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A pioneer in her field, professional race car driver Danica Patrick is competing in the last race of her career today.
Patrick qualified as the 7th fastest of 35 drivers vying for a slot in the legendary Indianapolis 500, and today is the day she hits the track as the only woman in the race.
"It's really starting to sink in that this is it – my last race. I couldn't ask for a better way to end my racing career, except of course if I can go out with a win at the Indy 500,” said Patrick last week.
The race is underway right now for the 102nd running of the race, but Patrick had a few words to relay to her followers beforehand.
“This is just a chapter in the book. Today feels heavy, but only because the chapter finishing has meant so much to me. Thank you for the memories. I am at a lack of words today,” Patrick wrote on social media this morning.
The Indianapolis 500 is where Patrick first sped into the spotlight, becoming the first woman to lead laps in the world-renowned race in 2005.
She scored the highest Indy 500 finish for a woman, capturing third-place in 2009. She led laps again in the 2011 Indy 500, and has six top-10 finishes in seven Indy 500 career starts. She's also the only woman to have won a Verizon IndyCar Series race, the Indy Japan 300, in 2008.
Thumbnail Photo:Chris Graythen/Getty Images
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