First Won’t Be the Last for St. James

Lyn St. James, the veteran sports car driver who Sunday became the first female driver in the Indy 500 since 1979, also became rookie of the year.

It won’t be announced until tonight, but there isn’t much question she will get the call. Seven rookies started, but she was the only one still running when the race ended, finishing 11th, right behind A.J. Foyt, who was running in his 35th consecutive 500.

“I don’t want to say it was easy because it wasn’t easy,” she said. “It was just a little easier than I thought. All I kept saying was, ‘I’ve got to come back and do this again.’

“I had a really good race, a smart race, a conservative race,” said St. James, 45. “There’s another race in my gut, in my heart, in my belly. I wanted to go a little harder, be a little more aggressive, but I knew I didn’t have the (equipment) to pull that off. I’ll take it. I’m proud of it, and I’m happy with it.”

She had hoped that Mary Hulman, chairman emeritus of the Speedway board, would start the race by saying, “Drivers, start your engines.” Instead, Hulman said, “Lady and gentlemen, start your engines.”

“That’s OK,” St. James said. “I was going to start no matter what they said.”