Ever since Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977, the story line for women at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been how she, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher made the starting field — not about their chances to win.
Danica Patrick has changed that.
America’s newest racing find, a 23-year-old rookie driver from Roscoe, Ill., earned her place among the favorites for the May 29 race last Sunday when she qualified fourth — and came within a bobble of winning the pole for the 89th running of the 500.
She might seem too tiny — barely 5 feet 2 and 100 pounds — but she knows how to control a 650-horsepower machine at speeds up to 230 mph around a 2 1/2 -mile race track as well as any man here.
She will start fourth in the 500, right behind pole-sitter Tony Kanaan, last year’s Indy Racing League champion, but in her mind she should be on the pole. A sideways twitch in one of former winner Bobby Rahal’s cars as she entered the first turn of a four-lap qualifying attempt made the difference between her time of 2 minutes 38.5875 seconds and Kanaan’s 2:38.1961 for 10 miles.