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IndyCar
MILLER: First To Perform
As Sarah Fisher hangs up her helmet—at least as a full-time IndyCar driver—the Ohioan should be acknowledged for her contribution to the sport.
Robin Miller  |  Posted November 29, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
Sarah Fisher wasn't the first woman to drive an Indy car, but she was the first to earn the respect of her peers on and off the track. (LAT)
Long before there were lines to buy T-shirts for Danica Patrick, fans were lined up for Sarah Fisher.

Long before the media descended on Patrick, they were enamored with the teenager from Ohio.

Long before Danica got the biggest ovation in driver introductions, the loudest cheers were for Sarah.

And, long before anybody viewed Patrick as a serious racer in an Indy car, Fisher had already earned the respect of her fraternity.

“I believed in her concept; she was the first young female racer, long before Danica had been invented,” said Derrick Walker, who sold some of his CART stock to help launch Fisher’s IRL career in 2000.

“She was fast and bright and good with the media and very commercially marketable.”

With Walker’s small yet savvy team, Fisher became the first woman to score a podium, a pole position and to lead laps but, despite her appeal, never developed into the star she seemed destined to become.

That was mostly because of some bad advice Fisher received, and the fact the Indy Racing League refused to spend the money on its most popular driver and put her with a top-shelf operation.

“I don’t know, I can’t dwell on that. I’m just excited about the next phase of my life,” said Fisher, who on Monday announced Ed Carpenter would be taking over her Dollar General car in 2011—pretty much signaling the end of her driving days.

“Dollar General made it possible for two of my dreams to come true… starting my own team and driving for myself, and now being able to hire Ed is really cool.

“If I never drive again, I’ve had a lot of good memories.”

Back in 1999, Sarah showed up at Texas to make her IRL debut.

That daunting, high-banked oval isn’t exactly the ideal place to start one’s career, but the 19-year-old looked unflappable as she passed Billy Boat and ’96 Indy winner Buddy Lazier on the outside during the first practice.

“Yep, I remember,” she replied when asked about her debut. “I was going about 100 mph faster than I ever had, but it wasn’t any more intimidating than running against Steve Kinser or driving a midget at Winchester.

“It just seemed like the next step for me.”

After finishing second to Sam Hornish at Homestead in 2001 for Walker, Fisher moved to Dreyer & Reinbold in 2002, becoming the first female to win a pole position at Kentucky.
Fisher was heralded as the first woman to earn an Indy car pole position, but years later, she's recognized as the person who eased the path for Danica, Simona, Ana and Pippa to hold their own in open-wheel racing. (LAT)

“She was never afraid to stand on the gas and she could do whatever it took to step up and find the speed,” said Robbie Buhl, who raced against Fisher before providing her with a ride for three seasons.

“I always thought she still had a lot to learn about race craft but she always went for it.”

By 2004, when she was presented the IRL’s Most Popular Driver award for the fourth straight year, Sarah accepted it in street clothes because she had no ride. She tried stock cars in 2005 and came back to run Indy in 2006.

But, by that time, her window was closing and DanicaMania was sprouting its wings.

“I always felt if she could have stayed with us, we could have given her the nurturing she needed,” said Walker, who wanted to take his protégé to Toyota Atlantics for some seasoning.

Besides her podiums and pole, Fisher’s other best memories aren’t obvious. “I was leading at MIS in ‘02, got impatient and burned off my right front, that’s one of ‘em,” she said with a laugh.

“In 2003 I was subbing for Robbie Buhl at Nazareth and I went from 12th to fourth and passed Helio on the outside of Turn 3…that was a good one. And last May, I started 30th and drove up to 13th, passing people everywhere and then I tapped the wall.”

Starting with one car and three employees in ’08, SFR has grown to 16 people and a full-time job. Asked if she’ll be tempted to run Indy one more time, she responded: “I don’t know. It depends on how our car is running and whether I’m pregnant. It’s about time to start a family.”

Sarah started a trend in ’99 and now Simona de Silvestro, Anna Beatriz and Pippa Mann just blend in with the scenery. They’re racers who happen to be women.

And how would Fisher like to be remembered as a driver?

“I guess the first female to really perform,” she said. “And the first one to make Indy car racing a business.”

(Click Here or on the image below to view SPEED.com's Sarah Fisher Retrospective photo gallery.)

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Robin Miller became an Indy-car junkie in late 1950s and stooged for his hero, Jim Hurtubise, at the 1968 Indy 500. He went on to work as a vent man and board man on Indy pit crews from 1971-77. Miller bought a Formula Ford from Andy Granatelli in 1972 and raced it in SCCA until 1974 when he purchased a midget from Gary Bettenhausen, competing in the USAC midget series from 1975-82.

Robin flunked out of Ball State College in 1968 and began working at The Indianapolis Star sports department in 1969, covered motorsports there from 1969-2000.

In addition to his broadcast work. Miller's also covered IndyCar racing for Autoweek, Autosport, Car & Driver and On Track magazines over the past 35 years.

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The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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