams such as Penske, Bud Moore Racing, BMW, Al Holbert and Brumos Racing. Perhaps the ultimate recognition of her talent was that sanctioning bodies would come to her to correct glitches in their own scoring. A sports car racer herself, she won the 2008 AARWBA Jim Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations. In 2015, the Road Racing Drivers Club bestowed on Stropus its coveted Bob Akin Award. [© Bob Harmeyer image]
