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Danica Patrick entered her name into IndyCar history in 2008. On April 20, the Wisconsin native took an iconic victory at the Indy Japan 300 to become the first woman in series history to win a race.
That race weekend at the 1.52-mile Twin Ring Motegi was slightly unusual. After the heavens opened up in Tochigi, the qualifying session was canceled and the drivers' grid positions were decided based on their positions in the championship standings. Danica Patrick, who had scored two top-10 finishes in the opening two races of the season, with a P6 in Miami and a P10 in St. Petersburg, lined up sixth on the grid for the Indy Japan 300. The excessively wet track delayed the race by 22 hours.
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On lap 197 of the 200-lap race, the then-26-year-old Patrick gained two places, going from fourth to second after Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan pitted for fuel. On lap 198, she overtook race leader Helio Castroneves and took her #7 Andretti Green Racing Honda to victory.
Post-race, an overjoyed Patrick shared her feelings and thanked her team. She said (via ESPN),
"It's a long time coming. Finally. 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. I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan. I want to thank my team, the fans, and everyone who supported me."
Michael Andretti, her then-boss at Andretti, was thrilled to be part of this historic triumph. He said:
"I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back. We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many."
Though the win didn't turn into the first of many, one of her big dreams was ticked off the checklist.
Danica Patrick once said she would do a do-over of her first Indy 500
Danica Patrick recorded a spectacular debut year with Rahal Letterman Racing in the 2005 IndyCar season. Besides equaling Tom Schketer's rookie record of three pole positions, she made history by becoming the first woman to lead the prestigious Indy 500.
Patrick qualified in a record P4 at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" and led the race for 19 laps. However, with seven laps to go, she had to concede the race lead to conserve fuel. She ultimately finished where she started, in fourth.
In 2016, when Patrick was racing in NASCAR, she was asked about the race she'd choose to do over again. She brought up the 2005 Indy 500 as she said (via USA Today),
"My first Indy 500 comes to mind a little bit, just because I don’t race Indy cars anymore and I don’t have any more chances. That was a tough one. There were some things about that first Indy 500 that could have been different.
"A little more fuel left than I thought. I probably would have just led no matter what, even if it meant running out of fuel, as opposed to just finishing. I mean, I still finished fourth, but ..."
Despite the missed opportunity of a historic win at the Indy 500, Danica Patrick was awarded the Rookie of the Year for the race and the overall championship. She switched from IndyCar to NASCAR in 2012 and retired from both racing series in 2018.
