Yes, we've seen this before.

But then again, we've never seen this before.

A female racecar driver with an obvious ability to go fast and hold her own against the guys? Yep, seen it.

But a female racer who not only seems to have the complete blessing of the lords of the sport, but the financial backing necessary -- oh, so necessary -- to even dream of making a go it? In that respect, Danica Patrick is a true trailblazer.

Not a trailblazer in the sense of a Louise Smith or Janet Guthrie or Lyn St. James, but a maiden voyage of a whole different -- yet very similar -- sort. Like all those from the fairer sex who took to the fast lane long before her, Danica will have her doubters and those wishing ill.

Unlike her predecessors, she'll have an honest chance to stick it in their ears.

And yes, Danica's personality seems well suited for settling scores and using others' negativity as motivation. That, too, should serve her well as she embarks on this new chapter of a racing career which, to this point, has been spent as a high-profile performer in an Indy-car world that has become -- except for one Sunday in May -- a less-than-high-profile endeavor.

Danica's big advantage is that high profile. It's also a potential disadvantage. It has been a twin component, along with long-honed racing skills, in getting her to this point. But it also puts her in a spotlight brighter than any of those who came before.

Become, eventually, a capable and even front-running NASCAR racer, and the sportsworld is her oyster. Fail to make the difficult Indy-to-NASCAR adjustments, and she becomes the latest spent shell.

NOT A PIONEER

Regardless of what the casual fan might be led to believe, Danica Patrick isn't the first woman to try stock-car racing.

Not even close.

In fact, at the very beginning, there were women racers -- most notably Louise Smith and Sara Christian, who drove a combined 18 races during NASCAR's first few seasons, 1949-52 (Christian, in just seven starts, had finishes of fifth and sixth in '49).

In Daytona's July race of 1949, over the beach-and-road course, Christian and Smith were joined by a third woman, Ethel Mobley, in the 28-driver field. Mobley finished 11th.

Smith, the busiest of those three, was a serious racer of modified cars in the Carolinas, but Bill France Sr. basically used her as a way to boost the visibility -- and gate receipts, of course -- of his fledgling series.

Over a decade later, a driver came along with a wide variety of automotive talents (including engine-building) and racing tastes (sportscars, Indy-cars, stocks) -- as well as a background in engineering.

In another context, yes, that description fairly fits the late Mark Donohue. But it also fits Janet Guthrie, who, to this day, is convinced she would've been a winner at NASCAR's highest level if she'd only had a fraction of the financial backing now afforded Danica Patrick.

As it was, Guthrie posted five top-10 finishes in 33 Cup Series starts between 1976-80. She ran five times at Daytona, with four finishes between 11th and 15th (trivia time: In the 1980 Daytona 500, Guthrie was part of a three-car effort by owner Rod Osterlund. Her teammates that day: Dale Earnhardt and 49-year-old legend Dan Gurney). She also ran three Indy 500s during that time frame, finishing ninth in 1978.

Guthrie's first NASCAR race was Charlotte's World 600 in May, 1976. Many doubted a woman's ability to withstand such a brutally long day, but she finished 15th. Five weeks later, she came to Daytona for the Firecracker 400, where the atmosphere was very different than her experiences in Daytona's 24-hour February race.

"In NASCAR, it took until about May of the following year, '77, before I could walk through the garage area without steeling myself," says Guthrie, who lives in Colorado. "At Daytona in '76, there was still quite a bit of hostility floating around -- not universal, but certainly I could feel that I was not being welcomed with open arms. What really mattered to me was to get my hands on a car that could compete at that level."

'WHO AM I TO JUDGE?'

From a distance, Guthrie says she keeps an eye on the modern women who have made racing efforts. Until Danica, none of them could claim truly front-running equipment, and until Danica none of them won a big-league race (she won the Indy Racing League's Japan 300 in 2008).

"She's a very capable driver; I think she's demonstrated that," says Guthrie.

But at what price, Guthrie seems to say without really saying. Even with Danica's talents behind the wheel, you have to wonder if she would've ever gotten a good chance if not for her marketing advantages and her willingness to use them.

"I do deeply regret all those girly-magazine pictures that'll be floating around the Web forever," Guthrie says of Danica's well-publicized spreads in Sports Illustrated and FHM. "But she made, what, $7 million last year? So I guess she's doing something right."

Guthrie recalls being approached by an automotive magazine after the 1976 season. Editors wanted her to pose on a car hood, wearing dramatically less than her driving uniform.

"I was just so disgusted I couldn't stand it," she says. "What in the world did they think this was all about? Needless to say, I cut a better figure then than I do now, but I wouldn't have considered it for a microsecond. I was really, really disgusted with the journalist who asked me to do it. I found the thought absolutely repellent.

"I think it ought to be based on your driving skills and the degree to which you can represent your sponsor as a good representative of the sport."

In other words, the way it works for the men. Still, Guthrie doesn't directly begrudge Danica Patrick for her off-track methods of promotion.

"It seems to have worked for her," says Guthrie. "Certainly there are conflicting opinions on that, even among other women athletes in other sports. Who am I to judge?"

BY THE NUMBERS: WOMEN IN STOCK-CAR RACING

NASCAR Cup Series

15 women to start a NASCAR Cup race

78 starts by women in Cup races

1 top-five finishes by women in Cup races (Sara Christian 1)

7 top-10 finishes by women in Cup races (Janet Guthrie 5, Christian 2)

Nationwide Series

12 women to start a NASCAR Nationwide race

261 starts by women in Nationwide races

0 top-five finishes by women in Nationwide races

8 top-10 finishes by women in Nationwide races (Patty Moise 4, Shawna Robinson 1, Tina Gordon 1, Diane Teel 2)

Truck Series

13 women to start a NASCAR Truck Series race

199 starts by women in truck races

0 top-five finishes by women in truck races

0 top-10 finishes by women in truck races

ARCA

25 women to start an ARCA race

308 starts by women in ARCA races (records for two drivers incomplete)

24 top-five finishes by women in ARCA races (records for two drivers incomplete; Erin Crocker leads with 12)

76 top-10 finishes by women in ARCA races (records for two drivers incomplete; Christi Passmore leads with 21)

Q&A WITH LYN ST. JAMES

Lyn St. James' racing career, for the most part, included sportscars and Indy-cars. She was part of a class-winning effort in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and also ran seven Indianapolis 500s between 1992-2000.

She has also directed a driver-development program for women, and one of her former pupils is Danica Patrick. St. James is in Daytona Beach during Speed Weeks promoting the "Women in the Winner's Circle" traveling exhibit, which is currently showcased at the Daytona 500 Experience.

How tough will Danica's transition be from Indy cars to stock cars?

"The unique skill set and sensibility of a racecar driver, as far as what to pay attention to . . . we all are listening to signals and feeling signals. We're like a human computer out there. That's the best way I can describe it. If those sensibilities that she has adapt well, she'll be fine. But if they don't . . . "

Some drivers make the transition a lot better than others.

"The reason Tony Stewart did so well, look at what he was doing. He was doing Silver Crown, he was doing dirt, he was doing pavement, he was doing something different every week. That's what I try to tell these young drivers. The more you diversify yourself now, the more you learn that your sensors will react to different input."

Do you think Danica would ever be able to adapt to the year-round NASCAR lifestyle?

"My observation is, NASCAR is still very much a family unit, and Danica is used to that. She has her mom and her dad and her husband, and they go to the races. That keeps her grounded. She has that support."

There seems to be no doubt she's tough enough.

"If she digs her heels in and says, 'I am going to do this and I am going to be successful,' nothing will distract her from doing it. But there's no way of predicting that. But I know that racing is in her DNA."

What she doesn't seem suited for is the certain level of schmoozing that's forced on a modern NASCAR driver.

"No. She will tolerate that, but it isn't what she chooses to do. And yet it is part of the deal."

Her occasional volatility seems very similar to Tony Stewart.

"But Tony has matured as a person. I've watched Tony for a long time, so I see him not backing down or smoothing over the rough edges. He's just matured. Danica has some maturing to do, and I see some of that happening with her too. But there's a volatility about it. But I think that will make it interesting to a certain degree."

Yet every time she blows off someone -- media, autographs, whatever -- she'll get called out on it.

"I don't have personal knowledge, but from what I've heard, she needs to clean that one up a little bit -- a little humility. But it's hard. The demands are tough. I've been there, though not to the degree she has."

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ken.willis@news-jrnl.com