Danica Patrick

In the fast and furious world of racecar driving, Danica Patrick was a world-record setter for female racers. In 2005, Patrick became the fourth woman to race in the Indianapolis 500; she led 19 laps of the race, and her fourth place finish was the highest ever at that time for a female driver. Having an affinity for racing at super-speedways, Patrick made history again in 2008 when she finished the season in sixth place in the unified IndyCar series, the highest-placing finish for women at the time. And, to show that she was more than just a racing novelty, she made an impressive showing at the Indianapolis 500 the following year, finishing in third at that event. Her biggest coup, however, happened during her second Daytona 500 in February 2013 after she joined the NASCAR Driver's ranks. In this event, she notched another milestone by becoming the first woman ever to lead laps in a NASCAR race, proving that she was a consistent contender on the track and a true game-changer for the sport.

Danica Sue Patrick was born on March 25, 1982 in Beloit, WA, and attended Hononegah Community High School in Rockton, IL. She became hooked on racing at age 10 after go-carting with her younger sister; at age 16, she traveled to England to advance her racing career, which was off to a good start after finishing second at the 2000 Formula Ford Festival - the highest-ever finish, at that time, by any American in the U.K. event. In 2002, after returning to the States, she signed with Rahal-Letterman Racing, co-owned by former Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and legendary late night host David Letterman. While she did not win any major races at this time, Patrick was a consistent finisher on the podium in many races during her IndyCar career. Not surprisingly, she received numerous offers from NASCAR teams during this period, but she elected to sign with Andretti Green Racing in 2006, and continued to race INDY cars instead. During this time, she experienced career highs and lows, including several crashes and incidents that resulted in less-than-stellar finishes.

In 2008, Patrick made history after finishing the season standings in sixth place in the unified IndyCar series, the highest-placing for a woman at the time. The following year, she made an impressive showing at the Indianapolis 500, coming in third. Patrick's status as a female racecar driver netted her lucrative endorsement deals from companies such as GoDaddy.com and Nationwide Insurance. Her youth and fresh-faced beauty helped her acquire a huge fan base, and earned her spots on popular men's magazine lists like FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" andMaxim's "Hot 100 of 2007." Patrick also dabbled in acting, guest starring on "CSI: NY" (CBS, 2004- ) and appearing in music videos for artists like Jay-Z and Miranda Lambert. Patrick began racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010, and the following year, had her best career finish of fourth in a series at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; it was also the best finish, so far, by a woman in a NASCAR top circuit. She made history yet again in February 2013 in her second Daytona 500 by becoming the first woman to start on the pole in a Sprint Cup race, and the first woman to lead laps in a race in NASCAR's top series. Overall, she finished eighth, another record for a woman in that event.

By Candy Cuenco