This came up at Feministe -- Lauren being in Indiana and all. I noted there, and I say here as well, that it isn't fair to dismiss Lyn St. James, the 1992 Rookie of the Year at Indy. She never had the backing of a really solid team, and after her first year, she never had a good car. But in 1992, with the track slippery, only 11 cars of the original 33 finished, and Lyn was the only rookie to keep it on the track. She was no neophyte, either: she had a great career in sports car racing (what was then the IMSA series).

The big difference with Danica Patrick is not that she's a woman racecar driver with talent. There have been plenty. She's a talented woman racecar driver with backing. She's on Bobby Rahal's team. He's got money, he's got experience, he's won as a driver and an owner. He put Danica at Indy with a car that set the fastest practice lap on the day she qualified, and she qualified fourth (highest ever for a woman). She starts in a good spot, the car is as fast as any out there, it will be set up well, the crew will be great -- it really is a level playing field, where all she has to do is drive the best race of the day.

For the Indy newcomers, one bit of wisdom: it's a 200 lap race. The conventional thinking is, "ride for 100, race for 100." Nobody is going to wear out the car and take bug risks in the first half. The question is, assuming all goes to plan and Danica is in striking distance with a car that is working well at the half-way point, what does she do for the second half?

I can't wait.

I live in Indy and they don't show us the race on television until it's over. If you live in Indy and actually want to see the race you have to go to it. But you're right. Indycar and NASCAR aren't exactly the most women-driver friendly sporting event. And my home state isn't all that feminist-friendly period. Lauren at Feministe and I are practically almost alone out here.

A big irony, PA, that only the most superficial cultural forces hold women back in motorsports, where they are otherwise on a level playing field. Women have raced at the top levels of Indy, rally, sports car, drag racing (Shirley Muldowney, among others), drag bike (where Angelle Savoie has three national titles). I even hear that Shawna Robinson might make a better-backed run at NASCAR (which I don't enjoy).

There was a father of a female driver on Lauren's blog thread talking about his daughter's kart-racing career. There are plenty of women at the grass roots. There's plenty of talent out there. But women racers need opportunities. They need teams, and teams are about sponsors. Women racers need sponsors to accept a woman as the superhero driving the car with their name on it -- to believe she can not only win, but smile for the camera and sell the product (motorsports are more openly commercial than any other realm of the sporting world). If Danica Patrick wins, I think it will go a long way, but Indy is still a one-off race in a poorly followed series. The big prizes are the NASCAR Nextel Cup series in the U.S. and F1 around the world. I'll take F1, because I like it better, but NASCAR would have more impact here.

Sponsorship and encouragement -- it's really that simple. Encourage young girls to get into racing (in whatever capacity they want, there's more to it than just driving). Then support them once they're in (because in some cases, they'll need that support due to a few idiots out there).

Racing really is a gender non-specific. The cars out there don't require brute strength to drive (and even if they did, many women would still find a way to drive it). Today's racing cars require finese, patience and a level head. And the last time I checked, those traits aren't limited to guys (although there are a few guys out there racing who are a little lacking in those departments).

Cheer on Danica! But look around, there are others to cheer as well! BTW, good to hear from you again Thomas.

One thing that reinforces sexism in racing is that it's a very family-oriented sport--on every level, every type, you'll find racing dynasties so strong that not being from a racing family is a huge strike against wannabe racers. One important strategy, therefore, is encouraging racing families to encourage daughters as well as sons to take up the sport.

My cousin who builds drag racing cars has two children, a son and a daughter. Both are drag racers now, but I have witnessed personally how the boy gets more family support. This is a critical issue.

Amanda, that's absolutely right. Lots of racers learn to walk in the paddock and start out in karts in the single-digits. But these families are in a position to hand down more than just driving experience. The contacts and knowledge that are built up over a father's career as a crew-chief or team owner or driver can get his daughter a decent ride, or a spot on a crew. If fathers handed this legacy down in equal measure, it would make a huge difference.