AP News, May 25th, 2007
Danica Patrick gets the star treatment, and rookie Milka Duno is IndyCar racing's new glamor girl. So where does that leave Sarah Fisher, who has more Indianapolis 500 starts than both of them combined?
"I'm just trying to keep getting better as a race car driver and win races," said Fisher, who will join the other two women in the 33-car field for Sunday's 91st running of the Indy race.
It's the first time three women have qualified for the big event, and Fisher's OK with the many questions about Patrick and Duno.
"It doesn't bother me," said Fisher, who will race in her sixth 500 this weekend. "We're in the minority, and, as the minority, a lot of times people will go to each other because of what they have in common. But here we've got some individuals who can stand alone and are doing their own thing."
Patrick grabbed headlines by leading laps and finishing fourth in the 2005 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway _ both firsts for a woman at Indy.
But it's the 26-year-old Fisher who holds the distinction of being the fastest woman qualifier at the Brickyard, posting a four-lap average of 229.439 mph in 2002. And her second-place finish in the 2001 season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway remains the best finish by a woman in IndyCar Series history.
Still, Fisher has had a hard time finding sponsorship and a team that would stick with her.
She last competed full time in IndyCar in 2003, the second of two years with Dreyer & Reinbold. She ran only one IndyCar event in 2004, finishing 21st in the 500 for Kelley Racing, and spent 2005 as a developmental driver in a minor league NASCAR stock car series.
She was without a full-time ride last season, working in a marketing job, when Dennis Reinbold, co-owner of the Dreyer & Reinbold team, gave Fisher another opportunity, hiring her for the final two races of the season.
"I said, 'Hey, I'm not doing anything. I'm sure my boss will let me do that,'" Fisher said. "Thanks to Dennis, I'm one of the few that get a second chance."
Finishes of 12th and 16th were good enough to prompt Reinbold to put together a deal for a full-time ride.
Fisher, who qualified 21st in this year's 33-car Indy field, admits she's a little jealous of the big-money teams such as Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi.
"The one thing that is noticeable for everyone is they've had their program together forever, drivers working with the same engineers, and they're doing (research and development) the year long," Fisher said. "For us to put together a program in January, we're already behind the eight ball."
But Andy O'Gara, Fisher's crew chief and the man she will marry on Sept. 15, believes his team and his future wife can compete. "It's a challenge, of course," O'Gara said. "But you have to set your sights high in anything if you want to be successful. And I think we're heading in the right direction."
Fisher nodded in agreement.
A good run Sunday could go a long way toward keeping the momentum going for Fisher and teammates Buddy Rice, the 2004 Indy winner with Rahal Letterman Racing, and Roger Yasukawa, who joined the team last week.
"I am very comfortable in this situation," Fisher said. "I think a lot of it comes from my maturity, more than anything.
"I was 19 years old when I started, and racing IndyCars is an awesome experience and opportunity, but it's hard to do that your first job out of high school. There's a lot more to racing than just driving the car.
"I'm excited because this month has gone really well," she added. "I wish it would really have slowed down, because I've had so much fun with it."
She's hoping the fun continues for 500 more miles Sunday.
