When Venezuelan driver Milka Duno qualified Sunday for the 93rd Indianapolis 500, it gave team member Anna Chatten the chance to make 500 history on May 24. Chatten, who works on the No.23 Dreyer & Reinbold entry’s gearbox, also lifts the car with an air jack during pit stops on race day. It’s believed she will be the first female crew member “over the wall” in this race, according to 500 historian Donald Davidson.
It’s what Chatten, 29, of Peoria, Illinois, has dreamed of since her father, Bob, brought her to the Indy 500 in 1992. And it’s not like she doesn’t have any experience. Chatten worked six years in Champ Car for Walker Racing and started this year in Firestone Indy Lights.
“For me to be able to do it with another female driving, it’s obviously a huge accomplishment for the sport,” Chatten said. “You think about how women didn’t even stand near pit lane 30 years ago.”
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“It doesn’t matter if she’s a woman or a man,” said Duno, who qualified with a 221.106 mph average. “You have to be good and she is good.”
Chatten has another link to female advancements in racing. The daughter of a motorcycle racer competed in go-karts from 8 to 18, including against current IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick, who grew up one hour away in Illinois.
When team manager Gary Neal told Manno he would be working with a woman, the only question asked was, “Is she a good mechanic?” When Neal vouched for her, Manno said, “Then that’s all I need to know.”
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