Danica Patrick is an inspiration to young girls around the world

On May 29, 2005, Patrick became only the fourth woman to race in the Indianapolis 500. After posting the fastest practice speed (229.880 MPH on May 15), she made a few errors and missed a chance at the pole position. But who cares, she still outdid many others to become a legend among young audiences around the world.

Danica became the first female driver to lead the race at Indianapolis when she stayed out one lap longer than her rivals during a set of green-flag pit stops. Patrick overcame two crucial errors to finish fourth in the race, the same position in which she started. Her car stalled in the pits about halfway through the 500-mile race, dropping her to the middle of the field. Shortly after reclaiming a spot in the top 10, Patrick spun under caution causing a four car accident. The accident caused damage to the nose and front wing of her car. Her pit crew promptly made repairs, and Patrick managed to lead the race twice more, only to be passed by eventual champion Dan Wheldon with seven laps to go when she was forced to conserve fuel. According to her team, she finished the race with a "teaspoon of fuel" left while the winner, Wheldon, had to be pushed to victory lane after running out of fuel on his victory lap. Patrick's fourth place was the highest ever finish for a female driver besting Janet Guthrie's 27-year-old ninth place finish record. Danica led 19 laps overall.