The tribute featured a speech by former president Bill Clinton, and appearances by figure skaters Sarah Hughes and Nancy Kerrigan, race car driver Janet Guthrie, Billie Jean King's long time double's partner Rosie Casals and other prominent women in sports.
There were two other female drivers in the field: American Janet Guthrie and Belgian Christine Beckers.
Janet Jackson | Woody Guthrie | Arlo Guthrie | Janet | Janet Maslin | Janet Napolitano | Guthrie Theater | Janet Fish | Janet Guthrie | Tyrone Guthrie | Janet Parshall | Janet Gaynor | Janet Reno | Janet Kay | Guthrie, Kentucky | Pierre Janet | Janet Jones | Janet Frame | Janet E. Smith | Robin Guthrie | Janet Street-Porter | Janet Perry | Janet Langhart | Gwen Guthrie | Trevor Guthrie | Janet Woollard | Janet Waldo | Janet Steinbeck | Janet Radcliffe Richards | Janet Morris |
Waltrip won the pole and Cale started fourth, and the two battled hard for first; the lead had changed hands 28 times by Lap 236 when the leaders came into lapped traffic; Waltrip slammed into Yarborough and the wreck wiped out Janet Guthrie, D.K. Ulrich, and Terry Bivins.
Kenny Hemphill, Tim Richmond (12th place finish), and Bob Riley would start their NASCAR Cup Series career at this race while Janet Guthrie and Nelson Oswald would make this race into their swan songs.
Eight women qualified to the Indianapolis 500 formula race: Janet Guthrie (9th in 1978), Lyn St. James (11th in 1992), Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick (3rd in 2009 y 4th in 2005), Simona de Silvestro, Pippa Mann, Milka Duno and Ana Beatriz Figueiredo.