source: indyracing.com / Eric Powell Danica Patrick knows part of her celebrity as a rising star in open-wheel racing is because she is a female, but she also knows she has arguably the best shot of any woman at a coveted Indianapolis 500 victory.After three successful seasons with Rahal Letterman Racing in developmental series, team co-owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman have moved up Patrick, 22, to the 2005 IRL IndyCar® Series as teammate to 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice and Vitor Meira. "This is a plan that we've had for a couple of years now and a relationship we've had with Bobby and Rahal Letterman Racing even long before that," Patrick said. "Sometimes it feels like it has taken a long time to get here, but I'm 22 years old, and I'm going to be driving in the Indy 500. It's amazing. "I have been working toward this for 13 years. It's pretty whirlwind right now. I think it's going to be a fun year." Patrick, who was born in Beloit, Wis., and lives in Phoenix, will drive the No. 16 Panoz G Force/Honda/Firestone entry with sponsorship from Argent Mortgage Company and Pioneer Electronics. She will attempt to become only the second female, after Sarah Fisher, to drive the entire IndyCar Series schedule and become the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the race, from 1977-79. Lyn St. James drove in seven races between 1992-2000, winning Bank One Rookie of the Year honors in 1992, and Fisher has competed in every Indianapolis 500 from 2000-04. Guthrie's ninth-place finish in 1978 is the best for a female driver.
Recent Articles
|
Racing Multimedia
Recommendations |