Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racing racer. She has been the most successful woman ever to compete in American open-wheel car racing--her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman in the history of an IndyCar Series race.Born to a working class family from Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick began karting at age of ten and achieved early success when she won her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the late 1990s. In 1998, she resigned from high school and relocated to England in order to pursue her career. Patrick was a competitor in Formula Vauxhall before moving to the United States in 2001 because due to a lack of funds. In 2002, she participated in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series the following two years. Her best finish was third in the championship standings in 2004 when she became the first female to earn a pole position in the series.She first competed in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005. She scored three pole positions, equaling Tomas Scheckter's record for poles during her rookie season. She was named the 2005 IndyCar Series Rookie of Year. She continued to grow with Rahal Letterman Racing (2006) and Andretti Green Racing (2007). Patrick came in sixth place in the driver's standings following her win in Japan. Her performance improved to finish fifth in the following year, which resulted in her finishing a record-breaking third at the Indianapolis 500, the best race of any woman at the race. Patrick's overall form was poor in 2010, however she scored two second-place finishes at oval tracks before leaving IndyCar to focus solely on racing stock cars.