Danica

Danica Sue Patrick is an American former professional race driver. She is the most successful American open-wheel racing female. Her victory in Indy Japan 300 in 2008 was her first major win. With the approval of her parents, she dropped out of highschool and moved to the United Kingdom in 1998 to pursue a career in the sport. Patrick raced in Formula Vauxhall, Formula Ford and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001. In 2002, she competed in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick later raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the next two years. She was third in the championship standings in the 2004 season, where she became the first woman to secure a place in the series. She was awarded the 2005 IndyCar Series Rookie of Year. She showed improvement over the following two years with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006 and later Andretti Green Racing in 2007. Patrick placed sixth overall in drivers standings in 2008 following her Japan victory. The following year she improved on this, and finished fifth overall the driver's standings. Patrick also scored an all-time high of third at the Indianapolis 500, which was the top performance of any female driver in the race. Patrick's overall form was poor in 2010, however she managed two second-places on oval tracks before she left IndyCar to focus solely on racing stock cars.