Iconic race car driver, writer, broadcaster, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Lyn St. James will serve as the honorary starter when she waves the green flag for the start of Sunday’s Instacart 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The Instacart 500 is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT on FOX, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
“It’s an honor to have Lyn at our event and waving the green flag for the start of Sunday’s Instacart 500,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “Lyn is a motorsports icon and a pioneer for women in this industry. With March being Women’s History Month, it’s only fitting that we have Lyn be a major part of this weekend’s action at Phoenix Raceway.”
St. James is one of only nine women to have qualified for the Indianapolis 500 and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award in 1992. In 1985, St. James became the first woman to eclipse 200 mph on a race track when she reached 204.233 mph at Talladega Superspeedway. In 1995, during Indianapolis 500 qualifying, she again set a closed-course world record for women, reaching 225.722 mph. St. James was also named by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Top-100 Women Athletes of the Century.”
Sunday’s Instacart 500 Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway is at capacity, but fans can catch St. James waving the green flag on FOX at 12:30 p.m. PT. Fans at home can also participate in race day activities through Phoenix Raceway’s Virtual Experience available online at PhoenixRaceway.com/VirtualExperience and on the NASCAR Mobile App.
