BIO:Patrick began racing because younger sister Brooke wanted to race, Danica won numerous karting titles. At 16, she left home for England, where raced in some of the most difficult junior series in the world. A runner-up finish in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, was the highest finish by an American in the event's history. That result drew the attention of Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal, who signed her to a contract and began shepherding Patrick up the racing ladder. The 2005 IndyCar Series season was a banner year for Patrick as she started fourth and finished fourth at the 89th Indianapolis 500 and earned JP Morgan Chase Rookie of the Year honors. It was the highest starting and finishing position for a woman driver in the event's history. Danica led 19 laps during the race to become the first woman to lead at Indianapolis. Her season was completed by winning the Bombardier Rookie of the Year Award after finishing 12th in the standings for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick has become one of the most recognizable female athletes in the United States, gracing the covers of publications such as Sports Illustrated, TV Guide and ESPN: The Magazine. She most recently was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Patrick will be racing in the Sprint Cup Series for the first time this season, driving 10 races for Stewart-Haas Racing and Tommy Baldwin Racing. She has driven part-time schedules in the Nationwide Series for the past two seasons and will be running full-time in that series in 2012 for JR Motorsports, with a plan to jump to Sprint Cup full time in 2013. Patrick is the only woman to ever win an IndyCar Series race. She left IndyCar after the 2011 season to concentrate full-time on NASCAR. An international celebrity and popular commercial spokeswoman, Patrick is seeking to reach a level of consistent quality competition in NASCAR.