Fourth-place finish bodes well for racing's 'Girl Power'

INDIANAPOLIS -- As MSNBC's Debra Norville greeted fans on the red carpet at the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, she asked a young girl which driver was her favorite. As the young race fan answered, Norville echoed the same sentiment that many women yelled throughout the day: "Girl Power!"\nThe "Girl Power" cheer came in support of female favorite Danica Patrick. This season, the 23-year-old rookie has quickly become the poster girl of female empowerment, making history as a contender that can hold her own against her male counterparts on the track. \nAnd for good reason. \nBecoming the first female to ever lead a lap in a running of the Indianapolis 500, and going on to lead 19 laps overall, Patrick made history for females in racing Sunday. But she said she's just doing what she does best.\n"I'm just racing," Patrick said. "I don't know. It sounds so goober stupid, but I just don't think about it."\nBut "just racing" wasn't easy for the Roscoe, Ill., native Sunday. \nPatrick began the race after qualifying fourth and after ending weeks of media hype around her first Indy 500 and what was possibly a looming first victory. \nAfter 40 laps, Patrick was in fifth place and going strong. Ending lap 56, she had done what no woman had ever accomplished -- lead a lap -- before going into the pits. It wasn't until pitting at lap 79 that the first of many rookie mistakes began. During her pit she stalled the car while exiting, causing her pit time to total 48 seconds -- a normal pit lasts between 12 and 19 seconds -- dropping her from fourth to 16th place. \n"I'm going to be mad at myself for the stall," Patrick said. "I was in great position, I was running fourth, it was a very good car. I thought that that was a good place. But I think the spin had to happen for a reason, so I'm not mad at that."\nThe bad fortune didn't stop there. At lap 121 after bumping wheels with another driver she spun out and almost left the race in a crash. \nBut while the mistakes seemed like they wouldn't end, the "Girl Power" and female fans were behind her and at lap 142 Patrick had crawled from 16th to 8th place and began to make her comeback. \nFor the second time Sunday, Patrick gained the lead and cruised in and out of the pits as the leader and comfortably held the lead in yellow at lap 172. As the laps began to tick away the crowd screamed each time her red, white and dark blue car passed over the start/finish line -- each time signifying another lap totaled by the rookie and woman. She was in first place and close to the end of the 200 lap race. \nAt lap 185, Patrick was passed by English driver Dan Wheldon, but quickly grabbed the lead back at lap 189. As the two made attempts to flip-flop the lead, Wheldon took first place for the last time at lap 194. A yellow flag occurred at lap 199, causing the drivers to ride out the last lap in yellow. As Patrick tried to conserve fuel for the last laps she dropped into fourth place -- where she had begun the race.\nAlthough she didn't win, her work has been done. Patrick made an impression on females on Sunday, but she said she made an impression on a few more people than just women.\n"I made a hell of a point for anybody, are you kidding me? I came from the back twice," she said. "I definitely got a lot of experience in different situations... This one was overcoming the adversities and the things that happen in a race"