Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racer. She is the most successful female in the history of American open-wheel car racing--her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only female winner in an IndyCar Series race.Born to a working-class family from Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick started karting at the age of 10 and gained early success when she won her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the early 1990s. With the permission of her parents, she dropped out of high school and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998 to pursue her dream of becoming a professional. Patrick participated in Formula Vauxhall, Formula Ford and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001. She raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races in 2002 for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick participated in the Toyota Atlantic Series the following two years. She was third in championship standings in the 2004 season, where she became first woman to win a position in the series. She was the IndyCar Series rookie of the year in 2005, and also won the Indianapolis 500. She continued to grow by joining Rahal Letterman Racing (2006) as well as Andretti Green Racing (2007). Patrick was sixth overall in drivers standings in 2008 following her Japan victory. The following year she improved on this, and finished fifth overall the driver's standings. She also finished an all-time high of third at the Indianapolis 500, which was the highest performance by a female racer at the event. Patrick's overall performance was disappointing in 2010, however she did manage two second-place finishes on oval tracks prior to her departure from IndyCar for full-time stock car racing.