There will be five women racing drivers among the scads of hopefuls, trying to fight their way into the 2010 Indy 500 starting grid. Danica Patrick is the clear headliner, she being the highest finishing woman in the 93-year history of the race. The others are Sarah Fisher, Milka Duno, Simona de Silvestro, and Ana Beatriz.

It will be interesting to see who has the suds to actually make the field as a couple of the racers are with teams who seem to be of limited funding or are locally based in Indy. Danica Patrick stands to have the most to gain or lose with her performance at the race. She is off to a terrible start in IRL this year and is currently nowhere near the top ten in points. The pressure on her will be less about the actual race and more about turning her season around from the epic failure it is rapidly turning into.

It would be big news for a female driver to win the race. Though Indy does not have the same social standing that it once enjoyed, it is still one of the single biggest spectacles in all of auto racing. 

More than a quarter-million people will jam themselves into Indy Motor Speedway on Memorial Day to watch the running of the race. Will they be present for history? Only time will tell. Practice begins this Saturday, so it will become quickly evident who has a car capable of making the field and who will simply be taking up track time over the next couple weeks.

Source — WishTV.com — Five Women to Attempt to Qualify for the 2010 Indy 500