Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional race driver. She is the most successful female in the history of American open-wheel car racing. Her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win by a woman at an IndyCar Series race.Born to a working class family in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick started karting when she was of ten and achieved early success by winning her class at the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times during the late 1990s. With her parents' consent, she dropped out of high school and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998 to pursue her dream of becoming a professional. Patrick competed in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001 due to a lack of funding. In 2002 she raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series the following two years. Her best result was third in championship standings for 2004 season. She became one of the women in the series to earn the pole position. She was named the 2005 IndyCar Series Rookie of Year. She continued to make progress by joining Rahal Letterman Racing (2006) and later Andretti Green Racing (2007). In 2008, Patrick followed up her Japan win to finish sixth overall in the overall drivers' standings. She improved her position to finish fifth in the drivers' standings the next season. It was her highest performance at the Indianapolis 500 and a career-high for Patrick. Patrick's overall performance declined in the year, but she had two second-place finishes on oval tracks prior to leaving IndyCar following the 2011 season, focusing solely on stock car racing.