Shawna Robinson

Robinson became the first woman to win a pole position in the NASCAR Busch Series when she started first in the 1994 Busch Light 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2002, she drove the #49 BAM Racing Dodge Intrepid in the Winston Cup Series for seven races. After failing to finish above 24th, she was released.In 2005, Robinson drove in the Busch Series after being out of NASCAR for two years. She piloted the #23 Vassarette/Riders Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Keith Coleman Racing, but was released after six races.Shawna Robinson thinks she can make history without being considered a NASCAR sideshow. "This is no gimmick," she insists. "I know I'm capable of driving in Winston Cup. Now all I have to do is go out there and prove it." She'll have that opportunity this weekend at California Speedway, where the 36-year-old mother of two will try to qualify for the NAPA Auto Parts 500. That would make her the first woman to drive in stock car racing's top series since Patty Moise in 1989. But Robinson wants even more, and car owner Michael Kranefuss thinks she has a chance to become the first regular. At the very least, the plan is to make her the first to compete in more than a handful of Cup races in a single season since Robin McCall in 1982. "I think she's got the stuff," said Kranefuss, a former partner of Roger Penske in a Winston Cup team as well as the former boss of Ford's worldwide motorsports program.    Kranefuss has announced a six-race schedule for this year, and has enough confidence in Robinson that's he planning a full-time Winston Cup effort next season even though no sponsorship money has yet materialized.