Driver Danica Patrick talks with the media during an afternoon news conference. Patrick addressed the press Friday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.

Kansas City, Kan. ? In 2005, Kansas Speedway was the location for an important first for IRL driver Danica Patrick – her first pole in the IndyCar series.

Making her return to Kansas Speedway two years later for Sunday’s Kansas Indy 300, Patrick is still looking for her first victory in the series.

“I always like coming to Kansas. I’ll always remember it as my first pole,” Patrick said. “I like these mile-and-a-half tracks, they’re good for racing : with more downforce and everything. So I have a feeling it’s going to be a good race. Obviously, this place has produced some really, really tight finishes, and I think this one will be no different.”

There doesn’t seem to be much personal pressure for Patrick to get her first win, though she admits to plenty of pressure from others.

“I think I feel more like there’s a lot more people that are banking on it, let’s say,” said the 25-year-old driver of the No. 7 Motorola car. “There’s only so much I can do, and I know it will happen. I don’t know when. I have no idea. : But I think it will come together, I have no doubt it will.”

In her third season of racing IndyCar, Patrick left Rahal Letterman Racing to join Andretti Green Racing and the team of second-year driver Marco Andretti and veterans Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti.

Patrick and Andretti were the recipients of the Bombardier Rookie of the Year Award the last two years. But unlike Patrick, Andretti has picked up a victory. And he became the youngest winner of a major open-wheel series race at the age of 19.

“I always knew it could happen, but it’s one thing to say it in interviews and stuff like that,” said Andretti, sitting alongside Patrick during a news conference Friday. “But being able to do it is definitely a confidence booster. But the main thing is I knew it could happen. When? I don’t know. It’s the same as Danica, it could happen whenever, it just has to be the right circumstances.”

Patrick quickly spoke up: “I’m just trying to build the anticipation.”

¢ Three’s company: Patrick will partake in another “first” Sunday, with the field of 21 expecting to have three female drivers after Milka Duno earned her Indy racing license Thursday to join Patrick and Sarah Fisher.

“I am part of it, I am one of them. Provided something horrible doesn’t happen to me (today), I’ll be there on Sunday,” said Patrick about having three women in one race for the first time. “The obvious situation is to just make sure you’re so fast that you just drive right around her and everyone else. And that’s the object, whether it’s her or whether it’s Dan Wheldon (current points leader), you just want to drive around them and keep going.”

¢ Rain, rain, go away: The reason for moving from the traditional early-July race weekend at Kansas Speedway to April was due to the warm summer temperatures.

But instead of summer heat, the speedway saw spring showers Friday.

The mid-afternoon rain showers caused a two-hour delay to the start of the ARCA race and a cancellation of final practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

“One word: Typical. That’s just Kansas weather,” said Dustin Boney, a Tonganoxie native who debuted in the ARCA race.

Qualifying for the Craftsman Truck race will start at 1:30 p.m. today, with the race beginning after IndyCar qualifying.

¢ Record Marks: Justin Marks set a new ARCA RE/MAX track record during practice with a time of 31.259 seconds (172.397 mph) – topping Ryan Newman’s 31.549 (171.162) time set in 2001. Marks took the pole position with his qualifying time of 31.323, but finished sixth in the race.