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Patrick, the only woman in the IRL's top series, began the season needing to prove she belonged after a so-so couple of years in the developmental Toyota Atlantic Series, where Patrick generally competed among the top 10 but never won a race.
It was something of a surprise when Bobby Rahal, a Hall of Fame driver and now co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing, announced the team would field an IndyCar full time for Patrick in 2005.
''My instructions to her were very simple,'' Rahal said. ''I told her over and over, the idea was to take care of the car and finish races this year. Seat time was more important than anything for somebody with no experience in these cars. She obviously did more than we expected of her.''
Patrick, whose only real claim to fame going into the season was a sexy photo layout in 2004 in a men's magazine, said she would follow Rahal's instructions and was determined to reward him for the trust in her.
The season began badly when Patrick was caught up in a crash in the opener and had a mild concussion. She was able to finish the next two events on the track before suddenly bursting into prominence in Motegi, Japan, by qualifying second, leading 32 laps and finishing fourth.
The next race, the Indy 500 in May, put her over the top.
Patrick was among the fastest drivers throughout the nearly monthlong event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She wound up setting records for a female competitor by qualifying fourth, leading the race and finishing fourth.
That dazzling performance was the highlight of her rookie of the year season, but Patrick suddenly had become a national figure, appearing on talk shows, posing for magazine covers, becoming a crowd favorite whose autograph was more prized than that of any other IRL driver.
None of it fazed the determined youngster, whose focus on her job - despite the swirl of excitement around her just about every minute she was at a racetrack - seemed unswerving.
''I went into the season hoping that I would be rookie of the year, hoping that I would be rookie of the year at Indy, hoping that I would have successes, hoping that I would make progress each and every race,'' Patrick said. ''I feel like that's what I do. So I walk away from the year saying, `Yeah, I did what I hoped, what I potentially expected from the year.'''
It was something of a surprise when Bobby Rahal, a Hall of Fame driver and now co-owner of Rahal Letterman Racing, announced the team would field an IndyCar full time for Patrick in 2005.
''My instructions to her were very simple,'' Rahal said. ''I told her over and over, the idea was to take care of the car and finish races this year. Seat time was more important than anything for somebody with no experience in these cars. She obviously did more than we expected of her.''
Patrick, whose only real claim to fame going into the season was a sexy photo layout in 2004 in a men's magazine, said she would follow Rahal's instructions and was determined to reward him for the trust in her.
The season began badly when Patrick was caught up in a crash in the opener and had a mild concussion. She was able to finish the next two events on the track before suddenly bursting into prominence in Motegi, Japan, by qualifying second, leading 32 laps and finishing fourth.
The next race, the Indy 500 in May, put her over the top.
Patrick was among the fastest drivers throughout the nearly monthlong event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She wound up setting records for a female competitor by qualifying fourth, leading the race and finishing fourth.
That dazzling performance was the highlight of her rookie of the year season, but Patrick suddenly had become a national figure, appearing on talk shows, posing for magazine covers, becoming a crowd favorite whose autograph was more prized than that of any other IRL driver.
None of it fazed the determined youngster, whose focus on her job - despite the swirl of excitement around her just about every minute she was at a racetrack - seemed unswerving.
''I went into the season hoping that I would be rookie of the year, hoping that I would be rookie of the year at Indy, hoping that I would have successes, hoping that I would make progress each and every race,'' Patrick said. ''I feel like that's what I do. So I walk away from the year saying, `Yeah, I did what I hoped, what I potentially expected from the year.'''
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