KEY POINTS:
DETROIT - She has made Forbes list of the most powerful and best-paid athletes and ranks number 69 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100.
She is one of North America's most recognisable athletes, a marketing executive's dream and earns millions of dollars in endorsements yet Indy Racing League (IRL) driver Danica Patrick has never set foot in the winner's circle.
As in the case of tennis diva Anna Kournikova, the hype surrounding Patrick has far eclipsed her sporting performance.
Patrick, dubbed the pin-up of the IRL, has yet to find enough speed to hit the finish line first, although a career-best second place at the Detroit Belle Isle grand prix last Sunday offered signs that she will one day find Victory Lane.
Russian Kournikova also teased her fans on the court and off, reaching the finals of four WTA tournaments before finally retiring without a singles title to her name.
Patrick admits the similarities between them are undeniable.
"I see the parallels," the American told Reuters. "But you know what, it's surface stuff.
"For one, I'm competing against guys so right off the bat it's different.
"I'm not so worried about that first win, I want it to come, I want it to be over with but I've been racing up front every weekend and that's a big relief for me because the wins will come.
"Hey and let's not forget she (Kournikova) was pretty darn good too."
Few dispute Patrick possesses the skill and the demeanour of a champion or that the 1.52 metre 43kg dynamo has marketing muscle.
On Forbes 2006 list, Patrick checked in at number 95 with an annual income of $5 million while golf prodigy Michelle Wie - another sportswoman trying to make her way in a man's world - was 70th.
A paparazzi magnet and regular on the television talk show circuit, the 25-year-old Patrick sells four times the merchandise of any other IRL driver, putting her in the same orbit as NASCAR endorsement titans Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
She has featured on the cover of numerous magazines including Sports Illustrated and appeared in music videos and a Super Bowl commercial for an internet domain registrar.
Fans who do an internet search for Patrick's name have 1.19 million offerings to choose from, many containing pictures from her photoshoot for men's magazine FHM.
"She is very recognisable, she transcended the sport," said Terry Angstadt, IRL president of commercial division. "She's very marketable.
"The question has been when she's going to win? But anyone watching her can see she is competitive. She's not only beautiful but very competitive on the track."
Patrick is in her third season and driving for Andretti Green Racing, one of the IRL's top teams, and the pressure to win mounts with each race.
She has watched her Andretti Green team mates take the chequered flag eight times this season, with Brazilian Tony Kanaan grabbing five victories and Briton Dario Franchitti three, including the Indy 500.
Even 18-year-old Marco Andretti, grandson of former Formula One champion Mario, has one victory on his CV leaving Patrick as the only member of the Andretti Green stable without a win going into Sunday's IRL season finale in Chicago.
While Patrick has yet to win a race, she has won grudging respect from her fellow racers for her driving and refusal to be intimidated.
Two years ago at the Indianapolis 500, Patrick became the first woman to lead a lap at the famed Brickyard, stealing the headlines from race winner Dan Wheldon. He later commissioned a T-shirt bearing the words: "Actually won the Indy 500" to protest at the attention paid to the fourth-place finisher.
Patrick makes no apologies for her popularity or her style.
"I've always been a confrontational person," she said. "I'm not bragging or proud but I think it's important that you stand up for what you believe and that's just the personality I have."
- REUTERS
