Danika Patrick

I picked Danica Patrick for my Women's History Month choice. :)






Danica Sue Patrick (born March 25, 1982) is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd place. She competed in the series from 2005 to 2011. She currently competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Starting in kart racing, she later raced Formula Ford in England before moving back to the US and moving up to IndyCars. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race.

She placed 3rd in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, which was both a personal best for her at the track, and the highest finish by a woman in the event's history. Patrick holds the IRL record for most consecutive races running at the finish. As of October 2, 2011, she has completed 50 consecutive races in the running (the next highest total in the record book is 32). During her time in IndyCar, Patrick drove for Rahal Letterman Racing from 2005–2006, and Andretti Autosport from 2007-2011.

In 2010, Patrick began racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports part-time. She also has an equity stake in her #7 team. She had her best career finish of 4th in series on March 5, 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway—the best finish by a woman in a NASCAR top-circuit.

Early life

Patrick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin to parents T.J. and Bev Patrick. She grew up in nearby Roscoe, Illinois. Her parents met on a blind date at a snowmobile event in the 1970s when Bev was a mechanic for a friend's snowmobile. T.J. raced snowmobiles, motocross, and midget cars. They have owned a Java Hut and a plate glass company.

Patrick was a cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School in Rockton, IL in 1996 and spent her off time babysitting for a family down the road when she wasn't racing. She dropped out of high school and attained a GED.

Her father, T.J., helps his daughter by driving her motor coach and managing her website and merchandise trailer, while her mother, Bev, handles Patrick's business affairs.

Early racing career

Patrick began go-karting in 1992 at the age of 10 at the Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wisconsin.

At age 16 she moved to Milton Keynes, England in order to advance her racing career, racing in British national series events against drivers including future Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button. During a three year period she raced in Formula Ford, Formula Vauxhall and earned a second-place in Britain's Formula Ford Festival, the highest finish by a woman in the event.

In 2002, Patrick started driving for Rahal Letterman Racing in the United States. After making several starts in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, she moved to the Toyota Atlantic Championship for 2003. Patrick won one pole position and was a consistent podium finisher (top three); however, she never won a race. In 2004, Patrick finished third in the Championship.

Later racing career

During the 2010 season, Patrick set the Indycar Series record for consecutive races finished running, having finished every race of the 2010 season as well as all but the first race of the 2009 season, for a total of 33 races.

The 2010 season would also see Patrick participating in the Drive4COPD campaign along with Patty Loveless, Bruce Jenner, Michael Strahan, and Jim Belushi. The team is working as part of a multi-year initiative to bring awareness of the dangers of COPD (which includes Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema), the 4th leading cause of death in the US today.

In the year of the 2011 IndyCar World Championships tragedy, Kentucky was the last race in which Patrick was able to edge out Helio Castroneves for 10th in the points championship. Patrick announced that she would no longer be driving full-time in the IZOD IndyCar Series after this season and would focus her full attention to driving stock cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

NASCAR/ARCA career

On March 5, 2011, Patrick set racing history again, finishing 4th in the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series Race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Patrick mentioned in the post-race interview that her goal was to get a top 10 finish.

On July 7, 2011, Patrick finished 10th in the Subway Jalapeño 250 Nationwide series race at Daytona after leading a total of 13 laps during the race before being involved in an incident coming to the checkered flag on the last lap of the race.

K&N Pro Series EastIn Patrick's first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, she posted her first top 10 finish (6th) at Dover but the following day, during the Nationwide race, she hit the wall after experiencing a vibration and a cut tire off turn 4 finishing 35th, 94 laps down.

NASCAR Nationwide SeriesDanica Patrick and her sponsor GoDaddy.com announced on August 25, 2011 that Patrick will be leaving the IndyCar series to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series full time for JR Motorsports in 2012.

She won the pole for the season-opening event of the 2012 season, only the second woman to do so in NASCAR history, the first being Shawna Robinson in a Busch Series event in 1994.

Awards:

IndyCar Rookie of the Year 2005
IndyCar Most Popular Driver 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

*excerpts from Wikipedia.