END OF THE WEEK REWARD DANICA PATRICK

I love auto racing, Formula 1 being my favorite. With race season at last in full swing (good luck to Ferrari later today in Bahrain) I thought hey there is one hot chick in open wheel racing that would be perfect for the EOTWR, Danica Patrick At 5'2 and 100 pounds this woman takes cars up to speeds of over 230 mph and does it well. She won for the first time last year in Japan. The first time a woman has won a race at the Indy Car level. She's tough, she's feisty and can drive the wheels off a car. Sadly she is married though. Danica qualified 3rd for the race in Kansas today, so hopefully she can get her second career win.

Birthday: March 25, 1982
Hometown: Roscoe, Ill
Residence: Phoenix

Though she began racing because younger sister Brooke wanted to race, Danica Patrick won numerous karting titles. At 16, she left home for England, where raced in some of the most difficult junior series in the world. The highlight was a runner-up finish in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, the highest finish by an American in the event's history. That result drew the attention of Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal, who signed her to a contract and began shepherding Patrick up the racing ladder.

The 2005 IndyCar Series season was a banner year for Patrick as she started fourth and finished fourth at the 89^th Indianapolis 500 and earned JP Morgan Chase Rookie of the Year honors. It was the highest starting and finishing position for a woman driver in the event's history. The rookie led 19 laps during the race to become the first woman to lead at Indianapolis. She capped the IndyCar Series season by winning the Bombardier Rookie of the Year award after finishing 12^th in the standings for Rahal Letterman Racing. In 2008, she became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race.

Patrick has become one of the most recognizable female athletes in the United States, gracing the covers of publications such as Sports Illustrated, TV Guide and ESPN: The Magazine.