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93. Lyn St. James, Auto Racing

1947-
First female to compete full-time on the Indy pro circuit
St. James looks forward to getting more women in the driver's seat. George Tiedemann

One night in 1964, 17-year-old Evelyn Cornwall went to the drag races in Louisville, Kentucky with some friends who had entered a car. After one friend had lost his heat, Cornwall (who changed her name to St. James in 1978 because she thought it was more "media-ready") made a smart-aleck remark. "If you think you can do better," she was told. "Go ahead." She accepted the challenge, and won her race. The following year, she won the first of two consecutive Sports Car Club of America Florida regional championships. Over the next decade, St. James established herself as the top female professional driver.

As challenging as it was to be behind the wheel, her true battles were for acceptance and sponsorship. St. James campaigned tirelessly for backers, finally landing the big one -- Ford Motor Company -- in 1981. Four years later, she became the first woman to win a solo North American pro road race when she finished first at Watkins Glen, N.Y. In 1988, she switched from road racers to Indy cars and became the first woman to compete full-time on the Indy pro circuit. In 1992, she became only the second woman ever to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th and being named Rookie of the Year. St. James has since competed in six Indy 500s -- and, in 1996, went from driver to driver-owner, acquiring her own team, Lyn St. James Racing. In 1999, St. James was named executive director of the Women's Global GT Championship, a Professional Sportscar Racing-sanctioned series.

They said it: "All the good things in my life have happened because of racing. It helped me develop an identity. I've learned a lot about myself, and how to stretch my limits. This is where I live, where I'm in my most powerful form." --St. James

--Susan Brody

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated for Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.