Lyn St. James (born Evelyn Gene Cornwall; March 13, 1947) is an American former race car driver. She competed in the IndyCar series, with eleven CART and five Indy Racing League starts to her name. St. James is one of nine women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500, and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award (oldest to win the award at 45, a record she held for 30 years until Jimmie Johnson won it when he was 46 in 2022).[2] She also has two class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona,[3] and won the GTO class, partnering with Calvin Fish and Robby Gordon, at the 1990 12 Hours of Sebring.[4] Additionally she has competed in endurance racing in Europe, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, at which her AMC Spirit AMX team [5] placed first and second in class in 1979.[6][7]
| Lyn St. James | |
|---|---|
 St. James at the 2015 Indianapolis 500 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | Evelyn Gene Cornwall March 13, 1947[1] Willoughby, Ohio, U.S. |
| Retired | 2001 |
| Indy Racing League IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 1996–2001 |
| Teams | Zunne Group Racing Team Scandia Hemelgarn Racing Dick Simon Racing |
| Starts | 5 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 8th Orlando in 1996 |
| Previous series | |
| 1992–1995 | CART |
| Awards | |
| 1992 | Indy 500 Rookie of the Year |
St. James founded the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation in 1994 and is a motivational speaker. She has served on the board of trustees of Kettering University, and since 2015, serves as an appeal panelist for NASCAR's National Motorsports Appeals Panel.[8]
In 1986, she was driving a Ford Probe during the IMSA LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside International Raceway and was in a big accident involving both Chip Robinson and Doc Bundy.[9]
Career
editAchievements
editLyn St. James has been invited to the White House on multiple occasions, meeting with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. She was also named by Sports Illustrated as among the “Top-100 Women Athletes of the Century." Working Woman Magazine added her to the “Top 350 Women who changed the world between 1976-1996.” In 1994, she was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame,[10] and is only one of two women in it for auto racing. She was also President of the Women's Sports Foundation from 1990-1993.[11]
Awards
edit- She was inducted in the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in 2023.
Speed Records
editLyn St. James became the first woman driver to reach over 200 mph on a race track. She drove a number of different cars including Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari, and Mazda, but for the majority of her career she drove a Ford Mustang. She used a Ford Thunderbird to break a closed course record for women with 227.32 mph.[12]
Racing record
edit12 Hours of Sebring results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 |  Autodyne
|
Luis Sereix Phil Currin
|
Chevrolet Corvette | GTO | 186 | 17th | 6th |
| 1979 | Thunderbird Swap-Shop
|
Bonnie Henn Janet Guthrie
|
Ferrari 365 GTB/4 | GTO | 194 | 17th | 8th |
| 1980 | Condor Racing
|
Ralph Kent-Cooke
|
Porsche 935 | GTX | 87 | DNF | DNF |
| 1983 |  Nimrod Racing
|
Reggie Smith Drake Olson
|
Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin | GTP | 224 | 5th | 3rd |
| 1987 | Roush Racing
|
Tom Gloy
|
Ford Mustang | GTO | 213 | 31st | 9th |
| 1988 | Roush Racing
|
Deborah Gregg
|
Mercury Merkur XR4Ti | GTO | 282 | 8th | 2nd |
| 1990 | Roush Racing
|
Robby Gordon Calvin Fish
|
Mercury Cougar XR-7 | GTO | 278 | 6th | 1st |
| 1998 | TRV Motorsport
|
Jeret Schroeder Tom Volk
|
Kudzu DL-4-Chevrolet | GTO | 283 | 17th | 4th |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Spice Engineering
|
Ray Bellm Gordon Spice
|
Spice SE89C-Ford | C1 | 229 | DNF | DNF |
| 1991 |  Euro Racing A.O. Racing
|
 Desiré Wilson Cathy Muller
|
Spice SE90C-Ford | C1 | 47 | DNF | DNF |
American Open Wheel racing results
edit(key)
CART
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF |
PHX |
LBH |
INDY 11 |
DET |
POR |
MIL |
NHA |
TOR |
MIC |
CLE |
ROA |
VAN |
MDO |
NAZ |
LS |
31st | 2 | [13] | |
| 1993 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF |
PHX 13 |
LBH 17 |
INDY 25 |
MIL |
DET DNQ |
POR 20 |
CLE 23 |
TOR |
MIC 22 |
NHA |
ROA |
VAN |
MDO |
NAZ |
LS |
36th | 0 | [14] | |
| 1994 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF |
PHX |
LBH |
INDY 19 |
MIL |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
TOR |
MIC |
MDO |
NHA |
VAN |
ROA |
NAZ |
LS |
48th | 0 | [15] | |
| 1995 | Dick Simon Racing | MIA |
SRF |
PHX |
LBH |
NAZ |
INDY 32 |
MIL 20 |
DET |
POR |
ROA |
TOR |
CLE |
MIC 17 |
MDO |
NHA |
VAN |
LS |
39th | 0 | [16] |
IndyCar
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Simon/Scandia Racing | WDW 8 |
12th | 186 | [17] | ||||||||||
| Team Scandia | PHX 21 |
||||||||||||||
| Zunne Group Racing | INDY 14 |
||||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Hemelgarn Racing | NHM | LVS | WDW | PHX | INDY 13 |
TXS | PPIR | CLT | NH2 | LV2 | 42nd | 22 | [18] | |
| 1998 | Lyn St. James Racing | WDW |
PHX |
INDY DNQ |
TXS |
NHM |
DOV |
CLT |
PPIR |
ATL |
TX2 |
LVS |
NC | – | [19] |
| 1999 | Team Pelfrey | WDW |
PHX |
CLT |
INDY DNQ |
TXS |
PPIR |
ATL |
DOV |
PPI2 |
LVS |
TX2 |
NC | – | [20] |
| 2000 | Dick Simon Racing | WDW |
PHX |
LVS |
INDY 32 |
TXS |
PPIR |
ATL |
KTY |
TX2 |
49th | 1 | [21] |
Indianapolis 500
edit
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Lola | Chevrolet | 27 | 11 |
| 1993 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 21 | 25 |
| 1994 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 6 | 19 |
| 1995 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 28 | 32 |
| 1996 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 18 | 14 |
| 1997 | Dallara | Infiniti | 34 | 13 |
| 1998 | G-Force | Infiniti | DNQ | |
| 1999 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | DNQ | |
| 2000 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | 32 | 32 |
American Le Mans Series results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | TRV Motorsport | LMP | Riley & Scott Mk III | Chevrolet 6.0 L V8 | G | SEB | ATL | MOS | SON | POR | PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret |
MON | LSV | 90th | 0 |
Personal
editLyn St. James was born Carol Gene Cornwall, but shortly after birth, her first name was changed to Evelyn, after her aunt. After her first marriage to John Carusso, she changed her name to Lyn Carusso. Eventually she would adopt the professional name Lyn St. James in her business and racing activities. She got the idea from the name of actress Susan Saint James. Upon her divorce from Carusso, she legally changed her name to Lyn St. James.[22]
References
edit- ^ Brown, Gerry; Morrison, Michael (6 November 2007). ESPN Sports Almanac 2008: America's Best-Selling Sports Almanac. ESPN Books. ISBN 9781933060385. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ "Was Rubens Barrichello the oldest man ever to be "Rookie of the Year" at Indianapolis?". ESPN UK. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "Lyn St. James Racing History". Sports Car Club of America. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "1990 12 Hours of Sebring Results". Racing Sports Car. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ AMC Spirit#AMXs at the Nürburgring
- ^ Mattar, George (February 2005). "AMC Invades Germany – circa 1979". Hemmings Muscle Machines. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ^ "When the Americans Conquered the Nurburgring with an AMC Spirit". R&T Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "Meet the National Motorsports Appeals Panel". NASCAR.com. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "IMSA LA Times Grand Prix big accident at Riverside International Raceway". YouTube. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Florida Sports Hall of Fame".
- ^ "Lyn St. James Achievements".
- ^ "Blackhawk Automotive Museum".
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1992 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1993 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1994 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1995 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1996 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1997 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ "Lyn St. James – 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
- ^ Eversley, Ryan; Heckman, Sean (December 15, 2017). "Lyn St. James". Dinner with Racers. Season 3. Episode 79. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
External links
edit- Official website
- Lyn St. James career summary at DriverDB.com
- Lyn St. James driver statistics at Racing-Reference