Kate Shoup - Danica Patrick: Breaking Speed Barriers

Danica Patrick wowed spectators during her rookie run at the 2005 Indianapolis 500.

Introduction

The First Lady

I n 2005, during the eighty-ninth running of the Indianapolis 500, a star was born. That star was none other than rookie race car driver Danica Patrick.

For more than three hours on Sundayfrom the time Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman of the board Mari Hulman George intoned, Lady and gentlemen, start your engines, to the moment British driver Dan Wheldon crossed the finish line under checkered and yellow caution flagsthe 23-year-old Patrick gave the boys all they could handle until she had to back off for lack of fuel, noted Sports Illustrated of Patricks spectacular Indy 500 run. She also gave the sea of 300,000 spectators what they were hoping to witness: history.

That was hardly the first time Patrick had made history. Shed done it as a youngster, winning multiple national go-karting championships. Shed done it as a teen living in England, finishing second at the famous Formula Ford Festival. Shed done it in the month leading up to Indy, first when she qualified fourth, better than any woman before her; and later, when she turned a lap at a blistering 229.880 miles per hour (369.956 kilometers per hour). This was not only the fastest lap ever by a woman at the historic ; it was the fastest set all month by anyonemale or female.

In 2008, Patrick became the first woman ever to win an IndyCar race with her victory in Japan.

at Indy (in 2009); the first woman to win the pole at the Daytona 500 (in 2013); and countless other firsts.

Patricks success in a sport dominated by men came as a surprise to everyoneexcept perhaps Patrick herself. Im going to go out there and prove to you time and again that I belong here, that I will race up front, and that Im a great driver, not just driving for a great team, she told journalists in the days before her famous rookie run at Indy. Patricks secret? Disregarding her female status. Ive always believed and wanted and trained to be the best at what Im doing, to be the best driver, not the best girl.

Patrick has achieved a great deal. But perhaps her most important achievement is proving that, as written in USA Today, a woman with the right talent can succeed in a male-dominated sport such as auto-racing when shes given the right backing from people who take her seriously. This knowledge has inspired a generation of girlsnot just aspiring professional race car drivers, but girls who seek to follow their dreams, whatever they may be. Patrick, who hails from Roscoe, Illinois, put it this way: Im a small-town girl who had a dream and a family who helped her believe anything is possible. She continued, I am living proof that if you work hard and aim high, you can do whatever you set your mind to, even if that makes you different.