Memorial Day Means Indy 500 Racing

When you grow up in Indiana there are two things that are a must to like -- basketball and the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The fanfare and traditions surrounding the start of the race are fun to watch. And for the past 30-plus years it's also been fun to watch women enter what for decades was an all-male sport.

Janet Guthrie was the first woman to break the glass ceiling in Indy-car racing. Vastly underfunded compared to the men, she held her own for three seasons, with her best Indianapolis 500 finish being 9th place in 1978. Guthrie raced from 1977 to 1979.

Desire Wilson passed Indianapolis 500 driver’s test on May 11, 1982, but failed to qualify for the race.

Lyn St. James raced at Indy from 1992 to 1997, and again in 2000. Her best start was from the 6th position in 1994. And her best finish was 11th, in 1992.

Sarah Fisher was the next woman to qualify for Indy, and is a fan favorite today. Fisher raced in 2000 to 2004, and from 2007 to today. Like other women before her, Sarah has not had the same access to money so needed to be a real competitor at the Indy 500. Race cars and teams cost millions of dollars, and women have traditionally had a hard time getting sponsorship.

And in fairness to these pioneers, Indy hasn't been all that kind to women who wanted to race. Janet Guthrie faced outright hostility from male drivers. And even the Hulman family didn't seem to know what to do with the "lady" driver.

And then along came Danica Patrick.

Indy car racing was in a bit of a decline, and Danica is hot. Not only is she a great driver, but she possess the sex appeal that was sure to bring the fans -- read men -- back to the track.

Indy knew it, and so did Danica.

I must confess to mixed feelings about it all. Danica Patrick is a competitor, and the only way for her to have a chance at Indy was to have a sponsor with deep pockets. Advertisers could see right away that Danica would attract attention, so the courtship was on.

The big question to ask is would the sponsors stuck around had she not been such a good racer? But she is, having won an Indy-car race last year. Not the Indianapolis 500, but a competition in Japan.

Danica has milked her appeal for all it's worth -- often striking a pose that seems more fitting for Playboy than for a race car driver.

Even going after the lesbian fantisy crowd. So what do you think of Danica Patrick's path to stardom?


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And I can't post something about the 2009 Indianapolis 500 without mentioning my admiration for Alex Lloyd. Lloyd is driving a pink race car, with word "her" in large letters. Now THAT's a guy secure in his masculinity!

A comment next to Lloyd's photo on the official Indy 500 web site says: "Pink is the new black! Get use to it, all you macho Pink-o-phobes, PINK, PINK, is here to stay!!"

What Pink Lloyd DOESN'T know at the moment is that his wife, who is expecting a baby (due today) is having contractions. She told an ABC sports reporter the team has decided not to let him know until after the race is over.

Best wishes for a healthy baby ... and a good race!

Women Set to Race at Indy 500

The 92nd Indianapolis 500 starts later today, and for the second year in a row the field includes three women. Danica Patrick, making her 4th appearance on the track, will start in the 5th position. Sarah Fisher, in her 7th appearance, starts the race from the 22nd position, and in her second Indy 500 race, driver Milka Duno is in 27th position. (click image to enlarge)

Danica Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Danica became the first woman to win an Indy car race.

Sarah Fisher is best known for being the youngest woman to ever compete in the Indianapolis 500 as well as the first woman to win a pole position in a major auto racing series. Sarah was 19 when she competed for the first time, and was the third woman to compete in the Indy 500 behind Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James. Earlier in the month Sarah had a special visitor at the track, when presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stopped by to wish Sarah good luck.

When Milka Duno passed her IRL rookie test in 2007, and qualified for the race, it marked the first time three women were included in the 33-car field. It proved to be a challenging year for Milka, but she is back racing again at Indy.

Good luck to all of them and let's hope for a safe race day!

Danica Patrick Breaks Another Glass Ceiling

Anyone following her career knew it was just a matter of time before Danica Patrick would break the glass ceiling of IndyCar racing -- and that day has arrived!

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

"It's a long time coming. Finally," Patrick said. "It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

"I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back," said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. "We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many." [...]

At the 2005 Indy 500, she nearly won the pole and became the first female driver to lead the race en route to a fourth-place finish. It was the best finish by a woman at Indy, and helped her take rookie of the year honors.

Now, it's on to Indianapolis, and let's win there!

Final thoughts on Dario Franchitti, Ashley Judd, and Indy 500

Growing up in Indiana my family marked the beginning of 'summer' with the sounds of race cars circling the Indy 500 track. It was a tradition, the first cookout of the season, listening to the race (it wasn't televised back then), and spending the day with family and friends.

The tradition continued for me when I moved from the small town where I had grown up, to the big city of Indianapolis to work for the NBC affiliate. The station was the official Indy 500 television station in the state, and that provided additional access for all who worked there. I've been inside Gasoline Alley, in the pit area, and listened in on numerous interviews with drivers and team owners.

For that reason, every Memorial Day weekend readers of this blog will find posts related to the race.

An increased number of people visited Yikes over the weekend, and it was interesting to see some of the keywords people used to find this blog.

Ashley Judd's name came up most, Ashley in the rain, Ashley's husband wins, husband ignores Ashley. The last one caught my eye. It had seemed that Dario didn't pay the kind of attention to his wife that one might expect from a guy married to one of the most beautiful women in the world. When the car pulled into victory lane, and she leaned in to give him a kiss, it appeared as if he didn't even see her.

Well, I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he probably didn't see her. He had just accomplished something he had only dreamed about for years. It happened in a most unusual way -- due to the rain, and a yellow caution light -- and I think he was simply stunned.

He sort of had that deer-in-the-headlights look when he first took his helmet off. I think his brain was simply trying to catch up with the overwhelming emotions that must have overtaken him. The Orlando Sentinel describes it this way:

He's so dazed with disbelief that he's actually won this thing that he's a little glassy-eyed. Almost like he barely recognizes her.

I could believe that.

By racing standards Dario is getting a bit old, he's had some challenges over the past decade that included at one point losing his ride. And he was probably was also thinking about the last time a Scot won the race, which was back in 1965 when the legendary Jim Clark won. (Dario added a Jim Clark room to the house he has been restoring in Scotland.)

From all accounts Dario Franchitti is a good guy. His wife commented to reporters that day that he had conducted himself on the race track like a true "gentleman."

I agree with Ed Hinton of the Orlando Sentinel who wrote:

"Who would have thought it? Can you believe it?" said [Dario] in his Scottish lilt and burr. "I'm in shock . . . I'm definitely in shock."

From a guy who'd barely noticed Ashley Judd kissing him, you could believe that. His wife attended the winner's press conference but did not make it to the podium. This moment, for once, belonged solely to Dario Franchitti.

'It was a big one, all right. All I can say is, I'm so happy for Dario Franchitti.'

Dario Fanchitti "Mr Ashley Judd" wins rain-shortened Indy 500

Okay, the headline might make some people crazy, but if one of the three women in the race couldn't win, at least the winner is married to a woman who made wearing a "This is what a feminist looks like!" t-shirt fashionable.

The 34-year-old Franchitti won a rain shortened Indy 500, and gave his team -- which includes Danica Patrick -- its second Indy victory in three years. He inherited the lead when the leaders pitted one last time for fuel, even as the skies darkened, and then drove slowly to the checkered flag in a downpour when the race was stopped after 166 laps, or 415 of the scheduled 500 miles.

Once Franchitti got out of his car, he was mobbed, hugged and kissed by teammates Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick and Michael Andretti -- and his wife, Ashley.

Franchitti is expected to collect at least $1.5 million from a total purse of more than $10.5 million when the checks are handed out at the victory dinner Monday night. Scott Dixon came in second and Helio Castroneves finished third.

Danica Patrick was the only one of the three women in the field to have an impact. Danica, in second place at the restart of the race, finished 8th. Sarah Fisher finished 18th, and rookie Milka Duno ran no higher than 22nd before crashing after 65 laps and ended up 31st.

Indy 500 Update

Rain delayed the Indy 500 today. Crews are drying the track, and hopefully the drivers will be racing soon. Two of the three women are still in the race. Danica Patrick is in third place, Sarah Fisher is in 25th, and unfortunately Milka Duno is out of the race. Her car hit the wall, but she's fine.

Danica still has a chance to win if officials can get the race going again. She had moved up a number of spots just as the rain began to fall. Two of her team mates are currently in first and second place. Tony Kanaan slid into first before the rain started, just ahead of Marco Andretti.

All three will certainly be trying to win, but during the break Danica mentioned that she could relax a bit knowing her team mates were ahead of her. There is an understanding among teams that each driver will do all they can to win, but they will not engage in any dirty tricks to keep another member of their team from taking the checkered flag.

"Ladies and Gentleman ... Start Your Engines!"

Those famous words, spoken by Mary Hulman George, mark the beginning of what has come to be know as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” -- the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

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

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

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.

Danica Patrick

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.