Women Who Have the Need for Speed

Submitted by Larry Edsall on January 3, 2011 - 11:05am

Classic cars aren’t the only reason you’ll want to be at the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction the week of January 17 in Scottsdale, Arizona. On Wednesday, January 19, from 10 a.m. until noon, “Women Who Have the Need for Speed” will be the subject of a panel discussion in the 500-seat “garage area” at Barrett-Jackson.

The panelists are:

  • Desire Wilson, the only woman to win a Formula One race (as a result, one of the grandstands at Brands Hatch was named in her honor);
  • Melanie Troxel, winner in both the NHRA’s Top Fuel and Funny Car categories and a nominee in 2006 for ESPN’s Female Athlete of the Year honors;
  • Jessica Brunelli, though still a teenager, she was rookie of the year at two NASCAR late model tracks in 2010;
  • Denise McCluggage, who raced against the likes of Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and others in the heyday of sports car racing in the 1950s and ‘60s;
  • Kenna Primm, Universal Technical Institute scholarship winner and graduate who now builds engines for NASCAR teams.

The moderator knows something about fast women as well. She’s Lyn St. James, a former rookie of the year at Indianapolis.

McCluggage and St. James also will participate in a panel discussion Sunday, January 16, at the annual Wheels of Wellness race car show in downtown Phoenix.

Women in racing is much the topic of discussion in Phoenix this month, in part because the Henry Ford’s traveling exhibit, Women in the Winner’s Circle, will be at the Arizona Science Center from January 1 through March 31.

 

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Photo Credit: OnInnovation