Motor Sport: You Can Call Her Danica, Just Don't Mention Kournikova

The most recognizable driver on the grid for today's ninety-first running of the Indianapolis 500 has yet to win a race in the series, but such is her popularity she is known to race fans across America by her first name alone: Danica.

Two years ago Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead the Indy 500 and very nearly won it before eventually finishing fourth. It was that drive that catapulted her on to the cover of magazines and on to cereal boxes as well as making her the face of the Indy Racing League.

The 2005 version of the self-styled 'world's greatest race' was won by Dan Wheldon and the Briton is favorite to win again today, despite qualifying sixth fastest in the 33-car field. He leads the championship - a title he won in 2005 and was runner-up for last year - having scored two wins and a second in the four races so far, but the eyes of America will be on the blue-and-black car that lines up in the middle of the third row.

Patrick, 5ft 2in in her driving boots, left the Rahal-Letterman team - co-owned by David Letterman, the chat-show host - in which she made her name at the end of last year and joined the powerful Andretti-Green outfit. The deal was made possible by Motorola signing a three-year, $21million (£11m) deal with the team in order to bring Patrick on board. Now the girl from Wisconsin has to deliver and Indianapolis would be the perfect place to break her duck.

'There isn't a driver in the world who wouldn't want to win this race,' she said last week. 'It's the biggest race in the world. It has so much history and you always remember who wins the race. It holds so much clout it changes your life.'

The 25-year-old's life certainly has changed since her stunning Indy debut two years ago. She earned $2.5m from endorsements alone in 2005 to supplement almost $1m in on-track earnings but, while her winnings haven't grown dramatically, her bank balance is set to soar yet further. The danger is that she might become motor racing's version of Anna Kournikova, the Russian tennis player who pulled in mega bucks without winning so much as one singles title in her career.

'What I always kept in mind, and what I really believe, I just need to win,' Patrick said recently. 'Wherever I'm at, it will be a big deal when I win, and a lot of other things will materialize and things will happen.'

Her position as the fast lady of Indy cars is under threat as well, as this year there are two other women on the grid. Sarah Fisher, 26, will start her seventh 500 from twenty-first position and 35 year-old Venezuelan rookie Milka Duno is back in twenty-ninth, but Patrick appears not to be concerned.

'I guess I'm really the first girl to be with a real winning team in the top levels of motor sport,' she says. 'For teams you have to prove yourself. You have to show you can drive a race car.'

One man who has proved beyond doubt that he can drive a race car is the 29 year-old Wheldon.

'If I had to say what I wanted to win more, I'd go for the Indianapolis 500 over the championship,' said the Ganassi driver who finished fourth last year after a late-race puncture ruined a race that he had dominated.

Wheldon's success in America has made him a multi-millionaire but, like all the other drivers on the grid, he lags far behind Patrick in the popularity stakes. His win at Indianapolis two years ago was totally overshadowed by Patrick spending 19 of the 200 laps at the front of the field and the build-up to last year's event was dominated by Patrick, who came eighth, well behind one of closest finishes in the long history of the event.

Wheldon and his compatriot Dario Franchitti, who starts from the front row, will be genuine contenders for victory today but it is Patrick who will have the 350,000 fans at the track willing her to Victory Lane. It is very unlikely to happen but, win or lose, Patrick will be the story.