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IndyCar has historically been dominated by male athletes. However, there have been several female drivers throughout the history of IndyCar to have made significant contributions and inspired future generations of women.
On the occasion of International Women's Day, IndyCar's official Instagram handle shared a post celebrating the trailblazers who have proved that female drivers belong at the highest level of open-wheel racing in America.
The post, shared on Saturday, March 8, was captioned:
"Celebrating the trailblazers who raced forward and continue inspiring the next generation. Happy #InternationalWomensDay!"
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This report highlights five female drivers who have left a mark in IndyCar racing, including Danica Patrick, Katherine Legge, and Sophia Floersch.
#5 Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick is among the most renowned female figures in motorsports. She began her IndyCar career in 2005 and quickly showed the world what female drivers can accomplish at the highest level of motor racing. In 2008, she became the first woman to win an IndyCar race at the Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.
One of her best performances came at the Indianapolis 500 in 2009, where she finished third while racing for Andretti Green Racing, achieving the best result for a female driver at the event.
After switching to NASCAR in 2012, Patrick continued to impress, becoming the first female driver to secure a pole position for the Daytona 500 in 2013. She retired from full-time stock car racing after the 2018 Daytona 500.
#4 Katherine Legge
44-year-old Motorsports driver Katherine Legge has had a significant career that has spanned 25 years across various racing disciplines. She competed in the NTT IndyCar Series, with multiple starts at the Indianapolis 500. She has a total of 47 career starts in open-wheel racing and nearly 100 starts (including four wins) in top road-racing series.
In 2023, Legge set a record for the fastest qualifying time by a woman at the Indy 500, clocking a top speed of 231.627 mph.
Legge will make her NASCAR Cup Series debut on Sunday, March 9, at Phoenix Raceway, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports. She will become the first woman to compete in a Cup Series race (since Danica Patrick in 2018) and the first female driver to drive NASCAR's Next Gen cars.
"I've driven so many different forms of racing. I feel like this is the one that I really wanted to do that's eluded me," Legge said (via FOX Sports) describing her NASCAR debut. "I just love it. It's in my blood. You know how they say that your job should not be your identity? Well, this 100 percent is my identity. I am just a racing driver."
#3 Sophia Floersch
Sophia Floersch, a young female driver from Germany, has made quite a name for herself in the motorsport world. She has competed in various racing series, including Formula 3 and endurance racing, and is the only female driver to have achieved a podium finish in Formula 3. She also has multiple podiums in the European Le Mans Racing series.
In December last year, Floersch announced her entry into the INDY NXT series for the 2025 season, joining HMD Motorsports. This move marks her first foray into American open-wheel racing, showcasing her determination to climb the ranks in IndyCar. She finished the INDY NXT season-opening race at St. Petersburg in 12th position after finishing ninth in the Group 1 qualifying session, scoring 18 points on her debut.
"The end of last year, we were just like, ‘okay, are we going to do Formula Two or are we actually going to America to see that huge market, that great racing which is happening here in the Indy NXT, I'm super happy that we actually made the decision," Floersch said in her interview with Fox 13, Tampa Bay.
#2 Simona de Silvestro
Simona de Silvestro, often referred to as the "Iron Maiden," is a Swiss-Italian racing driver with an extensive IndyCar career. She earned the IndyCar Rookie of the Year title in 2010 and has multiple starts at the Indianapolis 500. In 2021, de Silvestro made her return to the Indy 500 with Paretta Autosport, a team mostly led by women, emphasizing the growing presence and influence of women in motorsports.
Throughout her career, she has also competed in other racing series, including Formula E and Australian Supercars, showcasing her versatility as a driver.
#1 Hailie Deegan
Hailie Deegan is one of the most prominent female figures in American motorsports. Growing up in a motorsports family, with her father Brian being a renowned freestyle motocross rider and rallycross driver, Hailie was introduced to racing at an early age. She began her career in off-road and dirt racing.
In 2016, Deegan shifted from off-road racing to asphalt and pursue a career in stock car racing. Her talent was evident from the start as she quickly made a name for herself in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. In 2018, she made history by becoming the first female driver to win a race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
She was then picked to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series between 2021 and 2023, moving onto the Xfinity Series in 2024. However, a disappointing string of performances in NXS left her searching for a new ride after AM Racing let her go after just 17 races. Due to a lack of sponsorship to continue racing in the Xfinity Series, Deegan decided to switch to INDY NXT open-wheel series with HMD Motorsports alongside Sophia Floersch.
She finished in 14th position in the season-opening race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg after starting from dead last, showing that she has a bright future in IndyCar racing.
"Lots of first time experiences at St.Pete! Had a blast racing on the street course for the first time and was awesome to have my whole family there to enjoy it with me. Getting better every time I sit in the car! Just got to keep working hard at it 🙌 @monsterenergy," she wrote via an Instagram post after her debut.
Deegan has expressed that INDY NXT cars have been very difficult for her to adapt and are very physically demanding compared to stock cars. However, she expects the races to get a little bit easier as she spends more and more time in the car.
