First Time for Everything

I believe someone once said, "There is a first time for everything." I don't know who said it, but it is true. In Danica Patrick's case, there is definitely a first time for everything.

From 2005-2008, Danica has been in 50 IndyCar races. I don't know much about NASCAR, but the IndyCar Series is a popular American racing league. On April 20 of this year, Patrick won her first race...ever. She won at the Twin Rig Motegi in the Indy Japan 300. She is now the first woman to ever win an IndyCar race, after finishing 5.8594 seconds ahead of Brazilian driver Helio Castroneves.

In Danica's first year in the league, she won the 2005 IndyCar Rookie of the Year. From 2005-2007, she won the IndyCar Most Popular Driver. That's unbelievable! She didn't win a race until 4 days ago, but she has been the most popular driver for the last three years. You would think that Danica's attractiveness made her popular, and it did. Just like Anna Kournikova, Danica became famous for her good looks. But, Danica has the potential to be more than a good looking driver. It's a man's game, indeed, but if Danica can race the way she has been racing, I think we may be witnessing the start of a great career.

While we are on the subject, I'll let you know about another female who is dominating the sports world- Lorena Ochoa. Lorena left college in her sophomore year to become a professional golfer. She won 3 of 10 events at the 2002 Futures Tour, and topped the money list which launched her into the LPGA Tour the following year. Five years later, Ochoa beat out Annika Sorenstam as the number one woman golfer in the world. So far this year, Ochoa has won 5 of 6 events, including The Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Corona Championship...in back-to-back weeks! She is already qualified for the World Golf Hall of Fame, but can't be inducted until 2012. Ochoa will be hosting her own event called the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November of this year.

Danica and Lorena are just about the 2 most popular women in sports right now. Heck, they might be 2 of the most famous athletes, man or woman, at the moment. I'm not usually interested in women's sports, but Lorena Ochoa's domination and Danica Patrick's first win have intrigued me and caught the eye of a lot of people. I never thought I would be so intrigued by a female racecar driver, and I never thought I would be captivated by a dominant female golfer. But hey, I guess there's a first time for everything, right?