Duno to enter 10 races in 2007

The Grand-Am driver will make her first start of the season at Kansas Speedway on April 29, and her part-time schedule will include the Indianapolis 500 in May.

"It's a special moment for me, just something I've been dreaming about for a long time," she said.

"It's difficult to explain how I feel because I have so many emotions - a little nervous, a little anxiety, very excited."

Duno revealed that she has had an ambition to compete in the Indy 500 since she witnessed IndyCar Series testing at the circuit seven years ago, and she admitted that she is expecting her rookie campaign to be difficult.

"It's a big step for me," she said. "It's going to be very tough because it's a very competitive championship and everything will be new to me."

Duno scored the highest finish for a woman in the Daytona 24 hours earlier this year, when she teamed up with Darren Manning, Patrick Carpentier and Ryan Dalziel to take second place in the event.

However, after this month she will stop racing in Grand-Am to enable her to fully concentrate on her open-wheel efforts.