Deservedly Danica

On her 50th try, Danica Patrick finally won her first race in the IndyCar Series.

With that, she has finally thrown that gigantic ape off her back, and will no longer be remembered as another winless wonder, a la Anna Kournikova.

And she's also become the first woman to win a major American open-wheel race.

Danica (only the most famous are better known by their first names than their last names) was among the top six at the race in Motegi, Japan all day. When the green flag was about to be shown after the final caution period on lap 148, her team called her in to top off the tank, hoping that she could save enough fuel without having to pit again for the final 52 laps of the race.

And when all the front runners had to duck into the pits for a splash-and-dash with just laps to go, Danica took over the lead for the final three laps and won easily by over five seconds.

For those who say that Danica was lucky to emerge victorious, think about this: Just a week before, Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR race at Phoenix by using the same fuel strategy, and no one was complaining.

And Danica was not the only driver to refuel on lap 148. Helio Castroneves and Ed Carpenter both pitted with her, but she was the only one who could save enough fuel to go the distance.

As for Danica's apparent struggles in road courses, remember this: Sam Hornish Jr. is always terrible in road courses, and he's driving for Penske Racing.

In short, give Danica a break. She deserves her seat in one of the top IndyCar teams.

And Sunday's race showed that she has both the speed and wit to be a successful racer.