Danica dazzles book lovers

Hoosier race fans have less than three weeks to wait until the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500, but "Danica Mania" has already swept through town.\nIndy car driver Danica Patrick, the first woman to ever lead laps during "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and the 2005 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, swung through Indianapolis May 8 to sign copies of her autobiography "Danica: Crossing the Line," coauthored by Laura Morton, at Borders Bookstore at Keystone at the Crossing. Hundreds of frenzied Danica fans formed a single file line from the center of the store to the back edge for a brief opportunity to meet Patrick face-to-face while she penned her name on the first page of her book.\n"It's not a story about how to live your life," Patrick said. "(My autobiography) is a story about how I've lived mine. I don't really think about racing when I'm not at the track. I mean I think about it but I don't let it run my life. I like to travel, watch TV, get pedicures, shop -- normal stuff."\nBehind the glare of local television lights and the flashbulbs of ecstatic fans wielding disposable cameras, Danica paused for a moment after signing copies of her book to autograph other "Danica Mania" racing memorabilia and to stand side-by-side with willing fans for a quick snapshot. \nPatrick's husband, Paul Hospenthal, was on-hand to support his racing-superstar wife and said Danica has a great fan base that started after last year's Indy 500, where Patrick finished fourth out of 33 cars and led 19 laps in the closing circuits.\n"I've never known her to do anything else but drive a race car," Hospenthal said. "Every role is what you make of it, and it is up to everyone to decide what role is best for them. Not everyone can drive a race car, even though on TV it looks like the driver is only turning the wheel a little bit. It's extremely demanding physically because of the increased heart rate and sheer strength needed to react with all the G-forces."\nHospenthal said his "Danica Mania" consists of loving and supporting his partner, and he said their relationship is typical of other married couples they know: she helps him iron his clothes and sees him off to work in the morning, he helps support her racing career and book writing and they both enjoy spending time at home barbecuing with friends on weekends.\nHoosiers of all ages swarmed the bookstore Sunday evening for a chance to see and meet their racing idol. The crowd consisted of mostly women despite the long-held tradition of racing as a male-dominated sport.\nDanica Scott, a 76 year-old Indianapolis resident, said she attended the book signing for the chance to gain a glimpse of her favorite American idol, even though she has never been to the Indianapolis 500 before because the race cars make too much noise.\n"I read an article last year about Danica before the race in Homestead and I thought 'ok, that's how it all started,'" Scott said while rubbing her fingers along the spine of two freshly signed Danica autobiographies in her bag. "I watched (the Indianapolis 500) last year on TV. I live alone with my cats and they were staring at me because I was cheering for her the entire time."\nScott said she has collected any kind of clipping of Danica she can find from the newspaper and magazines, including the June 6, 2005 Sports Illustrated with Danica on the cover, two rookie cards, large collector cars, small collector cars, two T-shirts -- one of which is signed -- and one hat.\n"Danica: Crossing the Line," published by Simon & Schuster, offers readers the chance to learn about Patrick's life on and off the racetrack, as well as a photo album, race diary from March 2005 through March 2006 and a glossary of racing terms.\nIndianapolis resident Sharon Williams, who attended the event with her 12-year-old daughter Kelly, said she is anxious to see Patrick drive during this year's Indy 500, which will be her 34th consecutive trip to the race. She said she believes Patrick is the "perfect" role model for her daughter and women of all ages.\n"I have seen all of the great ones since 1973, and Danica has absolutely caught everyone's imagination," Sharon Williams said, adorned in a Patrick T-shirt. "She is the only driver who has brought all 350,000 to their feet in 15 years. For one year of racing in the IRL she drives like a veteran. She has this state of mind in; she is so focused. I have no doubt in my mind she will be the first woman to win the Indy 500."\nThanks in part to her recent book tour and the media attention focused on Patrick, "Danica Mania" may only grow more rabid as the days tick down toward the 2006 Indy 500, but a trip down victory lane is anything but guaranteed.\nDanica said she hopes readers relate to her book in the same way as music, movies and other inspirational stories.\n"When it takes so long to achieve a goal, you begin to understand that the journey is the goal," Patrick wrote in Chapter 12 titled "Rock What You've Got," page 171. "In life, there is no guaranteed destination"