Milka Duno

Milka Duno is a professional race car driver in the Indy Racing League, as well as an actress and model. Milka was born in Caracas, Venezuela on April 22, 1972. She currently resides in Miami, Florida. Milka is the first Latin American women driver ever to be classified "expert". On January 31, 2010 Milka was inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of fame, making her the first Venezuelan athlete to be inducted.

Prior to racing, Duno earned four master's degrees and worked as an engineer in the Navy. Duno began racing in Venezuela in 1996. She stayed there until 1999 and then moved to the United States. In 2000, she joined the American Le Mans Series and was selected as the "Venezuelan Auto Racing Driver of the Year."Official Site: Milka Duno Profile

In 2006, Duno signed on to the Indy Racing League, where she made her debut in 2007. Duno was one of three females in the Indianapolis 500 in 2007, where she crashed on lap 65 of 200.

Milka Duno failed in her attempt to qualify for the 2010 Indy 500 Milka showed good promise during the week leading up to qualifying and it looked favorably that she would qualify her #18 car. Milka joined the Dale Coyne Racing team at the beginning of the 2010 season. Dale Coyne Racing is based in Plainfield, IL, and considers nearby Chicagoland Speedway its home track.

Trying twice in the last hour a 223mph flat was the best time that Milka could generate when an average four-lap speed of 223.8mph was needed for Duno to bump into the field of 33 cars for the race. Milka had the following comments; I'm incredibly disappointed for my sponsors and my team," said Duno. "We tried so hard, in a condensed amount of time, to earn a spot in the field. We just needed a little more time and a little more speed to make it in. Everyone on the team worked so very hard and I can't thank them enough for all their effort. We won't let this get us down; we'll go on from here and work very hard toward our next race in Texas and on the rest of the season.

On July 19, 2008, fellow race car driver Danica Patrick confronted Duno about her struggles during practice for the Honda Indy 200 race. Duno reportedly threw a towel at Patrick and asked her to leave, to which Patrick responded with profanity. Duno subsequently told reporters regarding Patrick, "I don't like the show she likes in every race weekend...She can push the guys because they cannot do anything to her, but she cannot push me. We meet on equal condition (as women), and I know what kind of character I have."Indianapolis Star: More pit road drama from Patrick (July 20, 2008)

• Mahalo's Guide to the Indy Racing League
• IndyCar.com: Career Stats
  • Born: April 22, 1972
  • Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
  • Height: 5'4
  • Weight: 115
  • Rookie Year (Indycar): 2007

• 1972: Born on April 22 in Caracas, Venezuela

• 1999: Moves to the United States

• 2000:Drives in the Barber Dodge Pro Series

• 2007: Finishes second in the 24 Hours of Daytona, makes Indianapolis 500 debut

• 2008: Finished 61st at the 24 Hours of Daytona