Louise "Barnstormer" Nash is a supporting character in Cars 3.
Louise Nash is based on Louise Smith, a racer from the early days of NASCAR who was nicknamed the "First Lady of Racing".[1]
Trivia[]
- Louise Nash is modelled after a 1950 Nash Ambassador, hence her last name.
- Louise's number is a reference to the No. 94 Leslie Motor Co. Nash Ambassador Race Car, driven by Smith in the 1950 NASCAR Grand National Series.
- The scene where Louise stated she "stole her number" to compete was a reference to Louise Smith's first race when she entered her husband's new Ford Coupe in the 1949 NASCAR Series. In the race, Smith ended up finished 20th despite flipping and wrecking the vehicle.
- While Smith never won any NASCAR Series Championships, she won 38 track races before retiring in 1956. In 1971, Smith returned to racing as a race team owner, sponsoring other racers. In 1999, Smith became the first female driver to be inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Smith died from cancer at the age of 89 in Greenville, South Carolina on the 15th April 2006.