INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Everywhere Danica Patrick goes at Indy, the crowds follow.

There’s the camera crew documenting every move of her first month at the 21/2-mile oval, and a curious media corps – from ESPN to People Magazine – that continually peppers her with questions. When she finally gets a break from that, the autograph seekers are waiting.

It can be trying even for a veteran. But rookie Patrick sees it as a chance to prove herself.

“Driving around has been maybe the easier part,” she said. “There’s been a lot of media and a ton of interviews. On the track, we have a great team and great cars, and that makes it fun.”

Patrick understands what’s at stake: To go from being a novelty as the Indy Racing League’s only woman driver to a top contender, she must show she can compete with the boys.

Her next chance was to come this weekend, when Patrick hoped to join Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher as the only women to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick has some advantages over her predecessors.

Unlike Fisher, who struggled to find full-time rides, Patrick is driving for the well-established and well-funded Rahal-Letterman Racing team. She has good equipment, an experienced crew and doesn’t have to spend her time pursuing sponsorships – assets few drivers, men or women, get in their first major series ride.

The second-youngest driver on the circuit, at 23 she already is showing she can race. She has had a front-row start and a top-five finish this year, both at a race in Japan. She posted the fastest lap through Thursday at 227.633 mph and became the second woman to lead a full practice session at Indy. Guthrie did it in 1977.

Last year, she captured one pole and had 10 top-five finishes in the Toyota Atlantic series. In 2000, her second-place finish at Europe’s Formula Ford Festival was the highest of any American, and she worked in St. James’ driver development program as a teenager.

Team co-owner Bobby Rahal calls her the total package. Buddy Rice, the defending Indy champion, says he respects her as a teammate.

“The way she climbed the ladder is different than any other female that’s come here,” Rice said. “You have to pay tribute to that in some degree because her experiences and her learning curve are completely different.”

Patrick also brings name recognition to a league desperately searching for prominent drivers.

Her bikini-clad photos in a men’s magazine and a foray into broadcasting have helped establish her popularity. Each time she pulled into the pits during rookie orientation this week, fans cheered – an honor few rookies, including 1986 Indy champ Rahal, have received.

“There’s a ton of females at the track and they need someone to root for,” said Mishael Abbott, a rookie in the IRL’s developmental Infiniti Pro Series.

Patrick is trying to take it all in stride.

“I think I’m a very serious, dedicated, focused driver,” she said. “And I have a girlie side to me, too. I like skirts more than I like jeans.”

Those who know Patrick best say there’s more to this rookie than glamour. She’s a darn good driver.

“She’s very talented and gained a lot of experience,” St. James said. “She’s with a great team, and her solid foundation puts her in a unique position.”

Rahal is pleased with her success so far, which includes finishing 15th at Phoenix and 12th on the road course at St. Petersburg, Fla., before last month’s fourth-place showing in Japan.

Rain delays qualifying

Everyone is going to have to wait another day to see if a woman can win the Indianapolis 500 pole – including a calm and confident Danica Patrick.

Rain kept the 2-mile oval closed Saturday and eventually washed away the first of four scheduled days of time trials for the May 29 race. The start of qualifying was postponed to Sunday.

Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart said the rainout would shorten the qualifying to three days, with the top 22 qualifiers being determined on Sunday. The final two days of qualifying are still set for May 21 and 22.

The changes were made in an attempt to make each day of qualifying more exciting for both the fans who show up at the speedway and those watching on TV.

Something not changed by the rain was that each entry will have up to three opportunities to qualify on each of the remaining days of time trials.

Former pole winner Scott Sharp, first in the qualifying line for Sunday and also among the fastest drivers in practice, said everyone will be watching his performance on a day when temperatures are not expected to reach above 60 degrees.

“The gauge for everybody will probably be the way we run,” Sharp said. “There’s a big temperature change expected and the (morning) practice is going to be important. Whoever makes the best adjustments in practice will have the best chance of doing well in qualifying.”

As for the new format, Sharp likes the possibilities.

“Before, you had to make a decision whether to take a qualifying run while you were on the track, particularly early in the day,” he explained. “Now, you can take it and wait to see what happens. Maybe the other drivers are not as fast as you think they are. You can see what happens when they go out and you can get right back in line and go out again.”

Besides Scheckter, Patrick and Sharp, other pole contenders include Meira, reigning IRL champion Tony Kanaan, current points leader Dan Wheldon, Kosuke Matsuura, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Sam Hornish Jr., Richie Hearn and two-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves – all above 226 mph in practice.

Sunday also is an important day for Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, the only drivers from the rival Champ Car series competing in the IRL’s biggest event. Both are scheduled to race next weekend in Monterrey, Mexico, so must be among the top 22 this Sunday to make the Indy race.

“Qualifying will be harder than the race,” said Bourdais, the defending Champ Car champion and an Indy rookie. “We spent a lot of time on the race setup and the rain on Friday and Saturday kept us from working on our qualifying setup.

“I think we’ll just be happy to get the cars in the show. I’m not worried if we’re 11th or 22nd.”

Rice will not have the opportunity to win a second straight Indy pole. He had a concussion and back injury in a crash on Wednesday and cannot be cleared to drive again until at least next Wednesday.