The American races with the courage of a veteran and the energy of a rookie. It is only after the race that you can see Patrick looks more like a jockey than a driver -- and she is female.

None of this is lost on racing's newest sensation. Patrick has yet to win in five Indy Car races but her phone never stops ringing.

There is another television interview request, a plea for just one more picture for the newspaper; sponsors are lining up to grab a share of the woman with the steely race-day eyes.

"A lot of it is because I am a female, and I do recognize that," Patrick, 23, told reporters. "I'm not silly enough to think that, 'Oh, I'm a driver and I'm going fast.'

"I didn't win the race, you know. But things are going well. I am breaking certain records.

"It just so happens that en route to breaking male records, I'm going to break the female ones. It's a story, and it's good. It's good for everybody."

Not Materialistic

When Patrick talks about not winning "the race," she means the Indianapolis 500. She finished fourth in America's most celebrated car race but it is hard to imagine her gaining more attention if she had taken the checkred flag.

Patrick has fame and will certainly have fortune but those are things that do not concern her right now with the spotlight following her every move.

"I think for me the best part of it is not necessarily materialistic, it's receiving compliments from such legends and such people that I would have never thought to be compared to -- compliments from people like (Al) Unser, (Johnny) Rutherford, (Michael) Andretti, (Bobby) Rahal.

"That's really flattering. That to me means more than anything. So that's the best thing that's come from everything so far."

Patrick's fourth-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 12 days ago was the best ever for a woman. Her race was solid but far from error-free.

She stalled in the pits and spun out on Turn Four. When you consider Patrick's meteoric rise from go-kart racing to the Brickyard, it is not surprising that she makes a few mistakes.

Race Conditions

"I think that my weaknesses are just going to be making sure that I'm comfortable and ready for all the different things that happen in race conditions," she said.

"Everything from starts to pit stops. There's so many more situations that happen in races now that they're a couple hours long as opposed to 50 minutes."

Patrick posed provocatively for FHM magazine in the past but she says her new-found fame has made her think twice about what she does.

"I'm making sure my values stay the same and my choices stay smart and stay good," she said.

How popular is she? The broken front wing from her Indianapolis 500 car went up for auction on the internet. Within two days, the $500 opening price had risen more than 10 times.

It is not in her nature but, for the first time in her life, Patrick concedes she has to slow down.

"I need to get away and I need to forget about things," she said. "I need to relax, I need to do the things that I need to properly train. I need to take care of myself."