| 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 |
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]
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]
- ^ 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.