At the after-party of the Indy 500, I'm usually wearing jeans and a tank top.

I think you can be happy and still be competitive. A good lesson for everybody is to think a bit before you speak and represent who you really are instead of the brash emotional you.

I would tell kids not be like me, but to try and be better than me. Because I always wanted to be better than everyone I was around. That's what drove me. I wanted to be better than my role models. I'm super competitive.

No matter how good you are, how brave you are or anything, it comes down to that car so many times. Not every time, but so many times.

My goal is people associate November with COPD awareness month as much as they notice October with breast cancer and pink. That'd be a great thing if it happened. The fact that COPD kills more people than breast cancer and diabetes put together should raise some red flags.

I've never asked for special treatment along the way. And I'm never going to hide the fact that I'm a girl, ever. That's obvious, isn't it?

The mistake I really learned from was in 2005, leading the Indianapolis 500. I had a decision whether or not to save enough fuel to finish the race - which meant slowing down - or going all-out for the win. I went conservative and saved enough fuel to go to the end but finished fourth.