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Sports pictures of the year
From a nail-biting pass at Superbowl XLIII to a bloody WBO World Welterwight fight, here's a look at the best sports photos of 2009. Slideshow
Patrick hailed as savior of open-wheel racing
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Although Danica Patrick has just one IndyCar win on her resume, the 26-year-old has been called the savior of open-wheel racing in North America leading up to Sunday's Indy 500 (1815GMT).
Now the merger of the two rival open-wheel series in February has ended a bitter 12-year feud Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race, is the most marketable commodity in the new series.
"It was newsworthy on a global basis and in mainstream media, not just on the sports pages," said Tony George, the Indy Racing League founder and chief executive officer of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We'll continue to market her as well as other drivers.
"How much? How much will we allocate to one driver? I don't know. The teams market the drivers themselves. We work with them to market themselves and the sport we all are involved in.
"But I don't expect to see anyone let up on Danica."
Equally at home in front of the cameras as behind the wheel, Patrick has not been afraid to trade on her good looks.
She appeared in photo spreads in men's magazine FHM and in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition.
The only driver at the Brickyard with bodyguards, Patrick's impressive list of endorsements continues to grow.
Starting in the second row, Patrick is tipped as one of the favorites on Sunday, having established her Indy 500 credentials in 2005 when she became the first woman to lead a lap at the 500. Patrick finished fourth, another best for a woman driver.
Dan Wheldon, the 2005 Indy 500 winner, was not a Patrick fan when she first arrived in the series having several well publicized run-ins, including one in Milwaukee that ended in shouting match and nearly came to blows.
But the Briton has since become a fan, Patrick having earned his respect for determination to get to the winner's circle.
"Without Danica in this series, I hate to say this, but I don't think the series would be what it is right now," said Wheldon. "Danica brings the mainstream media.
"A lot of people in this sport can rest on their laurels. With the clout she brings, she could easily do that.
"But she wants to be one of the best. She wants to win races and because of that she has really taken the series to another level."
(Editing by John Mehaffey)
