Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racer. She is the most successful female in American open-wheel racing the history of open-wheel racing. Her win in Indy Japan 300 was her first victory. In 1998, she quit high school and moved to England in order to pursue her career. Patrick participated in Formula Vauxhall, Formula Ford prior to returning to the United States in 2001. In 2002 she raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick was an official Toyota Atlantic Series racer for the next two seasons. Her best finish was third in the championship standings for the 2004 season. She was the first female in the series to win the pole position. She was awarded the Rookie of the Year at both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. She showed improvement over the following two years working for Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006 and later Andretti Green Racing in 2007. Patrick was ranked sixth overall in the drivers' standings in 2008 after her Japan win. The following season she was able to improve on her performance and placed fifth overall in the driver's standings. She also finished a career high third at Indianapolis 500, which was the top performance of any female racer at the event. Patrick's overall performance deteriorated during 2010but she achieved two second-place finishes at oval tracks before she left IndyCar following the 2011 season to concentrate exclusively on stock car racing.