Life in the Fast Lane: Danica Patrick Races to Success

She's spunky, young, and she competes with the best drivers out there. Danica Patrick may be only 5-foot-1 and 100 pounds, but she was the first woman to ever hold the lead in the Indianapolis 500 (and the fourth woman to ever compete in that race)!

If you follow the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis 500, you know that Patrick was the Rookie of the Year for both in 2005. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 she was the IndyCar Most Popular Driver. Her best IndyCar finish was 7th place in 2007. Look out for Patrick - she's a valuable member of the Andretti Green Racing Team and she's in car number 7.

Patrick stirs up a lot of excitement wherever she competes. When she competed in the Indianapolis 500 in 2005, the race had more viewers tune in than it had in over a decade. It doesn't hurt that she's also very photogenic - Patrick has since shown up in music videos, commercials, and magazines including Sports Illustrated.

Danica Patrick has more than good looks - word on the street is that even though she's young she has the skill set to back up her reputation. With parents T.J. and Bev Patrick, she's been racing since she was a teenager. She definitely has a taste for competition. In 2007, Patrick scored her first three career podium finishes. She had 4 top-5s and 11 top-10s. By finishing 7th with 424 championship points, she was able to top her career best.

In May 2006 she published her autobiography called Danica: Crossing the Line. You can expect to hear more about this exciting young athlete.