What does the future look like for women in all forms of motorsports; as drivers, engineers, team members, team owners, and other disciplines? Hear these women talk about their challenges and opportunities over the past decades, and how they have (or have not) changed today. How does STEM play a role in growing participation from women?  

Moderators-Lyn St. James and Amanda Busick

Erin Crocker Evernham, Kim McCullough, Beth Paretta, Margie Smith Haas

Lyn St. James

Named one of the “Top 100 Women Athletes of the Century” by Sports Illustrated, St. James’ racing career started in 1973 and ended in 2001 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In between she became the 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, set 21 international and national closed-course speed records, notched two class wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona, one at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and another at the 12 Hours of Sebring, while competing twice at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

As a businesswomen, she has served on the board of Kettering University and was President of the Women’s Sports Foundation. She’s a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, and is a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and the Sebring Hall of Fame.

St. James continues to race vintage cars today and represents ACCUS on the FIA Women Motorsports Commission.

Amanda Busick

Award-winning broadcast reporter and host of the Women Shifting Gears podcasts.

Amanda is seen most weekends either on NHRA/FOX Sports, Presenter/Pit Lane Reporter for SRO America GT World Challenge on CBS Sports, Grid Host/Pit Lane Reporter for FIA Formula E on CBS & Presenter/Pit Lane Reporter for Ferrari Challenge on CBS and a live-event host/moderator for Discovery, MotorTrend, NFL on Location, Women Shifting Gears podcast and more.

Amanda made her MotorTrend debut in 2019 as co-host alongside Justin Bell for the 69th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. She stepped into reporter duties for the 2020 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale on MotorTrend & Discovery.

As a live-event host/emcee, she has led press and promotional events for clients, including Formula 1, NFL On-Location, HUGO BOSS, Porsche, CrowdStrike, John Wooden College Basketball Tip-Off, World Wide Technology, Women Of Fox Sports, National Hot Rod Association and CS Global. 

Erin Crocker Evernham

Former Sprint Car, World of Outlaws, ARCA/REMAX, NASCAR Xfinity Cup Series, and Craftsman Truck Series driver.

Erin first started racing quarter midgets at the age of 7 in the Custom Quarter Midget Club and was named the Most Improved Novice during her first year of competition. She then moved on to win several awards and three Northeast Regional Quarter Midgets of America championships from 1993 to 1996 while in middle and high school. In 1997, Erin began running Mini Sprints at Whip City Speedway in Westfield, becoming the youngest driver and the first female to win a race at the track. In 1999, she moved to the Eastern Limited Sprint Series and was named Rookie of the Year.

Erin started racing professionally in the World of Outlaws while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and she convinced them to be her sponsor. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial and management engineering. In 2002, she signed with Woodring Racing to drive a 360-winged sprint car, winning five feature races and twelve heat events, earning her the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Outstanding Newcomer Award. The following season, switching to 410 Dirt Sprints and became the first woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals. She won the 410 division's Rookie of the Year honors at the season's end. She attended the Women in the Winner’s Circle Driver Development program in 2003.

Erin continued her career in Ford's driver development program and became the first World of Outlaws driver to win a feature race. She left Ford to join Evernham Motorsports' driver development program, racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. She made her NASCAR debut driving a Dodge for Evernham in the NASCAR Xfinity Cup Series, moving on to racing full-time in the Craftsman Truck series.

Beth Paretta

Founder, owner, and team principal of Paretta Autosport.

Launched in 2021, Paretta Autosport is the first woman-owned, woman-driven, woman-forward team in INDYCAR history, born out of Beth's vision and determination. The team launched at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" – the famed Indianapolis 500 – where its successful participation garnered an incredible 6.5 billion total media impressions for the team. Paretta Autosport operates under the mission of unifying the current generation and inspiring the next, with over 75% of the team comprised of women across all roles. Paretta Autosport shines a bright light on diversity and inclusion for all. It also encourages girls and young women to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to ultimately diversify and feed the STEM workforce pipeline well beyond motorsports. Defying convention and fueled by something greater, Beth and Paretta Autosport utilize sport as a lens for action to improve society.

Beth has long been an automotive and motorsports executive in leadership roles at Aston Martin and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) across operations, marketing, and finance. At FCA, Beth became the first woman to lead a performance brand and an OEM in motorsports. Under her watch, FCA secured three national championships, including the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

A board member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Beth has been named AutoWeek magazine's "Secret People" who will change the car world,  a "Game Changer" by Sports Business Journal, and Co-founder of Women In Motorsports North America. Beth is a business leader, brand builder, and consummate professional who is intelligent, articulate, and on a mission.

Margie Smith Haas

Former SCCA, Porsche Club, LeMans, and ACRL racer.

In 1972, when Margie's parents were out of town, she popped off the hubcaps on their Buick Electra, disconnected the odometer, and took it to the drag races in Omaha. She would never have imagined that in 1994, she would have earned the title "The First Woman in North America to Win a Professional Road Racing Championship" in the American City Racing League, SCCA Pro Series!                              

Margie started racing in Porsche Club events in 1973 and progressed from amateur to pro in 1977; this led to an invitation as a pro in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at Long Beach in 1983. There she met Dan Gurney and shortly after was invited to co-drive with Gene Hackman on his factory Toyota GTU team at the 1983 Riverside LA Times 6 Hr. Endurance race. She was the only female driver in Dan's stable of 66 All American Racers professional drivers.

She competed in various World Endurance Championship races in Europe (Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Monza, Mugello, 1984 and 1985, 24 Hours of LeMans, and Sandown, Australia.) Margie was the First American Woman to drive at the famous 24 Hrs. Le Mans and the only female driver at the 1984 and 1985 24 Hrs. Le Mans.   

In 1988 Margie started competing in the American City Racing League. She was the "Say NO to Drugs" spokesperson for sponsor Valvoline. Going into the Vancouver, BC Indy Car weekend in 1994, Margie was leading the 1994 ACRL Drivers Championship. She set her second consecutive pole and clinched the ACRL Drivers' Championship title at the next to last race of the season by 1 POINT, earning her the title:  the "First Woman in North America to win a Professional Road Racing Championship. Team San Diego also won the City Team Championship.

Kim McCullough

Former automotive executive, worldwide vintage racer, collector, and Concours Judge.

A lifelong automotive enthusiast with both her personal and professional life centered around automobiles. Kim has run marketing operations for Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota and most recently was Vice President, Marketing for Jaguar Land Rover. She led the Land Rover and Jaguar brands' marketing and public relations efforts in this role. Automotive News recognized Kim as one of 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry. Throughout her 30-year career, she has received multiple Effie awards for the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and other industry recognitions.

It all started at age 7 with Matchbox cars. Today Kim is very involved in the vintage car community, participating in numerous rallies, including the Mille Miglia, the California Mille, the Copperstate 1000, and the Ramshorn Rally. She has raced Showroom Stock Miata's and runs a '32 Ford Roadster on the beach at Wildwood today. She also enjoys driving her 1956 Land Rover Series 1, 1954 Jaguar XK120 OTS, and 1970 Porsche 914/6.

Kim's cars have earned awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, The Elegance at Hershey, St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance, and other Concours. Kim also serves as a Concours judge at Pebble Beach and Amelia Island.

Again this year we are not charging for our Forums! This is due to the continuing uncertainties of their attendance due to COVID. We anticipate that we will resume charging for some of our Forums in 2023.Please only RSVP if you are certain you can attend, and allow seats for others.