Fisher took part in 81 IndyCar Series events, achieving a career-best finish of second at the 2001 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami—the highest placing for a woman in the IRL until Danica Patrick's victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300.

In 2002, Fisher was the first female driver to win a pole position in a major American open-wheel race and competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, more than any other woman.

In 2016, Fisher sold her stake in CFH Racing to focus on a full-time career in business in Indiana but remained with the team to help with sponsorship development.

[1] Her mother Reba, a middle-school teacher in technology, is the daughter of Evelyn Grindell,[5] one of Ohio's early woman aviators, and drove go-karts in the backyard of her house.

[1][5] Fisher's father devised a schedule to enter her at small, indoor tracks during the winter,[11] and both her parents supported her early racing career.

[12] When Fisher turned eight, she began racing go-karts in her age group on the East Coast of the United States,[10][13] and learned of how karts worked from her father.

[11] Fisher's father raised the seat in her car by 3 in (76 mm) and cut down on its front to improve her visibility,[15] and she won the 1995 Dirt Track Racing Round-Up Rookie of the Year award.

[16] In late 1995, John Bickford, the stepfather of Jeff Gordon, recommended Fisher to the Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development Program and paid for all expenses.

Fisher also drove in Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing-sanctioned events on asphalt ovals in the Midwestern United States.

[19] She achieved a grade point average of 4.178, earning induction into the National Honor Society,[21] and took 30 post-secondary credits at Columbus State Community College.

[5] Fisher enrolled at The Ohio State University in August 1999 to pursue a part-time undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering before she received a telephone call following the first day of classes inviting her to test an Indy Racing League (IRL) car.

[23] She signed a three-year contract to drive for Pelfrey on August 24, 1999,[24][25] and passed an IRL-sanctioned rookie test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway supervised by former driver Johnny Rutherford six days later,[24] becoming at the time the youngest person to do so.

[23] Team owner Derrick Walker sought a young driver who could appeal to both fans and his sponsors; he felt Fisher was the ideal person.

[27] Prior to the race in Texas, Walker talked to Fisher about driving for his newly formed IRL team that would be built around an American rookie driver after one of his employees asked whether he considered her.

[17] At the season's second race, the Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, she took second place, the best finish of her IRL career, and the highest for a woman until Danica Patrick's 2008 Indy Japan 300 win.

[39] During practice for the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway two weeks later, she crashed heavily in turn two and was hospitalized with neck pains.

[40] Later that day, IRL's director of medical services Henry Bock declared Fisher fit to race,[41] and she finished in 17th place after qualifying a season-high second.

[43] In September 2002, Fisher drove a MP4-17 car in a demonstration run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course in the 2002 United States Grand Prix.

[56] Fisher secured sponsorship to race the season-opening Toyota Indy 300[57] and Dreyer & Reinbold changed manufacturers to Dallara and engines to Chevrolet.

[58] At the Indianapolis 500, she qualified in 24th; in the race, she retired after spinning into the turn-three wall due to an engine malfunction after 14 laps, bruising her left foot and finishing in 31st.

[77] Three races later, Fisher had her first lead-lap finish, coming in 12th in the Autozone Twin Championships before earning her first top-ten result, an eighth in the King Taco 150 at Irwindale Speedway.

[78] She qualified a season-high third in the Coors Light 200 at Evergreen Speedway; Fisher led the first laps for a woman in NASCAR West Series history, finishing 11th.

[80] After Fisher could not put together a full NASCAR program due to sponsorship problems,[81] she moved back to Indianapolis to find and prepare for a full-time role in the IndyCar Series.

[83] Fisher secured the seat by staying in contact with the team through her engagement with tire changer Andy O'Gara, as well as attending several IndyCar races throughout 2006.

[84][82] Additionally, the team contacted prospective sponsors requesting sufficient funding for her participation in place of Ryan Briscoe, who had Supercars commitments.

[103] In January 2009, Fisher received funding from her primary team sponsor to enter four oval-track events in the season: Kansas, Indianapolis, Kentucky and Chicagoland.

In March 2016, Fisher accepted an offer by IndyCar's president of competition and operations Jay Frye to be its pace car driver for 14 out of 16 races, after the aging Johnny Rutherford retired for all but two events.

[73] Dave Scheiber of the St. Petersburg Times describes her as having a "upbeat style, big smile and engaging laugh that punctuates her conversations", making her popular with IndyCar's fanbase.

[141] Fisher entered Butler University in 2000,[20] studying part-time for a degree in mechanical engineering but leaving before she finished her course because of the demands of her racing schedule.

[143] Fisher married front-left tire changer Andy O'Gara on September 15, 2007, at St. Roch Catholic Church in front of members of the IndyCar community.