Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional racer. She is the most successful American female open-wheel racing driver. Her win in Indy Japan 300 in 2008 is her first win. With her parents' consent she quit high school and relocated to the United Kingdom in 1998 to pursue a career. Patrick took part in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001 due to the lack of funds. She took part in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races in 2002 for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick was a participant in the Toyota Atlantic Series the following two years. Her best finish was third in the championship standings for the 2004 season. She became the first female in the series to win an overall position. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. She showed improvement in the subsequent two seasons with Rahal Letterman Racing 2006, and later Andretti Green Racing 2007. In 2008, Patrick followed up her Japan victory to place at sixth place overall in the driver's standings. She improved on this to earn fifth place next season, which saw her finish a career-high third at the Indianapolis 500, the best performance by any woman at the race. Patrick's overall performance dropped in 2010, but she managed to place second on the oval track. Then she quit IndyCar in 2011 to focus on stock car racing full time.