Fig. 2 Danica with parents (Ross)
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Introduction: to a girl who is more than a driver
Danica was born in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1982. Her parents, shown in Fig. 2, wanted to save enough money to buy a coat so the family could bond (Ross). It turned out that they did not have enough money for that so both Patrick girls simple asked for a go cart ("Danica Patrick Biography"). So her go carting era started in 1992, but her career did not heat up until 2005.
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Patrick dropped out of high school to advance her racing career in England. It was there that she finished second at the Formula Ford Festival, the highest-ever finish by either a woman or an American in the event ("Danica Patrick Biography"). In 2002, Patrick signed with Rahal Letterman Racing, then co-owned by former driver Bobby Rahal and talk show host David Letterman.
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She was not actually the first woman to be a national race car driver. She was the third to do so. Rahal Letterman Racing announced that they would help lead Patrick when she started racing for them in the IRL Indy Car Series in 2005. In May 2005, Patrick was the one of the only women to race in the Indianapolis 500.