Since the inaugural race in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 has become steeped in rich tradition. For decades only four words were needed to begin an Indy 500 -- "Gentleman, start your engines!"
In 1977, Janet Guthrie caused a stir by becoming the first women to qualify for the race. It took race officials days to decide how to start the day, and they finally settled on "Lady and gentlemen ... start your engines."
While I generally don't like the word "lady" (because of it's sexist connotation), I must admit that I applauded the inclusion of its plural version at the beginning of today's race because it marked the first time that three women have qualified for the same event.
The women in today's race, in the order in which they started, are:
Sarah Fisher was born to win and is determined to compete against the very best in auto racing. At just 26 years old, she has already competed in five Indianapolis 500's within the IRL IndyCar Series. In May 2000, she became just the third woman and one of the youngest drivers ever to compete in the world's greatest race – the Indianapolis 500. Later in the season, Sarah made history yet again at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the youngest person to lead laps during an IRL IndyCar event and the youngest woman to ever stand on a podium with her third-place finish in that event.
In 2001, Sarah claimed a second-place finish at the IRL's inaugural race at Homestead Miami Speedway the best result ever by a woman in Indy-style racing.
Sarah made her NASCAR debut in October of 2004 with Bill McAnally Racing in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Sarah captured four top-ten finishes in her first full season in the NASCAR West Series in 2005. She finished the season running in 12th in the chase for the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series title which made her eligible to compete in the 3rd Annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway. She finished 11th in that race.
She was signed to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing on January 30, 2007 and slated to return to the IRL IndyCar Series. For her first time, she participated in off-seaon open testing. She still has the best finish of any female in the IndyCar Series and will look for victory circle in 2007.
Milka Duno, the newest driver and third female in the IndyCar Series, will start the 2007 Indianapolis 500 in the middle of the 10th row from the 29th starting position. The Venezuelan rookie makes history: first Latina and first time three women will race at Indy.
Talent, beauty and youth are just a few of the many adjectives that define the image of Milka Duno. By education and training a Naval Engineer with four master’s degrees – in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Maritime Business and Marine Biology – Milka earned the last three simultaneously.
Milka is the first Latin American women driver ever to be classified as an "expert," Milka's professional driving career reaches new heights each year. In 2000 Milka was named “Venezuelan Auto Racing Driver of the Year.”
In her first full Rolex Series season Milka won the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February of 2004 - which made her the first woman in history to win overall a major international sports car race in North America. She repeated that history-making win when she won at the same track seven months later - in September of 2004. During the 2005 season Milka achieved her third career Rolex Series in at Mont-Tremblant, Canada.
Remarkably, in only two Rolex Series seasons, Milka has earned three overall wins, six podium appearances, nine top-five finishes and seventeen top-ten finishes.
Heading into Sunday's Indianapolis 500, it seems there is only one place driver Danica Patrick hasn't made an appearance: a victory lane somewhere in the IRL IndyCar Series. Danica hopes her pairing with new team Andretti Green Racing pays dividends on the track. Danica's teammates are Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti and team co-owner Michael Andretti, Marco's father.
Danica, 25, had a breakthrough fourth-place finish as a rookie in the 2005 Indy 500, where she became the first woman to lead a lap at the world's most famous racetrack. Since then, her results haven't been as spellbinding as the attention she has drawn.
Danica has lived in a pressure cooker of expectations since making her IndyCar debut, with the Rahal Letterman team, and still is looking for her first win, the tension builds with each race that she doesn't get to Victory Lane.
She says facing all that pressure alone the past couple of years was not easy.
"I wasn't embraced by my teammates, and that made it kind of miserable," Patrick said. "I was very alone. I didn't talk to them. We just didn't talk and we didn't go through things and, not only that, I didn't necessarily think the things that worked for them were working for me.
"And it just so happened that I was faster more of the time, so it was just a sort of closed-off area that I was in."
Scott Roembke, general manager and chief operating officer for Rahal Letterman, said it was no secret that Patrick didn't get along with her former teammates, and 2004 Indy winner Buddy Rice in particular.
Noting how well Patrick has fit in with her new team, Roembke said, "The Andretti Green lovefest you see from the outside is a unique thing. I think it's good that she's got that relationship now. I'm happy for her."
Patrick's teammates, including 20-year-old Marco Andretti, already have won in the IndyCar Series and they expect her to become a member of that exclusive club soon. Could that first win come at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway today? We will all know soon.
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