Lyn St. James is a rare athlete--a woman automobile racer. In her forties, she qualified for and drove in her first Indianapolis 500 in 1992. She became only the second woman in the 82-year history of the Memorial Day weekend race to qualify for the race and to complete the tough course, finishing eleventh in a starting field of 33 professional drivers. In addition to these auto racing accomplishments, St. James is also a writer-columnist, teacher, businesswoman, and piano player.

Throughout her career, St. James has been told what she can't do. As Sports Illustrated said: "At times her own crew members have made it clear that she would be more welcome in the garage if she fetched coffee rather than asked questions about chassis setup." And as St. James told the same magazine: "My entire career, it has been, 'Who's going to work with the girl driver"'... Many male...