Female racecar drivers from Minnesota were inspired by Danica Patrick's performance at the Indianapolis 500 Sunday.
Women take the track at Raceway Park in Shakopee every Sunday. Kari Miller has been doing it for seven years.
"I'm always fired up because I look forward to it all week long," Miller says.
Erica Waibel races in the same division. In fact, she won the big race in her division last week. And the week before.
"Whenever I tell someone I race, they ask me if I race the powderpuff. They don't think I race with the guys," Waibel says.
And then there's number 98 Molly Rhoads. She was the track's rookie of the year last year. She was also the first woman in Minnesota to compete in late-model races.
"There's a lot of girls that come up to me and it's neat for them to look up to me for something," Rhoads says.
All of them are inspired by Danica Patrick's performance. Patrick led the race for 19 laps and finished fourth overall.
"I think that she made history by leading the race and finishing in the top five," Miller says. "That's definitely a big accomplishment for women in racing."
"It shows that there are girls out there that can do it and if they have the right backing, they'll go far," Rhoads says.
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