American · Beloit, USA · Born 25 March 1982American racing driver who became the most successful woman in IndyCar and NASCAR history, breaking numerous gender barriers in motorsport.
Danica Sue Patrick was born on 25 March 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin, and grew up in nearby Roscoe, Illinois, beginning go-karting at ten and winning multiple World Karting Association championships before moving to England at 16 to further her racing career, competing in Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall. Patrick returned to the United States in 2001 and joined the IndyCar Series in 2005, immediately winning Rookie of the Year honours for both that season and the Indianapolis 500, where she led laps before finishing fourth — the highest finish by a woman in the race's history at that time. Patrick made history at the 2008 Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman ever to win an IndyCar Series race, and improved on her Indianapolis 500 result with a third-place finish in 2009, still the highest by a woman in the event. Patrick moved to NASCAR in 2012, becoming the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position at that year's Daytona 500, and went on to become the most successful woman in American open-wheel and stock car racing history, retiring in 2018 after competing in both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in her final season.
First woman to win an IndyCar race and lead laps in Indianapolis 500
How They Played
Aggressive oval racer with strong qualifying pace
Lasting Impact
Pioneering female driver who broke barriers in IndyCar and NASCAR
Career Honours
- 2008 Indy Japan 300 winner (first IndyCar win by a woman)
- 2013 Daytona 500 pole position — first woman
- Indianapolis 500 best finish by a woman (3rd, 2009)
American Athletes