Which woman holds the best Indianapolis 500 finishing position, third place in 2009?

Danica Patrick holds the best Indianapolis 500 finishing position by a woman: third place in 2009. She finished behind winner Hélio Castroneves and runner-up Dan Wheldon in the 93rd running of the race.

Patrick’s third-place result improved on her own fourth-place finish from her 2005 debut. That earlier performance had already set the previous women’s record, replacing Janet Guthrie’s ninth-place finish from 1978. Patrick’s 2009 result remains the highest finish by a female driver in the Indianapolis 500.

The race was closely contested at the front. Castroneves won from pole position, while Wheldon finished just 1.9819 seconds behind him; Patrick crossed the line another 0.3531 seconds later. She started tenth and completed all 200 laps.

This record is sometimes confused with Patrick’s other Indianapolis achievements. She led 19 laps in 2005 and won the Rookie of the Year award that season, but neither accomplishment changed the separate record for best finishing position.