father broke his arm at the start of the 1998 season, preventing him from rebuilding two engines to allow Fisher to continue racing. With her father's help, Fisher reconstructed both engines; he felt it would be better for her to compete against top-level sprint car drivers. During the year, Fisher participated in 40 events; by the end of the season she had learned the techniques of driving sprint cars. By 1999, she and her father sought an alternative series to enter, following a suggestion from the CEO of one of her sponsors that she drive on pavement surfaces and not on dirt. Fisher's parents visited multiple tracks to sample three divisions of asphalt racing and they decided to enter her into the United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget division, which was the most competitive form of racing they saw. 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. She won five feature races of the 23 she entered and broke Winchester Speedway's lap record. That year, Fisher graduated seventh overall in a class of 178 with honors and an A average from Teays Valley High School in Ashville, Ohio. She achieved a grade point average of 4.178, earning induction into the National Honor Society, and took 30 post-secondary credits at Columbus State Community College. 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. Racing career 1999–2003 Fisher's victory at Winchester Speedway attracted the attention of Team Pelfrey owner Dale Pelfrey. She signed a three-year contract to drive for Pelfrey on August 24, 1999, and passed an IRL-sanctioned rookie test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway supervised by former driver Johnny Rutherford six days later, becoming at the time the youngest person to do so. Fisher forwent a race at the track, wanting first to broaden her experience. She also chose not to enter the U.S. F2000 National Championship, a series in which several IRL drivers participated to further their careers. Since most of her previous experience was in dirt racing, she worked to familiarize herself with competing on asphalt tracks. Fisher made her IRL début at Texas Motor Speedway, qualifying in 17th