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Indy 500: Why a Pippa Mann deal would be historically significant

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 26: Pippa Mann, of England, driver of the #39 Driven2SaveLives Clauson-Marshall Racing Chevrolet stands on stage during the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 26: Pippa Mann, of England, driver of the #39 Driven2SaveLives Clauson-Marshall Racing Chevrolet stands on stage during the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Should Pippa Mann land an Indy 500 deal for 2020, it would mark the 29th consecutive year with a woman entered in the race.

Pippa Mann stated back in January that while she was not overly optimistic about landing a ride to compete in the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, she was still trying to piece together a deal.

Mann, who has attempted the race in eight of the last nine years and competed in it on seven of those eight occasions, recently stated that she is still aiming to land a ride to compete this year. Now the race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 23 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 36-year-old Briton has attempted the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval in Speedway, Indiana in each of the last seven years, last not doing so in 2012, one year removed from her IndyCar and Indy 500 debut. She failed to qualify in 2018.

https://twitter.com/PippaMann/status/1234956078582042629

https://twitter.com/PippaMann/status/1235603787466838022

Right now, there are no women entered for this year’s Indy 500. In total, there are 32 confirmed entries with four more speculated. There are 30 confirmed drivers for these 32 entries.

Should Mann land a ride for the race, it would mark the 29th consecutive year with a woman on the entry list. Should she then go on to qualify for the race, it would mark the 21st consecutive year with a woman in the field of 33.

The last time there were no women on the entry list for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was back in 1991.

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Lyn St. James then made her debut in 1992 and competed in the race every year from 1992 to 1997. She attempted to qualify in 1998 and 1999 but failed to do so before making her final start in the race in 2000. 1999 is still the most recent year without a women in the field.

Sarah Fisher made her Indy 500 debut in 2000 and competed in the race eight times over the next 10 years. She did not compete in 2005 or 2006, but in 2005, Danica Patrick made her debut. She competed in the race from 2005 to 2011 before making her final IndyCar start in the race in 2018.

Because Mann failed to qualify in 2018, Patrick was the only female competitor. Mann was the only female competitor again in 2019.

Milka Duno, Simona de Silvestro, Ana Beatriz and Katherine Legge have also competed in this race in recent years. Duno competed in 2007, 2008 and 2009 before failing to qualify in 2010. 2010 is when Simona de Silvestro made her Indy 500 debut, and she competed in the race from 2010 to 2013 and then again in 2015. In 2014, Mann was the lone female in the field.

Beatriz also made her Indy 500 debut in 2010, and she competed in the race each year from 2010 to 2013. Legge made her debut in 2012 and competed again in 2013. She remains the most recent female driver to make her Indy 500 debut.

Next. Top 10 Indianapolis 500 drivers of all-time. dark

Will the 2020 Indianapolis 500 turn out to be the first without a female driver since 1999 and the first without a female driver on the entry list since 1991? Unless Pippa Mann can piece together a deal, it is looking like that will be the case.