Not very many women have broken into the various worlds of auto racing. Shirley Muldowney, Janet Guthrie, Sarah Fisher and Shawna Robinson are just a few. Muldowney is the most successful of these pioneers, having won three NHRA Top Fuel championships after not winning an event in funny cars.
In the last two weeks, two other women have taken important steps in living up to the standard Muldowney set.
Danica Patrick has been everywhere, even before winning her first Indy Racing League event on April 19. She was in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and in a risqué Super Bowl commercial for GoDaddy.com.

Then she won a race and is being viewed as a serious driver, even sparking talks of a possible NASCAR ride in the next two years.
Patrick’s win as well as her image are great for IRL, but it reminds me of a Muldowney story.
Early in her career, Muldowney had the nickname “Cha-Cha” but dropped it in 1973. She said, “There is no room for bimboism in drag racing …”
I’m not saying Patrick is a bimbo. I applaud anyone who can feel comfortable in the outfits she wore for her SI photos. I also think it is a good thing to let the world know that a woman can be sexy and drive race cars. There is, however, something to be said for just going out and racing hard. Proving yourself on the track, not with your rack, should be priority
No. 1.

So Patrick might want to take a step back and see how Ashley Force does it.
Sunday night in Commerce, Ga., Force became the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car event.
Even better, she beat her legend of a father, John Force, in the final round.
You won’t see Force in a skimpy bikini in a magazine, and unless you watch NHRA events, you probably won’t see her on TV. She goes to the track, races her heart out and gets ready for the next event.

She has taken her hits, too. A vicious wreck during her 2007 rookie year, the death of her racing teammate Eric Medlin and her father’s wreck that put him in the hospital for a month were the kind of things that would have put a weaker person out of the business.
And she’s only 25.

In many ways, Patrick’s public image gets in the way of her being taken seriously as a racer. Force’s public image — until now Force didn’t have a public image — has been one of living in her father’s shadow. What they have learned from Muldowney and other women behind the wheel is that they have to forge ahead and not let anyone — man or woman — stand in the way of their success.

The good news is that there are people who want to see more women in auto racing. David Letterman had Patrick on his show, and Jay Leno had Force on his. Force was named AOL’s Hottest Female Athlete of 2007. She did her photo shoot in jeans and a tank top.
It is difficult to think of Force and Patrick just as racers when the “female driver” tag is pushed down my throat. A few more wins by each should lessen that burden on them and on fans. Then maybe I won’t have to say, “Danica Patrick, female IRL driver,” again.

Danica Patrick, IRL champion, sounds just as good. So does NHRA champ Ashley Force.
Just ask Shirley Muldowney. A champion is a champion no matter what.

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