It began with Arlene Hiss, followed by Janet Guthrie and Desire Wilson source: champcarworldseries - Robin Miller Then came Lyn St. James. A few years later, Sarah Fisher appeared. Last year, Danica Patrick came rushing onto the scene. And now Katherine Legge is front and center. The women who have driven Champ Cars/Indy cars during the past 30 years have come in all ages and pedigrees. Hiss was a one-race experiment at Phoenix in 1976. Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977. Wilson competed in 11 CART races in the early '80s. St. James ran Indy six times. Fisher became the first woman to ever win an Indy-car pole position or a podium finish earlier this decade. After becoming the first female to ever win a Formula Atlantic pole position, Patrick was then the first to ever lead the Indianapolis 500 in 2005. Legge stamped her name into history last year with three Atlantic wins and now she's stepping up into Champ Cars in 2006. And, while all but Hiss had some legitimacy, only Patrick and Legge have the chance to truly make a lasting career. That's because they're young, they're talented, they've been weaned in open wheel cars and, unlike their predecessors, both are driving for top-shelf teams. In Legge's case, it's a daunting challenge because she lacks experience with high horsepower and she's replacing a former champion. But the 25-year-old from North Hampton, England wants to change American motorsports history.
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