Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racer. She has been the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. Her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the sole win for a woman at an IndyCar Series race.Born to a working class family in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick began karting at the age of ten and achieved early success when she won her class at the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the early 1990s. With the permission of her parents she quit highschool and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998 to pursue her career. Patrick was a competitor in Formula Vauxhall before moving to the United States in 2001 because of a lack of funds. In 2002 she raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick later raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the following two seasons. She was third in the championship standings for the 2004 season. In the process, she became the first woman to earn a spot in the series. She was named the IndyCar Series rookie of the year in 2005, and won the Indianapolis 500. She showed improvement over the following two years by joining Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006 and then Andretti Green Racing in 2007. In 2008, Patrick followed up her Japan victory to place sixth overall in the drivers' standings. She improved her position to finish fifth in next season, which resulted in her finishing a record-breaking third in the Indianapolis 500, the best performance by a woman in the race. Patrick's overall form dropped during 2010but she was able to finish second at the oval tracks. She left IndyCar in the year 2011 to pursue stock car racing full time.