Danica Patrick

Indy Racing League (IRL) driver Danica Patrick took the professional racing circuit by storm. In a sport where female participation is rare, Patrick has made history. At the 2005 Indianapolis 500 she became the first woman ever to lead the field of drivers. She held first place for a total of 19 laps, but minor errors and a spinout kept her from becoming the first woman to win. She finished the race fourth though, the highest since Janet Guthrie's ninth-place finish 27 years earlier.

Born in Beloit, Wisc., on March 25, 1982, Danica Patrick began kart racing through the influence of her sister when she was 10. While her sister quickly moved on and abandoned the sport, Patrick became hooked and joined the World Karting Association (WKA). In just two years time, Patrick began winning races regularly, and in 1996 she won 79% of her races. At 16, after attending racing school in Canada, she moved to England to focus on her career. She excelled at the sport, posting many top finishes in the Formula Vauxhall Winter Series.

She returned to the United States in 2001, and the following year she signed a contract with Rahal Letterman Racing. From there, Patrick began making her climb to IndyCar status by racing in the Toyota Atlantic series. In her first year she finished in the top-five seven times, and she went on to become the first female driver to win a pole position. In 2004 she was also the only driver to complete every lap of every race for the entire season.

After two quick years preparing for the IRL, she got her call and made her debut at the 2005 Toyota Indy 300. She failed to finish, after being knocked out after 158 laps, but worked her way to the prestigious Indy 500. She became only the fourth woman to participate in the big race. Despite posting the fastest speed of the month two weeks earlier at 229.880 miles-per-hour, she failed to capture the pole in her qualifying laps. She began the race in the same spot she finished--fourth.

Danica Patrick lives with her fiance Paul Hospenthal in Scottsdale, Arizona. She stands 5' 2" tall and weighs 100 lbs. She hosted the Spike TV series "PowerBlock TV," a two-hour racing show, and appears in the 2005 film documentary "Girl Racers."