KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Driving an open-wheel car for only the second time, Milka Duno earned her IndyCar series rookie license Thursday – three days before she will make her series debut at Kansas Speedway.

The 34-year-old Venezuelan, who is moving to Indy cars from sports car racing, becomes the third woman in the IndyCar series behind Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick.

All three are in the field for Sunday’s Kansas Lottery Indy 300, marking the first time three women are expected to compete in one race in a top-level circuit.

Duno had hoped to arrive in the Kansas City area on Tuesday and take her rookie test Wednesday, but was prevented from doing either by heavy rain.

Windy and unseasonably cool conditions Thursday morning kept her from taking the track until after 11:30 a.m., when the temperature rose past 50 degrees. She finished testing shortly before 5 p.m. and learned she had passed several minutes later.

Weather also wiped out most of Duno’s other planned tests, allowing her only one 140-lap outing at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago.

Duno plans to compete in 10 of the series’ 17 races this year, concentrating on ovals, and run a full schedule in 2008.

AP-ES-04-26-07 1802EDT