How does a woman feel in a men’s competition? Victorious is the answer that comes to mind after Sunday’s race in Motegi, Japan, when Danica Patrick stole the IndyCar 300 show. In a sport dominated by men, being the first woman to cross the finish line is not something we will forget too easily.

“It’s going to be one of those things that’s remembered,” Patrick said after she returned from Tokyo, as quoted by the Washington Post. “It’s a first. Firsts are always in history books. I’ve always hoped and wanted to be that person – to be the first female to win in history.”

It was probably the most intense race of her life, as nothing compares to the first victory. Although she managed to prove she’s a worthy adversary for any man in the competition, she couldn’t help showing at the end of the race her emotional side, as she burst into tears.

Patrick admitted in an interview with USA Today she didn’t expect to get so emotional, but “that’s what was lying underneath and how much blood, sweat and tears has gone into getting that first win out of the way. I was embarrassed with all the photographers there and took the helmet off to cover my face. Then I said, ‘Screw it, this is how I feel, and this is what sports are all about.’”

Danica Patrick defeated Helio Castroneves in Japan IndyCar 300 and became the first woman ever to win such a race. The other three drivers that finished the race in Top 5 were Scott Dixon on the third place, Dan Wheldon on the fourth and Tony Kanaan on the fifth.

In 2005, Patrick was named Rookie of the Year in the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series, but she had to wait three long years to truly make history as the first woman to win an IndyCar race. She follows the footsteps of Shirley Muldowney, who won the NHRA Top Fuel Championship in 1997, 1980 and 1982 and became the first woman to win an American motorsport event.