Guthrie was originally an aerospace engineer, and after graduating from the University of Michigan with a physics degree in 1960, she worked with Republic Aviation.

[3] In the 1976 World 600, Guthrie finished 15th, becoming the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup superspeedway race.

The following season, she competed in her first Daytona 500, finishing 12th when her car's engine blew two cylinders with ten laps to go.

[4] Guthrie qualified for and competed in the 1977 Indianapolis 500, in a car entered by Rolla Vollstedt, but finished 29th with engine troubles.

[3] These comments angered then three-time race winner A. J. Foyt to the point he lent Guthrie a back-up car to conduct a shake-down test.

[8] Guthrie's helmet and race suit can be found in the Smithsonian Institution and she was one of the first elected to the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Her 2005 autobiography, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle, has received critical praise from such publications as Sports Illustrated.

When Pippa Mann lacked the funding to enter the Indianapolis 500 in 2020 despite driving the previous year, the 2020 race was left with no women drivers.

[11] Guthrie herself initially said she was hesitant to address sexism in motorsports, but her mindset changed after she qualified for her first Indianapolis 500 in 1977 and was part of the downtown parade.

"[11] In 2011, Guthrie signed a petition in support of the right of women in Saudi Arabia to drive.

Her family moved to Miami, Florida when Janet was three years old after her father accepted a job with Eastern Air Lines.

[17] Guthrie has been inducted into the following halls of fame: (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.