When Danica Patrick was approached by FHM Magazine to pose for a racy photo spread in this month's issue, she reacted like many good looking young women and accepted. Naturally, it created instant controversy among the motorsports fraternity as it debated whether it cheapened her image or enhanced her profile.

Even the vivacious and fearless 20-year-old (Patrick turned 21 on Tuesday) had a few second thoughts and wondered if those pictures would damage the credibility she's worked so hard to achieve.

	Danica Patrick hopes to prove to racing fans that she's much more than just a pretty face.

So, when the green flag waved last Sunday in the season-opener for CART's Toyota Atlantic series, Patrick responded to her critics in the best possible fashion. She was posing for pictures again but this time it was in her driver's suit because she had made a sparkling debut in CART's top feeder series.

She qualified fifth, turned the second fastest lap of the race and finished third -- just two seconds behind her more experienced competition -- Canadians Michael Valiante and Jonathan Macri.

Patrick became the first female to ever make it to the podium in the 30-year history of Atlantics and tied the debuts of 1997 Formula One champ Jacques Villeneuve (third at Montreal in 1992) and '96 Atlantic champ Patrick Carpentier (third at Montreal in 1993) while besting CART star Paul Tracy (started 11th and finished 16th at Elkhart Lake in 1987) and two-time Indy Racing League champ Sam Hornish Jr. (started 13th and finished eighth at Long Beach in 1999).

"It was a nice way to start and, most importantly, it was good for the team," she said Tuesday while celebrating her 21st birthday at her home in Joliet, Ill. "I think it's a reflection of how good Team Rahal is and it was a lot of fun.

"I didn't have a good enough car to get by Jonathan (Macri) because I started understeering really bad and I ran out of (in-car) adjustments. So we just kind of had to chip away. I'd drop back and then catch up.

"But considering it was only my sixth race ever in a car with wings and the two guys ahead of me are in their third season of Atlantics, I'm pretty happy. It was a solid start."

Make no mistake, she's getting a first-class opportunity to succeed with Bobby Rahal's guidance and budget. But he didn't decide to field an Atlantic car because of Patrick's pretty profile. He simply saw the mental toughness, desire and talent of a kid who went to race in Europe when she was 16 years old.

"I think she's got those intangibles you can't teach a race driver," said the three-time CART champ, who also competed in Atlantics. "Danica is as focused on succeeding as anyone I've ever met in this business and she's got the right attitude, plus she's good.

"I'm going to do everything I can to help her reach her goals."

Patrick's plan is to move up to Champ Cars and, obviously, CART is in desperate need of some new American heroes like she could be. The rival IRL has a serious racer in Sarah Fisher and she's been the fan favorite the past two years. But Fisher was rushed from midgets to Indy cars with no middle step like Atlantics and Patrick wants to make sure she's ready.

"I can assure you that I'd be disappointed if I don't make it up to CART and I guarantee you I'm pushing the hardest to make it happen," she said. "I hope everything goes well this year and I move up but if I have to run two years in Atlantics that's not so bad.

"It would be better than going up too soon because if I'm not successful the my career will be over much sooner than if I'd stayed and got more experience. I want to be sure I'm ready."

Ideally, Rahal would like to run Patrick at Indianapolis as early as 2004 and, if she's ready, strap her in a Champ Car as soon as possible.

"Obviously, Bobby runs a CART and IRL team and I don't think it's a mystery that both are options," Patrick said. "And Bobby's been quoted as saying he wants to make me the first woman winner of the Indy 500, so that says something.

"But my heart is in road racing. That's what I want to do."

This 5-1, 100-pound dynamo understands the pressure, expectations and naysayers. She dealt with them in go-karts and in Europe, where she silenced many by finishing second in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival.

"I know everything I do is magnified," she said. "So if I do it well, it's huge -- I'll be on the cover of a magazine for it. And if I don't, I'll be written off. It's just the way the public is.

"It's something I've dealt with my whole career and I'm not afraid to challenge it."

Being bold behind the wheel or in front of the camera are both assets in today's PR-crazed and sponsor-challenged world of racing. But anyone who knows her understands Patrick's outer beauty takes a backseat to her inner drive. She enjoyed her glam shots in FHM, but her pride is her race face.

"I didn't call FHM, they called me and I'm still a girl so getting my hair and makeup done is fun. When your getting glitter rubbed all over your body and having eight million layers of lip gloss put on you ... it was fun to do," she said.

"Most people I talk to have been supportive but it doesn't really matter. All that matters eventually is what I can do in a race car."

Fisher fast, but still not secure
Fisher chased eventual winner Tony Kanaan around Phoenix International Raceway for 30 laps last Sunday, bringing what little crowd there was to its collective feet even though most of them knew she had to stop one more time for fuel.

Still, the 22-year-old from Commercial Point, Ohio, was looking at sixth place before a botched pit stop dropped her to eighth at the finish.

But, as happy as she was with her performance, Fisher still has no guarantee she'll be running in next month's IRL IndyCar show at Motegi, Japan.

"Nothing is definite for me at Japan yet, we just keep knocking on doors trying to find sponsorship," said the only woman to ever capture an Indy car pole (last year at Kentucky) and finish on the podium (second at Homestead, Fla., in 2001 and third at Kentucky in 2000).

Added car owner Dennis Reinbold: "We're living hand to mouth right now and we've got the IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) marketing department and General Motors marketing department helping us."

Asked if she ever hit up IRL founder Tony George for money, the 22-year-old replied: "Yes, last year. But I'm not going to beg."

Fisher had no confidence by the end of 2001 and no ride to start 2002 before hooking up with Robbie Buhl and engineer Mark Weida. They've made her feel comfortable again and she's been quicker than many of the Chevy drivers this season.

Helping the IRL's most popular driver (voted by the fans) secure a steady ride would seem to be a no-brainer for George, who has spent millions of dollars keeping the IRL running the past seven years.

"Tony definitely wants her out here but I don't like that approach," Reinbold said. "It's frustrating we haven't been able to land a major sponsor yet because I know what Sarah is capable of and I know what this team is capable of. But we'll keep on plugging."