Denise McCluggage
Sports Car racing // El Dorado, Kansas
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Denise McCluggage was a trailblazing American racer and journalist who won at Sebring, Lime Rock, and Monte Carlo while becoming the first woman to earn the Ken W. Purdy Award.
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Denise McCluggage BIO
Denise McCluggage was a trailblazing American motorsports racer and journalist who shattered barriers both on the track and in the press box, becoming the first woman to win the Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism while competing wheel-to-wheel with legends like Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio.
EARLY YEARS
Born January 20, 1927, in El Dorado, Kansas, to parents Robert and Velma McCluggage, Denise grew up with two sisters in the American heartland. She excelled academically, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Mills College in Oakland, California. Her path to motorsports began in the early 1950s when, working as a journalist covering yacht racing in San Francisco, she met Briggs Cunningham, the famed Le Mans car builder who would become her bridge into the racing world.
OTHER INTERESTS
Beyond racing, McCluggage was a accomplished journalist, author, and photographer. She became the first female sports reporter for a major daily newspaper—the New York Herald Tribune—and was a driving force behind the founding of Autoweek magazine. She also wrote a syndicated column called “Drive, She Said,” cementing her dual legacy in both motorsports and automotive journalism.
EARLY SUCCESS
McCluggage’s racing career began in her mid-twenties with an MG TC Midget at small club events around San Francisco in the early 1950s. She quickly progressed from amateur to professional racing by 1956, moving up to a Jaguar XK140. Her talent was immediately evident—in 1957, she co-drove a Porsche 550 RS in the Caracas Race, and by 1958 became the first woman to finish at the legendary Nürburgring 1000km in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
- 1959: Race win at Lime Rock driving an OSCA
- 1961: 1st in Grand Touring category at 12 Hours of Sebring in a Ferrari 250 GT
- 1964: Class win at Monte Carlo Rally driving a Ford Falcon Sprint
- 1967: 17th place overall at 12 Hours of Sebring in a Ferrari NART Spyder—the only Ferrari to finish
- 1985: First woman to win the Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism
INSPIRATIONS
Briggs Cunningham served as McCluggage’s primary mentor and inspiration, directly facilitating her transition from tennis journalism to motorsports competition. Throughout her career, she competed alongside and drew inspiration from racing legends including Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Phil Hill, holding her own against these titans of the sport.
REPUTATION
McCluggage earned widespread respect for her exceptional racecraft, consistency, and ability to compete at the highest levels against the era’s greatest drivers. Known for her trademark red and white polka-dot helmet, she was celebrated not only for her driving skill but also for her warmth and openness in the male-dominated world of motorsports. Her 1958 denial of entry to the 24 Hours of Le Mans explicitly due to gender highlighted the barriers she faced and ultimately helped break down. She was inducted into both the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame, and is credited with paving the way for future generations of female drivers.
FUTURE GOALS/PLANS
McCluggage passed away on May 6, 2015, leaving behind a legacy as both a pioneering racer and influential automotive journalist.
References:
Wikipedia – Denise McCluggage
Hagerty – Racing Pioneer Profile
Kansas Oil Museum Archives
Motorsports Hall of Fame
