Legends of the Race Track – Where are they now?

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shutterstock_190954472Motorsports is one of the most successful sports businesses in the world, a business that has created some of the biggest personalities in sports. Forbes reports the average value of a NASCAR team is more than $143 million, but many legends of the track come from the all across the spectrum of motorsports. Here is a brief history of just some of the living legends of the track, as well as what they are up to now.

Janet Guthrie

Janet Guthrie was the first woman ever to compete in the legendary Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 in 1977. Guthrie worked as a pilot, aerospace engineer, and flight instructor before joining the race circuit.

Photo by Tim O’Brien via Wikimedia Commons

She was the team owner, manager, and founder. She placed higher than any woman ever would in the Indianapolis 500 until 2005, and she twice set the fastest lap time at Indianapolis in 1977. Guthrie also took the Top Rookie honors at the Daytona 500 in the NASCAR Winston Cup and four other races that year. In five years, she would compete in more than 30 Winston Cup races. Today, Guthrie’s suit and helmet are kept at the Smithsonian Institution and she published her book, “Janet Guthrie, A Life at Full Throttle”  in 2005 to resounding acclaim.

Kenny Roberts

Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992, many consider Kenny Roberts as one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever. With three 500cc World Championships as well as two AMA Grand National Championships in the US, Roberts was known to push his race motorcycles well past the point when his parts were ready to give out and his tires were practically liquid.

Photo by Suyk, Koen / Anefo via Wikimedia Commons

Today, Roberts is entertaining the idea of putting a new GP program together for the 2015 or possibly 2014 season, according to Moto GP. While he was hesitant to commit to a 2014 season, the world of motorsports waits anxiously for his possible return to the track in any role.

Harry Gant

For more than thirty years, Harry Gant worked hard, won races, and did it all with humble attitude. NASCAR is unlikely to see another racer of his caliber any time soon. Born in North Carolina, he worked for 20 years to get his shot at the big midway. Gant didn’t get his first Cup ride until he was 40 years old, but he ran 15 seasons in all. In his time as a racer, Gant won upwards of 300 short track races and exited the Winston Cup series with 35 second place finishes, 18 firsts, 17 poles, and placed in the top five 123 times out of 474 races.

Photo by Ted Van Pelt via Wikimedia Commons

According to Autoweek, today Gant lives with his wife Peggy on their 300 acre ranch in North Carolina with 110 head of cattle, and he’s an avid motorcyclist who rides for charities. He rides in the week-long annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride every year.