Danica Patrick is driven to win
INDIANAPOLIS – In the gritty, testosterone-fueled world of car racing, it’s all Danica, all the time.
At 23, Danica Patrick is not only the sole woman racing in today’s Indianapolis 500, she’s the second-youngest driver on the circuit.
Oh, and another thing: She’s fast.
Only the fourth woman to race in the big event in its 89-year history, Patrick outran every male driver in Friday’s final practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“If she wins, it could mean so much” to the Indy Racing League, said Tony Kanaan, the polewinner and reigning league champion. “That’s a lot of weight for a little girl to carry on her back.”
It seems, so far, that the 5-foot-2, 100-pound “girl” in question is up to the task. She possesses a tremendous amount of grit, determination and focus, often firing steely glances at the phalanx of reporters and fans that follows her everywhere she goes.
Each time she pulled into the pits during rookie orientation, fans cheered – an honor few rookies have received. The former high school cheerleader helped seal her popularity with bikini-clad photos in a men’s magazine and a foray into broadcasting.
Even Patrick seems a little stunned by the level of attention.
“I was told that if I did well, this kind of thing would happen,” Patrick said Friday. “But (my picture on) the top fold of the USA Today – twice? I never expected that.”
A native of Roscoe, Ill., Patrick started racing go-karts at age 10. When she was 16, her parents bought her a Mustang, and she proceeded to wear out the brakes and tires every few thousand miles.
“She would hit fourth gear at the ‘Stop ahead’ sign,” her father, T.J., said last week before heading to Indianapolis.
“I keep preaching to her, ‘The people on the streets are not professionals.’ She’s the type of driver people hate to see coming.”
Those who knew Patrick growing up say she was feisty, athletic and determined.
Carol Allen, her third-grade teacher, mentions “those snapping black eyes. Even though she was little, nobody got anything over on her.”
On the Indy racetrack, Patrick has been nothing short of a phenomenon, noted for her intensity and focus. Still, she has been known to smile.
“I like to have fun, too,” she said. “But I put all that away when I’m in my race car or talking with my engineers.”
Few female predecessors
Patrick will take the green flag from fourth today, the best starting position for a woman at Indy. Only a bobble on the first lap of her qualifying effort kept her from winning the pole.
She follows Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, needing only to finish eighth or better to improve on the best previous finish by a woman – ninth by Guthrie in 1978.
Patrick, however, is not focused on simply finishing in the top 10. She’s driving for the well-established and well-financed Rahal Letterman Racing team that won here last year with Buddy Rice.
“I think I have a great chance of winning this race,” she said.
Some rival drivers have questioned whether Patrick’s slight, 100-pound frame gives her an unfair advantage over heavier competitors. Because all the cars weigh the same, Patrick’s is lighter on the race track.
Celebrity behind the wheel
Patrick also brings name recognition to a league desperately searching for prominent drivers.
There’s a camera crew documenting her every move and a curious media corps – from ESPN to People magazine – that continually peppers her with questions. When she finally gets a break from that, the autograph seekers are waiting.
It can be trying even for a veteran. But Patrick understands what’s at stake: To go from being a novelty as the league’s only woman driver to a top contender, she must show she can compete with the boys.
Others to watch include all four members of Andretti Green Racing, including Kanaan, current IRL points leader Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta.
Helio Castroneves, starting fifth, and Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr., a two-time IRL champion and starting in the middle of the first row, also will be among the favorites today as they try to give Roger Penske a record 14th Indy win.
The big question, though, remains: What will Danica do?
Castroneves was asked if it bothers him that most of the questions he and other veterans have fielded this month have been about Patrick.
“It’s good for the series, it’s good for the sport,” he replied. “When I came here they gave me the nickname ‘Spider Man.’ Maybe they should call her ‘Wonder Woman.’ “