08:42 AM EDT 04/22/2008

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Danica Patrick

Credit: Shuji Kajiyama/AP
Danica Patrick: Dancing with the Stars Can Wait | Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick: Dancing with the Stars Can Wait

Originally posted 04/21/2008 01:40PM

Danica Patrick may have raced by Helio Castroneves at the Japan 300 – but don't look for IndyCar's first female winner to try to match her track rival on the dance floor.

Patrick, 26, has her racing goggles focused on the Indianapolis 500 instead of following Castroneves to Dancing with the Stars fame.

"I can dance, since I was a cheerleader," Patrick tells PEOPLE. "But I don't have the personality that Helio does; he won everyone's heart. I would be a bit too serious for the show."

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Credit: Shuji Kajiyama/AP
Danica Patrick Makes Racing History | Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick Makes History

Originally posted 04/20/2008 01:55PM

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300.

"It's a long time coming. Finally," Patrick, 26, told the Associated Press. "It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio [Castroneves] and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of recent Dancing with the Stars champ Castroneves on the 1.5-mile oval.

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