Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racing driver. She is the most successful woman ever to compete in American open-wheel car racing. Her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman at an IndyCar Series race.Born to a working class family from Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick started karting when she was of ten . She was able to achieve early success by winning her class at the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times during the late 1990s. She dropped out of high school with the permission of her parents in 1998, and then moved to the United Kingdom to further her career. Patrick was a racer in Formula Vauxhall before moving to the United States in 2001 because of a lack in funding. In 2002, she raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races with Rahal Letterman racing. Patrick was a participant in the Toyota Atlantic Series the following two years. She finished third in the championship standings of the 2004 season, where she became the first female to be crowned the winner of the series. She was the IndyCar Series rookie of the year for 2005, and won the Indianapolis 500. She saw improvement over the next two years working for Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006 and later Andretti Green Racing in 2007. Patrick came in sixth place in the driver's standings after winning in Japan. She improved her position to place fifth the following season. This resulted in her finishing a record-breaking third in the Indianapolis 500, the best performance of any female at the race. Patrick's overall record was disappointing in 2010, however she did manage two second-place finishes on oval tracks prior to her departure from IndyCar to focus on stock car racing.