Louise Smith

Louise Smith was NASCAR’s original wild child—a speed-obsessed Southern belle who broke bones, shattered expectations, and became the first woman inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

EARLY YEARS

Born July 31, 1916, in Barnesville, Georgia, Louise Smith (née Devall) moved to Greenville, South Carolina, at age four and grew up surrounded by grease and gasoline[1][2]. Her father, William T. Devall, was a mechanic, as were her brothers, and they embraced her obsession with cars from the start[3][4]. By the time Louise was four years old, her father had already taught her how to drive[5]. It wasn’t long before she became known as one of the fastest—and most reckless—drivers in the area, earning a reputation for outrunning the police on back roads[6]. “I was just born to be wild,” she later told the Los Angeles Times, and honestly, no truer words were ever spoken[6].

This wasn’t a girl who played with dolls. This was a girl who understood torque.

OTHER INTERESTS

Smith’s world revolved around cars, speed, and competition. Outside of racing, she remained deeply involved in the motorsports community throughout her life. After retiring from driving, she worked with Darlington Raceway and served as grand patron for the track’s Miss Southern 500 Pageant from 1977 to 1989[7][8]. She also volunteered for numerous local causes in South Carolina[7]. Louise was a member of the “Living Legends” Racing Club in Daytona Beach and “The Old Timer’s” Racing Club in Archdale, North Carolina[9]. Her passion for the sport never dimmed—she just found new ways to stay in the driver’s seat, even when she wasn’t behind the wheel.

EARLY SUCCESS

Smith began racing Modifieds in 1946, barnstorming her way across dirt tracks from New York to Alabama, competing for $100 prizes and whatever appearance money she could scrape together[10][11]. She was a true outlaw in every sense of the word—fearless, fast, and completely uninterested in anyone’s opinion about whether women belonged on the track.

In 1949, she became one of the first women to compete in NASCAR’s inaugural Strictly Stock race (the precursor to what would become the Cup Series)[12][13]. That year, she raced at Langhorne Speedway alongside Sara Christian and Ethel Flock Mobley, making history as part of the first wave of women in NASCAR[14]. While her NASCAR Cup finishes weren’t headline-making—her best was 16th at Langhorne—her presence was[15]. She wasn’t there to be a novelty act. She was there to race, and she did it with the kind of grit that made even the toughest male drivers respect her.

Racing promoter Bill France Sr., co-founder of NASCAR, recognized her star power early on and helped launch her career, seeing her as a draw to bring more women to the sport[16][17]. He wasn’t wrong. Louise Smith was a spectacle—not because she was a woman, but because she drove like she had nothing to lose.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1946: Began racing Modified stock cars[1].
• 1949: Competed in NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock race, becoming one of the first women to race at NASCAR’s top level[12][13].
• 1949: Survived a horrific crash at Occoneechee Speedway on August 7, walking away after her car flipped and burned—then promptly got stitched up and raced again[18][19].
• 1947–1956: Won 38 Modified races across four divisions at tracks throughout the Eastern U.S.[11][20].
• 1956: Retired from driving after a decade of breaking records—and bones[11].
• 1971: Returned to racing as a car owner, sponsoring drivers including Ronnie Thomas, who she backed during his 1978 Rookie of the Year campaign[21][22].
• 1999: Became the first woman inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega[23][24].

INSPIRATIONS

Louise Smith’s love of speed came directly from her father and brothers, who didn’t just tolerate her interest in cars—they fueled it[3][4][5]. In an era when most women weren’t even allowed to have opinions about carburetors, her family handed her the keys. Literally. Her father taught her to drive when she was barely tall enough to see over the dashboard, and that early encouragement gave her the confidence to bulldoze through every barrier the racing world threw at her.

Bill France Sr. also played a pivotal role in her career, not as a gatekeeper, but as someone who recognized talent when he saw it and wasn’t afraid to promote it[16][17]. He understood that Louise wasn’t just good for headlines—she was good, period.

REPUTATION

Smith was known for her jaw-dropping fearlessness and her equally jaw-dropping crash record. She broke nearly every bone in her body over the course of her career, survived fiery wrecks that would have ended most drivers’ lives, and still showed up for the next race[25][26]. After one particularly brutal practice crash, she didn’t even bother fixing her race car—she just drove her tow car in the event instead[27]. That’s the kind of next-level stubbornness that defines a legend.

Her most famous crash came at Occoneechee Speedway in 1949, when her car flipped, caught fire, and left her with burns and 48 stitches[18][19]. Photos of the mangled wreck were splashed across her hometown Greenville, South Carolina, newspaper[28]. Most people would’ve called it quits. Louise Smith? She healed up and got back on the track. “I won a lot, crashed a lot, and broke just about every bone in my body, but I gave it everything I had,” she said[25]. And she meant every word.

She earned the nickname that would follow her for life and even inspire a character in Pixar’s *Cars 3*—Louise “Barnstormer” Nash is based directly on Smith, complete with her number 94 and her legendary reputation[29][30]. When an animated car is cooler than most real-life humans, you know you’ve made it.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Louise Smith passed away on April 15, 2006, at the age of 89 after a battle with cancer[9][28]. She is buried in Graceland West Cemetery and Mausoleum in Greenville, South Carolina[9].

REFERENCES

[1] Motorsports Hall of Fame: Louise Smith
[2] RIP: Louise Smith – Motorsports Soapbox
[3] Motorsport Memorial: Louise Smith
[4] Louise Smith Biography – Henry Ford Exhibit
[5] Louise Smith – Trailblazers
[6] Los Angeles Times: Louise Smith, 89; Stock-Car Racer
[7] Louise Smith Biography – Racing Volunteer Work
[8] Hertz: Louise Smith – The First Lady of NASCAR
[9] Motorsport Memorial: Louise Smith Death and Legacy
[10] Los Angeles Times: Legends – Louise Smith
[11] ESPN: NASCAR’s First Lady of Racing Louise Smith
[12] Wikipedia: Louise Smith
[13] WomenInRacing.org: Louise Smith
[14] NASCAR Hall of Fame: Pioneering Women Who Raced in NASCAR
[15] The Racing Experts: The History of Women Racing in NASCAR Cup Series
[16] ESPN: Bill France Sr. and Louise Smith
[17] Hertz: Bill France Sr. and the Promotion of Louise Smith
[18] Hagerty: Not Even 48 Stitches and Burnt Legs Could Stop NASCAR’s Louise Smith
[19] Hagerty: Louise Smith Occoneechee Speedway Crash
[20] Motorsports Hall of Fame: Louise Smith – 38 Modified Wins
[21] Motorsports Hall of Fame: Louise Smith as Car Owner
[22] Wikipedia: Louise Smith – Car Owner
[23] Hagerty: Louise Smith – First Woman Inducted
[24] Wikipedia: Louise Smith Hall of Fame Induction
[25] AZ Quotes: Louise Smith Quotes
[26] Motorsport Memorial: Louise Smith Crash History
[27] Hagerty: Louise Smith Drove Tow Car in Race
[28] Wikipedia: Louise Smith Death
[29] Pixar Cars Wiki: Louise Nash
[30] Pixar Wiki: Louise Nash Character