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At 19 years old, many young women daydream about a sunny spring break, acing that zoology final or a chance meeting with a handsome stranger. Sarah Fisher dreams of storming to victory in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race at speeds over 220 mph, and her aspiration certainly is more probable and more worthwhile than any unlikely rendezvous with Mr. Right.

Fisher, who stands a slight 5 feet 2 inches tall, has taken her rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for a qualifying run later this month for the 84th Indy "500" on May 28. If she earns a spot, she will be the youngest woman and the second youngest racer in history to contend. With anticipated entrants such as former "500" winners Al Unser Jr., Eddie Cheever Jr. and Buddy Lazier, Fisher will need the skills of a veteran racer, unflappable nerves and the will to win.

But she doesn't want to talk about being a woman racer. She considers herself capable of competing with the best, and that has nothing to do with her gender.

It could be argued that she inherited some gene for racing. Her parents actually met following a race in which Fisher's mother beat her father to the finish line. "I grew up around cars and racing," says her mother, Reba, who has continued her devotion to the sport even though she gave up racing long ago. "For Sarah, we always tried to make it enjoyable," she explains. "We wanted it to be fun for her too, so that there was no fear."

Dave, Sarah's father, raced sprint cars when Sarah was young and both parents encouraged her to come to the track with them and play with the other kids at the race. Feeling confident about cars and getting the itch to race seemed inevitable. Reba says there came a point when it was clear that Sarah was ready to race and that's when she said to Dave, "Time to get her into the quarter midget."

As a spunky only child in Commercial Point, Ohio, Fisher started racing quarter midgets when she was just 5 years old. "And she wanted two red hearts painted on her car — just like the ones on her dad's sprint car," her mother says with a smile. She continued racing the quarter midgets for three years, then moved up to go-karts. From 8 to 14 years of age, her skills were improving greatly, and she showed real promise behind the go-kart wheel by winning various races from 1991 through 1994.

She graduated from go-karts to 800-horsepower sprint cars, which she drove for about three years, adding still more awards and trophies to her collection. By 18, she was ready for midgets, again winning races and raising eyebrows along the way. From her unassuming hometown of 5,000 — with only one bank, one gas station and no stoplight — a promising race star emerged.

At age 15 Fisher had enrolled in Lyn St. James's Driver Development Program in Indianapolis, where, she says, she learned the basics of racing in the big leagues. At the end of their crash course, participants addressed fellow students in a mock media dinner. "All the (other) girls gave speeches on being a woman racer. I talked about the three parts of a corner on a track and the engine dyno," which is a machine that analyzes engines, she explains. Jaws undoubtedly dropped at the young girl's poise and mechanical know-how.

During those years, racing wasn't her only interest. "I was a band geek in high school — saxophone," she relates. "Education has always been a top priority in my family. If I got a C, my parents threatened to keep me from racing," which was an effective intimidation tactic. She graduated seventh in her class at Teays High School last June with a 4.17 GPA on a 4.0 scale. The honors student did make one C, she admits. "It was in Health. I can't stand blood."

The social scene was never her cup of tea, and most of her friends are race fans. She avoided such teenage staples as the high school prom, and free time does not seem to be a concept she understands. Sprint car racers participate in about 60 races a year, she explains, which is about two times that of NASCAR (stock car) drivers. "There was no time for hobbies."

Her youthful arrival at the IMS comes courtesy of Indy Racing League team owner Derrick Walker. He contacted then 18-year-old Fisher before her Indy race debut at the Mall.com 500 at Texas Motor Speedway last fall, where she made IRL history as the youngest person ever to compete in the league.

"He asked if I was interested," she recalls, "and I said, ‘Yes, yes, yes! That would be great!'" After three months of talks, Walker announced Fisher as Walker Racing Inc.'s rookie driver during a press conference in January at Walt Disney World in Orlando. "He's a crazy guy," Fisher says admiringly of Walker, who owns teams for both CART- and IRL-sanctioned events. "He tells it like it is."

Walker, who has helped field five Indy "500" winners, has a tendency to break track champ stereotypes. In 1991, just one year after Walker Racing began, driver Willy T. Ribbs became the first African-American to race in the "500." Perhaps this is the year of the very young woman. Fisher's sponsors — Cummins Engine Co., a longtime backer of Walker Racing, and Mead Carbonless Paper, which has supported Fisher in the past — certainly hope so. They also are counting on her blue No. 5, open-wheel Indy car (equipped with a pedal block to compensate for Fisher's petite figure) to stick it to any skeptics.

Now that Fisher is living in Indianapolis, Lisa Sommers, public relations director for Walker Racing, helps coordinate the busy teenager's schedule. She's been "looking forward to working with Sarah," Sommers says. "She knows the cars inside and out, and she's got a lot of talent."

As for Fisher, while she is engrossed in securing a spot in the "500" lineup, education remains a priority. She plans to stay in Indiana this fall and study mechanical engineering in college, although she hasn't settled on which college. Her lifetime of experience working under the hoods of midgets and sprint cars, brief as it might seem considering her age, has influenced this path. She and her father worked side by side for years at Fisher Fabricators in Ohio, a two-man shop where father and daughter designed and built machinery for industry. "You have to make money to spend money," she says, noting the hefty costs of racing.

Though she's now living in Indy, her father is very involved with her racing. "Dad is still going to be a part of my racing career. I never want to leave him out of the scenario. The past years that we have worked together have been wonderful and I would not be in this position without his dedication and help." Dave had been a sprint car racer for years but as his daughter showed greater and greater promise, he decided to stop so he could focus on Sarah's future behind the wheel. He built her engines and worked on her cars — and she was right there at his side.

"I used to pull the engines out of cars to work on them. Now, at Walker, I have a crew," she says. "It's not as hands-on as I'm used to, but Walker Racing has been great about that." Learning about the cars, interacting with the crew and making an effort to arrive on time five days a week is all part of paying your dues. It is not just about what you do on the track. "When you know what's going on with your car, you feel safer. It helps you know how to fix problems, and it helps your relationship with the crew," she explains.

She is so adept at analyzing the innards of a car that she can tune an engine by ear. "You can tell what fuel adjustments need to be made or if the engine is too cold or too lean," a term which means hot, she says. Her years behind the wheel also have taught her to distinguish between two seemingly identical cars by the slight differences in aerodynamics. Asked if this is really necessary, Fisher says matter of factly, "If you can't feel it, someone else will." The result could be, then, that someone else takes the advantage. So she leaves nothing unchecked and helps make the decisions that give her the best advantage.

There is no such thing as a typical day for the young racer. When we spoke she had spent the morning being fitted for a customized seat. Other days she spends time en route to a race, in the shop or working out. The administration building at the IMS has an exercise facility for racers, team members and all IRL cardholders, so she is able to stay fit through the use of their equipment. "I do about an hour of cardio and one to one-and-a-half hours of lifting every day at the Speedway," she says. "They've got a TV … where I work out, so I can watch Friends from 7-7:30," which seems to be about the only standard teenage girl indulgence that holds her interest. She also has a loyal roommate, Alby, a genuine pound dog named after Albert Einstein and "albino," for his one pale blue eye.

The ambitious young woman's latest urge is to ride a bicycle around the IMS, which is not allowed. "I might try to pull rank on that one," she laughs. She also plans to return to racing midgets on dirt tracks — and not as a relaxing break from Indy cars. "They are tough, demanding cars and they can help drivers learn to handle different situations." The back end of midgets can get out of line and the driver must maneuver a way to regain control of the car. They are less forgiving machines than the cars she now drives.

Fisher says she does not have to get psyched up for a race. It is a natural state of mind. Relaxing after a race can be another story. "If I do well, I don't have to calm down. But if I do poorly, I know I have to improve and do well the next time," and her desire to win is insatiable. "You have to want it. I have to be willing to push myself until I'm about dead. I've gone about loony before!" she says grinning.

With such resolve, Fisher surely is in good position for Rookie of the Year (from a possible group of five or six new drivers) at this year's "500." But first she must make the race, and qualification runs are a test of speed and consistency. She must post an average speed for four laps that falls within the top 33 speeds.

Fisher's calm and determination are so obvious that they seem to be supported by something other than pure will. Perhaps she makes a point to slide into the driver's seat the same way each time before big races. A breakfast of Froot Loops — a favorite cereal — has started her race days since she was 6. "I'm not superstitious," she insists. "I tried out some things, but they didn't work. I retired them all."

Even gods have their weaknesses, but Fisher will not admit to an Achilles' heel. She did have one scare, however. "The first time you go 200 mph, it wakes you up," she admits. "But you get used to it." Despite the emphasis on education, family and willpower, Fisher says she should not be considered as an example to young people. "I haven't made it yet, so I'm not a role model. When I win the "500" — that's when I'll be a role model." Professionally, Fisher looks to legends past and present. "There are so many great drivers, I don't look to just one as a kind of hero. I look to learn from everyone, because they are all great race car drivers."

Despite her intensity for racing, she does take time out to recognize her fans. Fisher gets around 10 e-mails a day as well as letters of admiration from around the globe. At the time our magazine went to press, her Web site at www.sarahfisher.com had logged almost 65,000 visitors. She also has sold more than 2,500 T-shirts to race fans. "I've signed shoes, pants, almost anything, for people at races." One of the more touching sights for Fisher was seeing so many fathers and daughters who came to her races together, she says. "It reminded me of my relationship with my father and mother."

Fisher grants a quick autograph to her latest fan before returning to work. With a smile and a bouncing ponytail, you would not guess this inconspicuous speed demon is running down her dream.