Major Motorsports?

I saw a couple of stories -- in the NY Times and Indy Star -- about Danica Patrick winning the IRL race last weekend that referenced her as "the first woman to win a major motorsports race."

However, the majority of stories about Danica's win included a reference to Shirley Muldowney as the gender barrier breaker for major motorsports back in the 1970s in NHRA. I believe NHRA has had quite a few women win.

Am I missing something here? I consider the "major motorsports" to be NASCAR, NHRA, IRL and F1.

Does not everyone include NHRA in the top level of motorsports?

 

One should include the NHRA yes.

 

The stories that we ran, and most of what I saw (can't vouch for everything, obviously) credited Danica with the first open-wheel victory, etc.

 

I had a boss once who insisted on running drag racing separate from other motor sports. When I challenged this, he said "because they're not real cars." I pointed out that NASCAR hadn't run "real cars" for years, nor did most of the other circuits, his response was the time-tested "Well, we've always done it that way."

 

Real race cars make turns.

In both directions.

 

Which NASCAR does, smartass.

Anyway, it might have just been bad editing. Most I've seen have said it was the first win for a woman in major racing SINCE Muldowney.

Or perhaps it was phrased somewhat differently. I guess if you're being technical, NHRA doesn't hold a 'race.' It's not like there's one race everyone competes in. Depending on how it's phrased, that's how they could have gotten around it.

 

Shit, NHRA hasn't just had female winners, it's had female class champions. ... And yes, it's a "major" motorsport. Geez, some people. :

 

Ummm...11 of the IRL's 16 races are on ovals. That's a few more road courses than NASCAR, but not by much.

 

The AP's TV listings seem to think only motorcycles are "motorsports." Everything else is auto racing.

 

Best way to do it is, "the first female to win a race in a major series aside from drag racing," or something like that. Later on, mention Muldowney, etc.