LONG BEACH, Calif. – When Danica Patrick finally got her first win, it was late on a Saturday night back home in the United States – not exactly ideal timing for one of the most historic victories in open-wheel racing.

And although the victory came an ocean away, in Japan, the 26-year-old Patrick wasn’t complaining.

“I was excited for a little while, shocked for a little bit and mostly just relieved to get that done,” Patrick said Monday, still relishing her win at Twin Ring Motegi, the first victory by a woman in major open-wheel racing. “I’m not shooshing it aside, but I’m definitely glad that one is over.”

The win came in her fourth full season and 50th career start in the IRL IndyCar Series, and she had spent much of her time before this answering questions about when she’d earn her first victory.

Not any more.

“I don’t let people dictate how I’m supposed to feel or how I’m supposed to do,” she said Monday in a teleconference. “But it’s nice not to have to answer any questions about when and how and why it hasn’t happened.

“They say the first win is the hardest to get, which I agree with,” Patrick said. “It’s even more realistic now with having a win, and hopefully, more will come now.”

Patrick, who had a relatively sleepless 12-hour flight Sunday from Japan and watched the last half of the Champ Car race on the streets of Long Beach, is part of the newly unified open-wheel series. Along with a pair of fellow Americans – 19-year-old Graham Rahal and 21-year-old Marco Andretti, both drivers from great racing families with loads of potential – she carries the series’ hopes.

“People are finding out about IndyCar more,” she said. “A lot of people are affected; it’s not just me. I hope it’s growing, and that’s the idea. We’re all working hard to capitalize on the great moments happening in the league, and this week it’s me.”

Rahal won on the street circuit earlier this month in St. Petersburg, Fla., becoming the youngest winner of a major open-wheel race. Andretti, the top IndyCar rookie in 2006, has shown signs of snapping out of a yearlong slump.

Now, Patrick, who three years ago ignited a national case of “DanicaMania” by leading laps and finishing fourth in the Indianapolis 500, is a winner.

Although it would have been nice for Patrick’s first win to have come on home turf in America – and in prime time – there should be no more comparisons to tennis’ Anna Kournikova, who built a reputation based on glamour but never won a title, despite coming tantalizingly close several times.

Like Kournikova, Patrick has become nearly as well-known for posing for magazines and her work as a commercial spokesman, as for her driving.

Associated Press writer Steve Herman contributed to this report