Danica Patrick
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[edit] Biography
Danica Patrick is a driver in the IndyCar Series, driving for Andretti Green Racing. Since joining the series, she has become the series most popular driver. On April 19, 2008, Patrick became the first woman to ever win a major open-wheel race, when she won the Japan Indy 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.
After spending her late teens developing in Europe, Patrick returned to the US in 2002 after signing a deal to race for Bobby Rahal. Danica drove a few races in the Barber Dodge Series in 2002, then ran the next two years in Toyota Atlantics.
In 2005, Rahal Letterman Racing decided to run Danica in IndyCars rather than graduate her to Champ Car. Her first strong performance came at Motegi where she lead for the first time and finished fourth.
The breakthrough for Danica Patrick came at Indianapolis that year. Consistently strong throughout the month of May, she stood a chance of becoming the Indianapolis 500's first ever female polesitter. In qualifying though, she bobbled a bit on the first lap, and qualified fourth, itself the best qualifying position for a woman driver.
On lap 56, Danica stayed out ahead of the leaders to lead the race, becoming the first woman to lead a lap. A stall in the pits dropped her to midpack, then she spun later causing a caution. Patrick's team moved off strategy, allowing her to move back into the top 5. On lap 172, she took the lead from Dan Wheldon and proceeded to battle him towards the end of the race. She led as late as lap 193, when she gave up the lead for good and eventually finished fourth. The close call led to a glut of media attention, including the mainstream, non-sports world.
Her 2005 season also had three poles on her way to winning the Rookie of the Year honors. 2006 was a struggle for Danica and her team, as the Panoz chassis Rahal Letterman Racing used ran poorly against the Dallaras used by most other teams. Never in serious contention for a win, she nonetheless finished 9th in the series standings.
In 2007, Patrick moved from Rahal Letterman to Andretti Green Racing. For the first time in history, a female driver was on a team with a major track record of winning races. She struggled early to adjust to her new team, but after Indianapolis she began to show better results and establish her self as the "best of the rest". Her seventh place finish in the season standings was the highest by a driver who did not win a race. She also improved her career best finish twice, with two third place finishes at Texas and Nashville followed by a runner-up at Belle Isle. She also developed a fierce rivalry with Dan Wheldon, as the two trades jabs at each other through the media.
2008 began with a strong 6th place finish at Homestead, and a 10th place at St. Petersburg. Two weeks later, she would make history.
Starting sixth due to points, she began the Japan Indy 300 fluctuating between fifth and eighth. On lap 148, she was one of three drivers to make an extra pit stop in an effort to not stop again. On lap 198 after most of the leaders pitted, she passed Helio Castroneves (who also stopped at lap 148, but had not conserved as much fuel). She held on for the remaining three laps to win her first race.
Outside of racing, Danica has become well-known both because of her status as a woman in a male-dominated sport, as well as her looks. She has been featured in FHM magazine and posed for the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
[edit] Career Highlights
[edit] 2005
- First woman to lead a lap at the Indianapolis 500
- Highest finish for a woman at Indiapolis 500 (4th)
- Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year
- IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year
- 3 Poles, most by a woman (season and career)
[edit] 2006
- Finished 9th in series points
[edit] 2007
- Moved to Andretti-Green Racing
- Finish 7th in IndyCar series points
- Twice improved on career best performance with third at Texas (equaled at Nashville) and second at Belle Isle
[edit] 2008
- Wins at Twin Ring Motegi, the first major victory for a female racer.
[edit] Statistics
[edit] IndyCar Series Record
| Season | Team Name | No. | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing |
| 2005 | Rahal Letterman Racing | 16 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 325 | 12th |
| 2006 | Rahal Letterman Racing | 16 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 302 | 9th |
| 2007 | Andretti Green Racing | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 424 | 7th |
| 2008 | Andretti Green | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 236 | 7th |
| TOTAL | 57 | 3 | 1 |
[edit] Video Gallery
[edit] Picture Gallery
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