Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver. She is the most successful woman in the history of

American open-wheel car racing American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar. Competitive events ...

—her victory in the

2008 Indy Japan 300 The 2008 Indy Japan 300 was the third round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, for drivers who competed in the series in 2007 and teams that had entered for 2008 who were not former Champ Car teams that were in transition. This was because the 2 ...

is the only win by a woman in an

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...

race. Born to a working-class family in

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

, Patrick began

karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on f ...

at the age of ten and achieved early success by winning her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the mid-1990s. She dropped out of high school with her parents' permission in 1998, and moved to the United Kingdom to further her career. Patrick competed in Formula Vauxhall and

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

before returning to the United States in 2001 due to a lack of funding. In

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, she competed in five

Barber Dodge Pro Series The Barber Dodge Pro Series was a professional open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. It was one of the first professional spec series for open-wheel racecars in North America. The races were primarily on road and street courses in Nor ...

races for

Rahal Letterman Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winn ...

. Patrick later raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the next two years. Her best effort was third in the championship standings for the 2004 season where she became the first woman to win a

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

in the series. She first drove in the IndyCar Series with

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and took three

s, equaling

Tomas Scheckter Tomas Scheckter (born 21 September 1980) is a South African former racing driver best known for his time in the IndyCar Series. Early years Scheckter was born in Monte Carlo to 1979 Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter and his first wife ...

's record of poles in a rookie season. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the

2005 Indianapolis 500 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon ...

and the

2005 IndyCar Series The 2005 IRL IndyCar Series began on Sunday, March 6 and ended on Sunday, October 16. The season, which consisted of 17 races, was the 10th season of the IRL IndyCar Series since it split from CART in 1995. Dan Wheldon was the dominant driver i ...

. She improved over the next two years with Rahal Letterman Racing in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and later

Andretti Green Racing Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti U ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Patrick followed up her Japan victory to place sixth overall in the drivers' standings. She improved on this to secure fifth the following season, which saw her finish a career-high third at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

, the best performance by any woman at the race. Patrick's overall form declined during

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, but she still managed two-second-places at oval tracks before leaving IndyCar after the 2011 season to focus on

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

full-time. Patrick began racing stock cars in 2010 in the

NASCAR Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

(now Xfinity Series) with her best result coming in the form of a fourth-place finish at

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. She placed a career-high tenth in the 2012 season standings and was the second woman to clinch a pole position in the Nationwide Series after

Shawna Robinson Shawna Robinson (born November 30, 1964) is an American retired professional stock car racing driver. She was a competitor in all three of NASCAR's national touring series, as well as the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series and the Charlotte/Daytona Da ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

. Patrick started in the Sprint Cup Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) in 2012. She became the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position by setting the fastest qualifying lap for the

2013 Daytona 500 The 2013 Daytona 500, the 55th running of the event, was held on February 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps and on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt tri-oval. It was the first race of the 2 ...

, finishing eighth. Patrick bested

Janet Guthrie Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is a retired professional race car driver and the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, both in 1977. She had first attempted to enter the Indianapolis 500 in 197 ...

's record for the most top-ten finishes by a woman in the Sprint Cup Series in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

. She stopped racing full-time after the 2017 season, but competed at the

2018 Daytona 500 The 2018 Daytona 500, the 60th running of the event, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on February 18, 2018, contested over 207 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish—on the asphalt superspeedway. It was the fir ...

and the

2018 Indianapolis 500 The 2018 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil for sponsorship reasons) was a Verizon IndyCar Series held on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, I ...

before officially retiring.

Early life

Patrick was born on March 25, 1982, in

. She is the daughter of working-class parents Beverly Ann (née Flaten) and Terry Joseph "T. J." Patrick Jr. Her parents met on a

blind date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

at a snowmobile event in the 1970s when Flaten was a mechanic for a friend's snowmobile. Over the years, the couple has owned a Java Hut coffee shop and a glass company. Patrick has a younger sister, Brooke, a pediatric physical therapist. She is half Norwegian, as well as part Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and Native American. Patrick was raised in

Roscoe, Illinois Roscoe is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, along the Rock River. It is in a suburban area of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 10,785, up from 6,244 at the 2000 censu ...

. She was a cheerleader at

Hononegah Community High School Hononegah Community High School is a public high school in Rockton, Illinois and is the only high school comprising Hononegah Community High School District 207. Located between Rockford and the southern border of Wisconsin, the school serves stud ...

in nearby Rockton in 1996. She spent her off-time babysitting for a nearby family when she was not racing. Initially she had no interest in racing; Patrick thought of a career as either a secretary, a singer, or a veterinarian. When the girls were ten and eight respectively, their parents sought a hobby that would bring the family closer together. They saved money to purchase a pontoon boat, but its owner did not respond to their offer. The sisters told their parents of their wish to race

go-kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance Kart rac ...

s after a friend of Brooke's allowed her to drive one; they were each given a go-kart. Patrick began

at Sugar River Raceway in

Brodhead, Wisconsin Brodhead is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, Green and Rock County, Wisconsin, Rock counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,274 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. In February 2000, the city annexed a portion of l ...

. Her father acted as her crew chief and her mother kept statistics on her racing. Patrick had no

role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compare themselves ...

s or idols; she was never "striving to achieve female goals", but aspired to "be the best hecould be." In her debut race, she crashed into a concrete wall at due to a brake failure. She was not injured. Patrick improved to finish second out of twenty drivers at the year's end after a twenty-two race schedule. She gradually improved her eye to foot coordination, allowing her to set numerous age track records at Sugar River Raceway and Michiana Raceway Park. Following her interest in kart racing, Patrick dabbled in snowmobiles, motocross, and midget car racing. At age 13, Patrick asked her parents about moving to California so she could compete throughout the year; they declined, citing business commitments. Nevertheless, she ventured across much of the Midwestern United States, and the rest of the country, to enable her to race. To help defray travel expenses, the family sold merchandise featuring Patrick and imposed a rule that prevented her from undertaking activities that would harm her public image. She won ten regional karting titles, and the World Karting Association Grand National Championship in the Yamaha Sportsman, and later HPV class three times: in 1994, 1996 and 1997. Patrick was accepted into the

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

-based

Lyn St. James Lyn St. James (born Evelyn Gene Cornwall; March 13, 1947) is an American former race car driver. She competed in the IndyCar series, with eleven CART and five Indy Racing League starts to her name. St. James is one of nine women who have qualifi ...

Foundation Driver Development Program in 1996. She was taught auto racing's business ventures, and her driving abilities were further refined. Her father often contacted newspapers weekly to chronicle his daughter's performance. Additionally,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

ran television segments on Patrick in 1997. This exposure led to her being hired by

John Mecom Jr. John W. Mecom Jr. (born 1940) is the chairman of the John W. Mecom company and former owner of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team. Mecom is the son of Texas oilman John W. Mecom Sr. and his wife Mary Elizabeth. He was a student at the Univer ...

(introduced to Patrick by St. James two years earlier) to compete in the United Kingdom racing circuit. Patrick and her father visited Mecom's family, who agreed to sponsor her on the condition she was sent to a high-quality

driving school ''Driving School'' is a docusoap that was broadcast on BBC1 in the summer of 1997, which followed a group of learner drivers around Bristol and South Wales. The series was made on a reduced budget but shown in primetime, it created one of the ...

for further refinement of her racing abilities. She ended up attending three driving schools, including Track Speed School at

Sebring International Raceway Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility in the southeastern United States, located near Sebring, Florida. Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the U.S., its first race being run i ...

and the

driving school. Patrick later competed in a

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

race at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

in May 1998.

Junior Formula (1998–2004)

Patrick's parents consented to her dropping out of high school midway through her junior year in 1998, and obtaining a

GED The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...

certification. She moved by herself to England to advance her racing career and resided in the

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

town of

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

. Three-time

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

world champion

Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939), known as Jackie Stewart, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Cha ...

helped Patrick and she socialized with drivers such as

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship when he drove for the Brawn GP team. After his F1 career, he became champion of the 2018 season of the Super GT ...

. Being both American and female, she was met with much opposition. The experience helped her develop a stronger sense of independence and learn to overcome adversity. Patrick received some financial backing from the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

; she later lost Mecom's support after one season following rumors that she was living an extravagant lifestyle. She successfully persuaded her father to

underwrite Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...

her career. During the three years Patrick spent in the United Kingdom, she raced in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford, coming ninth in points in the 1999 British Formula Vauxhall Championship. She competed for Haywood Racing in Formula Ford and was

Mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the cha ...

's lead test driver. Patrick was uncompetitive in Formula Ford, claiming the equipment she received was of poor quality. Nevertheless, she came second in the 2000

Formula Ford Festival The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are hel ...

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

with Haywood Racing, tying

Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...

's best performance by an American in the event. This led to her receiving a

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

test with Carlin in 2001.

Jaguar Racing Jaguar Racing is the name given to Jaguar Land Rover's racing interests. It currently competes in Formula E under the name Jaguar TCS Racing as a result of the partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. It was previously a Formula One construc ...

team principal

Bobby Rahal Robert Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953) is an American former auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 ...

organized a second test for her with the expectation it would lead to her being put in the

Paul Stewart Racing Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

development program; it was cancelled in mid-2001, after new owner

Niki Lauda Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda (22 February 1949 – 20 May 2019) was an Austrian Formula One driver and aviation entrepreneur. He was a three-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion, winning in , and , and is the only driver in Formula ...

fired Rahal. That year, she was awarded the Gorsline Scholarship Award as the most aspiring road course competitor, and was recognized as the top female open wheel race car driver with experience on the international scene. Patrick had a difficult season as the Mygale cars she drove did not suit her smooth driving style, and was outpaced by her teammates. Ford later terminated her program as they suspected the capital they gave her was being misused and felt she was not getting enough technical support. Patrick returned to the United States later that year after her funding dried up. She began negotiations to drive a

BMW M3 The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986. The initial model ...

for Team PTG in the

American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The American Le Mans' hea ...

, which ended when BMW withdrew over a technological dispute. Her 2002 campaign began with the fund-raising

Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race The Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race was an annual 10-lap auto race held each April since 1977 until 2016 as part of the United States Grand Prix West, and later the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend at Long Beach, California. Beginning in 1991, th ...

, where she defeated

Tommy Kendall Tommy Kendall (born October 17, 1966) is an American race car driver and television broadcaster. He is best known for his IMSA GT Championship and SCCA Trans-Am Series career. Racing career Son of race driver Charles Kendall, Kendall began his ...

to win the professional class, and placed third overall. Patrick and her father traveled to race tracks on weekends with expectations of her being hired by a team owner. She spoke to Rahal about a race seat in June that year; he signed her to a three-year contract at

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectator ...

. That month, Patrick tested the

ppc Racing ppc Racing is a former NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team was owned by Greg Pollex. ppc Racing came about from a merger of Pollex's Busch Series team with a car owned by Steve DeSouza and Ted Campbell in 1999. The team ...

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...

NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

car in a two-day test session at

Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the track in prior years, includi ...

. She took part in five races in the

, placing 13th in points with a best finish of fourth at

Molson Indy Vancouver Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held in a street circuit near BC Place and running past Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada held in July, August or September from 1990 to 2004. On September 2, 1990, the f ...

. Patrick switched to the Toyota Atlantic Series in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, and was the first woman to race in the championship since 1974. The season saw her secure the first podium for a woman in series' history at the season-opening race in

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

. She improved on this by finishing second in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

at the year's end. Patrick was sixth in the drivers' standings with five top-five finishes. In June that year, she made her

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

debut at the

Grand Prix of Atlanta The Grand Prix of Atlanta is a sports car race held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The first running was held in 1973, as part of the IMSA GT Championship. The race was held annually from 1973 until 1999, with separate spring and fall ra ...

, part of the American Le Mans Series, partnering

Jérôme Policand Jérôme Policand (born 1 October 1964 in Grenoble) is a French racing driver. He drove in Le Mans Series Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in GT1 class for the Team Luc Alphand Aventures. He is currently the team principal of French Bla ...

in the No. 80 GTS-class

Prodrive Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races automobile, cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advan ...

Ferrari 550 The Ferrari 550 Maranello (''tipo'' F133) is a front-engine V12 2-seat grand tourer built by Ferrari from 1996 to 2001. The 550 Maranello marked Ferrari's return to a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout for its 2-seater 12-cylinder model, 23 ye ...

, finishing fourth in class and tenth overall. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, Patrick competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the second consecutive year, becoming the first woman to win a

in series' history at the

Portland International Raceway Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanport ...

race. She took the points lead after finishing second, making her the first woman to lead the championship standings. Patrick ended the season third in points with ten top-five finishes in twelve races.

IndyCar Series career

2005–2007 (Rahal Letterman Racing and Andretti Green Racing)

In December 2004,

named Patrick to their

roster for

after the team found the resources to run a third car. She debuted at the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, starting ninth and sustaining a crash which led to her being hospitalized for a mild concussion. In the season's fourth race, the

Indy Japan 300 The Indy Japan 300 presented by Bridgestone was an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. The 2008 race marked the historic first ever win for a woman driver in American open wheel racing when Danica Patr ...

Twin Ring Motegi Mobility Resort Motegi (モビリティリゾートもてぎ) is a motorsport race track located at Motegi, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Originally named Twin Ring Motegi (ツインリンクもてぎ), the circuit's name came from the facility hav ...

, Patrick started second and led 32 laps before settling for her best finish of the season, fourth. After setting the fastest overall practice speed at the

, she started fourth and missed out on winning the race as she was required to conserve fuel. She came fourth after leading 19 laps and achieved multiple firsts for women at the track. Patrick took her first career pole position at the season's eighth race at

Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011 ...

, becoming the second woman in IndyCar Series history to achieve the feat after

Sarah Fisher Sarah Marie Fisher (born October 4, 1980) is an American retired professional race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, Indy Racing League (IRL, now IndyCar Series) and the Indianapolis 500 intermittently from 1999 to 2010. She also ...

. She took two more pole positions at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway to match

's record for the most pole positions in a rookie season. Patrick ended 2005 with an 18th-place finish at

California Speedway Auto Club Speedway, originally opened as California Speedway, is a , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, near Fontana. It has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. It was also previ ...

after a clash with

Jaques Lazier Jaques Lazier (born January 25, 1971) is an American former race car driver. He is the younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier and son of former Indy racer Bob Lazier. Racing career The younger Lazier ran in U.S. Formula ...

, finishing her rookie season with 325

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

(12th in the points' standings) and seven top-ten finishes. She was named Rookie of the Year for both the Indianapolis 500 and the

Patrick returned to Rahal Letterman Racing for the 2006 season. In January, she made her endurance racing debut at the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...

, co-driving a

Howard-Boss Motorsports Childress-Howard Motorsports is a professional sports car racing team competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class. Howard Motorsports (2002-2007) The team campaigned two Daytona Prototypes throughout the season with a third ...

Daytona Prototype A Daytona Prototype is a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, which replaced their main prototype racing class, specifically ...

-class Pontiac Crawford shared by

Rusty Wallace Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the course of his successful care ...

Allan McNish Allan McNish (born 29 December 1969) is a British former racing driver, commentator, and journalist from Scotland. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2013, as well as a three-time winner of the American Le Ma ...

and

Jan Lammers Jan Lammers (Johannes Antonius Lammers, Zandvoort, 2 June 1956) is a racing driver from the Netherlands whose most notable claim to fame is victory in the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours for Silk Cut Jaguar/ TWR, next to a four-season spell in Formula One ...

. The quartet was in contention for the victory, but retired from overheating problems. Although she qualified third for the season-opening

Toyota Indy 300 The Grand Prix of Miami refers to an intermittent series of American open wheel races held in South Florida dating back to 1926. AAA held one board track race in 1926, and then the facility was destroyed by a hurricane. The popular CART IndyCar ...

, her team withdrew after teammate

Paul Dana Paul Dana (; April 15, 1975 – March 26, 2006) was an American racing driver in the IndyCar Series. Early life Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dana graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Before becoming a race ...

was killed in a practice session accident on the day of the race. Thus, Patrick's 2006 IndyCar campaign began at the first

road course Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

round of the season, the

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...

, where she finished sixth; she came eighth at the Indy Japan 300 at Motegi. At the

, Patrick finished eighth after starting tenth. The rest of her season was modest with four top-tens, which included a season-high placing of consecutive fourth-position finishes: first at the

Firestone Indy 200 The Firestone Indy 200 was an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. In 2001, it marked the first American open wheel event in the Nashville area. In later years it was held as a Saturday nig ...

Nashville Speedway Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Nati ...

, and then the

ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225 The ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers was an IndyCar Series race held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. History Open wheel racing at the track dates back to 1937. AAA ...

. Patrick came ninth in the final standings with 302 points. In November, the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

awarded her the title of Sportswoman of the Year in celebration of her dedication and success. 2007 Danica Patrick 3

Before the 2007 season, Patrick moved to

, in place of

Bryan Herta Bryan John Herta (born May 23, 1970) is an American former race car driver. He currently runs his own team, Bryan Herta Autosport in the NTT IndyCar Series. His team won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon and the 2016 Indianapol ...

in its No. 7 Dallara-IR05

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

. She opened her season with two top-ten finishes in the first four races (eighth at St. Petersburg and seventh at Kansas). Patrick started the

in eighth position. She raced competitively with the leaders, and finished in the same position she started, when the race was halted by rain after 166 laps. Patrick clinched her second consecutive eighth-place finish at the

which was overshadowed by a physical confrontation with

Dan Wheldon Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series season, 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Autosport, Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indiana ...

; the two reconciled after a private meeting with IndyCar president

Brian Barnhart Brian Barnhart (born 1960/1961) is an American motorsports executive. He is the general manager of Arrow McLaren SP, having been known for his past roles within the IndyCar Series paddock as a chief mechanic, pit crewman, race strategist and team p ...

. She took her then best career finish with a third at the

Bombardier Learjet 550 The race last ran as XPEL 375 is an NTT IndyCar Series event held at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth, Texas since 1997. The races have had a variety of different entitlement sponsors and distances over the years and therefore has had many di ...

, and improved on this result by clinching second at the season's penultimate race, the

Detroit Indy Grand Prix The Detroit Grand Prix (currently branded as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Corporation for sponsorship reasons) is an IndyCar Series race weekend held on a temporary circuit in Detroit, Michigan. The race has been held from ...

at Belle Isle Street Circuit. Patrick closed off the year by coming eleventh at the season-closing

Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 The Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 was an IndyCar Series race held at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, United States. In 2001, American open wheel racing debuted at the circuit with an IndyCar Series event. From 2006 to 2008, the ...

at Chicagoland Speedway, to place seventh in the drivers' standings with 424 points and eleven top-ten finishes.

2008–2009 (first victory and peak performance)

To begin the 2008 season, her second with Andretti Green Racing, Patrick scored her then best career Homestead finish of sixth. She followed that up with another top ten by scoring a tenth-place finish at St. Petersburg. At the

at Twin Ring Motegi on April 20, Patrick moved to the front of the field with three laps remaining after the previous leaders were forced to make pit stops for fuel and held the first position to secure her maiden IndyCar victory. This made her the first woman to win a top-level sanctioned open wheel car racing event. At the season's fourth round at Kansas Speedway, Patrick finished 19th after a hubcap failure. After qualifying fifth for the

, she retired from the race early after a collision with

Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe (born 24 September 1981) is an Australian-American professional racing driver from Sydney who has predominantly raced open-wheel and sports cars in Europe and America. In IndyCar he collected 8 wins and 28 podiums, finishing third ...

in the pit lane. Thereafter, Patrick finished within the top ten for five of the next six races in the season. At

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...

, an incident with

Milka Duno Milka Duno (born April 22, 1972) is a Venezuelan race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series and ARCA Racing Series. She is best known for holding the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona. She entered ...

in practice turned into a confrontation before walking away. She ended the season with three further top-ten finishes with a best of fifth at

Infineon Raceway Sonoma Raceway (originally known as Sears Point Raceway from 1967 to 1980 and 1982 to 2002, Golden State International Raceway in 1981 and Infineon Raceway from 2002 to 2012) is a road course and dragstrip located at Sears Point in the southern S ...

. Patrick finished sixth in the final standings with 379 points, the highest placed American over the course of the season. Danica Patrick Car 2009 Indy 500 Pole Day

Danica Patrick Car 2009 Indy 500 Pole Day

In the 2009 off-season, she made her second appearance at the

and teamed up with

Casey Mears Casey James Mears (born March 12, 1978) is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver. He has raced in IndyCar, NASCAR's three national series including 15 seasons in the Cup Series, SCORE International, and the Stadium Super T ...

, Andy Wallace, and

Rob Finlay Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

in the No. 2 Daytona Prototype class Pontiac Crawford DP08 fielded by Childress-Howard Motorsports, finishing eighth in class and overall after overcoming several mechanical issues. Patrick again returned to Andretti Green Racing for the 2009 season. She placed 19th in the first race of the season, the

, after clashing with

Raphael Matos Raphael Matos (born August 28, 1981) is a Brazilian professional racing driver. He was the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series champion and the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Series champion. He lives in Miami. Career highlights Early career Born in Bel ...

while in ninth place. Patrick recovered to finish fourth and fifth in the next two races of the season, at

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. She took her best career finish in five attempts at the

by finishing in third position. This set a new record for the highest-placed finish for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history. For the rest of the season, she scored seven more top-ten finishes with her best being a pair of fifth positions at the Milwaukee and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

races. Patrick finished the season fifth overall in the point standings, her highest finish to date. This fifth-place finish was not only the highest of any of the Andretti drivers, but of any non-

Penske Penske Corporation, Inc. () is an American diversified transportation services company based in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Roger Penske is the chairman of the privately held company, and Rob Kurnick is the president. Holding ...

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...

driver for the season. In December, she signed a contract extension that would see her through the next two seasons, with the option for a third in 2012.

2010–2011 (final two full-time IndyCar seasons)

Danica Patrick 2011 Indy Japan 300 Race hairpin

The 2010 season saw Patrick return to drive with the newly renamed

Andretti Autosport Andretti Autosport is an auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000, and Formula E. The team also has a 37.5% ownership stake in the Australian Supercars Championship touring car team, Walkinshaw Andretti ...

in the

, as well as a limited schedule with

JR Motorsports JR Motorsports (pronounced "Junior Motorsports") is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, CARS Tour, and occasionally in the NASCAR Advance Auto Par ...

in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

(now Xfinity Series). As in the previous year, her season began poorly as she could only muster a 15th-place finish at the inaugural

São Paulo Indy 300 The Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé was an event in the IRL IndyCar Series, contested in the 2010 through 2013 IndyCar Series seasons. The event was originally announced on November 25, 2009, as the first championship event f ...

after spinning in inclement weather. Nevertheless, at the season's second round, the delayed

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida. In most years since 2009, the race has served as the season opener (or at minimum, the first race held on U.S. soil). The race is held annually ...

, Patrick made her first appearance in the top in seventh. At the

, she qualified a career low 23rd; in the race, Patrick struggled with her car en route to finishing sixth. The

Firestone 550 The race last ran as XPEL 375 is an NTT IndyCar Series event held at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth, Texas since 1997. The races have had a variety of different entitlement sponsors and distances over the years and therefore has had many di ...

at Texas Motor Speedway one week later was her best performance of the season, which saw her lead one lap and finish in second. At the

Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma The Indycar Grand Prix of Sonoma was an IndyCar Series race held at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The USAC Championship Car circuit raced at the circuit in 1970. In 2005, American open wheel racing returned to the circuit with an IndyCar ...

, Patrick set a new series record for the most consecutive races running at the finish with her 29th event passing without her failing to finish. She ended her season by equaling her best result of the season in the final IndyCar race at Homestead-Miami Speedway which enabled her to finish tenth in the drivers' standings with 367 points. In January 2011, Patrick's contract required her to inform Andretti team owner

Michael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART P ...

of her plans for 2012 and she told him of her intention to leave. The beginning of the 2011 season saw her struggle in comparison with her previous two years at Andretti. Patrick twice suffered car damage at the season-opening

, after collisions with Justin Wilson and

J. R. Hildebrand John Randal Hildebrand Jr. (born January 3, 1988) is an American race car driver. He currently competes in the IndyCar Series driving part-time in the No. 11 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Enterprises. Hildebrand won the 2009 Indy Lights championship and ...

relegated her to twelfth. She struggled in qualifying for the

. Because her car failed a technical inspection, she was placed at the back of the qualifying line, and took 26th despite rain threatening to stop her setting a lap time. Patrick led ten laps in the race and was tenth after conserving fuel. She then took a further six top-ten finishes heading into the final race of the season with her best finish (fifth) coming at the

Milwaukee 225 The ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers was an IndyCar Series race held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. History Open wheel racing at the track dates back to 1937. AAA sa ...

. At the season-closing IndyCar World Championship at

, Patrick was one of nineteen drivers who avoided a fifteen car pile-up that killed Dan Wheldon; the race was abandoned and she and the rest of the field were not scored. This was her final regular season IndyCar race as she announced in August 2011 of her plans to focus on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series full-time from 2012. Patrick placed tenth in the drivers' standings with 314 points.

2018 (Indianapolis 500)

Patrick's final race was the

. Having difficulty with the car setup, she lost control going into turn two on Lap 68 and crashed into the outside wall. Patrick came back down the track and then hit the inside wall. Patrick started in seventh position and was ranked thirtieth.

Stock car career

2010–2011 (ARCA and Nationwide Series)

Patrick began her

career by entering an

ARCA Racing Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three national ...

race in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway. She finished in sixth place after spinning early in the race. At the season-opening Nationwide Series race, the

DRIVE4COPD 300 The Daytona 300, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300, is the first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, held at Daytona International Speedway. It is held the day before the Daytona 500, and is c ...

, Patrick started 15th and finished 35th after being caught up in a 12-car crash. In the season's third race, the

Sam's Town 300 Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada since the track's inauguration in 1997. Currently, the track holds two races, both sponsored by Alsco, with the 300-mile (48 ...

at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she finished 36th after colliding with Michael McDowell on the 82nd lap. Although Patrick struggled during her rookie season, she had her best finish of the year at the season-ending Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway where she came 19th. She finished 43rd in the drivers' standings, with 1,032

in 13 starts. In September, Patrick entered the

K&N Pro Series East The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ...

race at

Dover International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per yea ...

to broaden her stock car racing experience. She finished sixth after briefly leading the race. Patrick remained at JR Motorsports for the 2011 Nationwide Series, and ran a part-time schedule that consisted of twelve races. She finished 14th and 12th at the season's opening two races at Daytona and

Phoenix International Speedway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. ...

. Patrick became the highest-finishing woman in national NASCAR history at Las Vegas when she surpassed

Sara Christian Sara Williams Christian (August 25, 1918 – March 7, 1980) was the first woman driver in NASCAR history. Driving career Christian raced at the Looper Speedway, the former racetrack which now lies beneath the waters of Lake Lanier. She won a ...

's 62-year record to place fourth in the Sam's Town 300 race (the highest in her Nationwide Series career). She took her third top-ten finish of the season when she came tenth in the

Subway Jalapeño 250 The Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race that is held at Daytona International Speedway. Scheduled as a race, it is held the night before the NASCAR Cup Series' Coke Zero Sugar 400, and was run on Independence Day weeke ...

at Daytona after leading a total of 13 laps before being involved in a multi-car incident coming to the

checkered flag Racing flags are traditionally used in auto racing and similar motorsports to indicate track condition and to communicate important messages to drivers. Typically, the starter, sometimes the grand marshal of a race, waves the flags atop a flag s ...

on the last lap of the race. Patrick's best performance throughout the rest of the season was an eleventh-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway; she came 26th in points, with 321 accrued.

2012–2014 (switch to the Sprint Cup Series)

7 Danica Patrick 2012 Road America Sargento 200

In 2012, Patrick raced full-time in the

for

and began competing a limited schedule with ten races in the

Sprint Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...

with

Stewart-Haas Racing Stewart-Haas Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. The team is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champio ...

in an alliance with

Tommy Baldwin Racing Tommy Baldwin Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the modified ranks. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and is owned by former crew chief Tommy Baldwin Jr., son of the late modified ...

(TBR) in the No. 10

Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made automobiles in ...

. Because TBR moved its top-35 owner points from the No. 36 driven by

Dave Blaney David Louis Blaney (born October 24, 1962) is a semi-retired American professional stock car racing driver. Blaney was a successful sprint car driver before he started racing in NASCAR, competing in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Serie ...

to the new No. 10, she was guaranteed a spot at the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

. Patrick began her season by qualifying on the pole for the

, making her the second woman to achieve this feat in national NASCAR after

. Her participation in the Daytona 500 was over after one lap when she was involved in a four-car accident, finishing 38th, 74 laps behind race winner

Matt Kenseth Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He drives the No. 8 car in the Superstar Racing Experience. (SRX) Kenseth started racing on several short tracks in Wisconsin and won track cha ...

. Patrick closed off her first full-time Nationwide Series season with four top-ten finishes, and placed tenth in the final points standings. Her season's best result was at Texas Motor Speedway where she came eighth. Patrick's best road course finish in her NASCAR career came at

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing circuit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. It has previously hosted the FIA World Sportscar ...

, coming ninth and led a season-high twenty laps. Team owner

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a ...

invited Patrick to compete in the fund-raising

Prelude to the Dream The Prelude to the Dream was a dirt late model race held at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio from 2005 to 2012. It was a pay-per-view event on HBO, and frequently attracted drivers from various disciplines such as NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, an ...

dirt track race at

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "The Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "The World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, it features permanent and ...

in June. She finished three laps down in 15th place after hitting the wall and being off the pace. In her fourth Cup start, the

Irwin Tools Night Race The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. It is one of two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Bristol, the other being the Food City Dirt Race, but it is by far the mor ...

Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...

, she was running strong before she crashed on lap 436 from contact with Regan Smith, which became her first did not finish (DNF) in the series. Patrick had her first lead lap finish at the

AAA Texas 500 The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The inaugural race took place on November 6, 2005. The race has always started in the late afternoon, gone throu ...

at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing 24th, the last car on the same lap as the leaders. During the

Hollywood Casino 400 The Hollywood Casino 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. This race is the second of ten races in the Cup Series playoffs; since 2022, it is the second race of the Round of 16. NBC has the ...

at Kansas Speedway, Patrick spun

Landon Cassill Landon Douglas Cassill (born July 7, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing. Early career Cassill was born in Cedar Rapi ...

in turn one, but ended up wrecking her car on the outside wall. Cassill, who managed to save his car, said on his radio: "Rule No. 1 in stock car racing is learn how to wreck someone without wrecking yourself." Her final race of the season at

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

was embroiled in controversy as her car leaked oil and NASCAR elected not to wave the caution flags, causing an accident between

Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...

and Ryan Newman. This decision was criticized by drivers and team owners. With no top-tens, two DNFs and an average finish of 28.3 in her ten starts; Patrick was not classified in the final standings since she did not contest the full championship, so was ineligible to score points. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Texas April 2013

Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Texas April 2013

In the 2013 season, Patrick returned to Stewart-Haas Racing to contest her first full season in the Sprint Cup Series. She was assigned teammate Ryan Newman's former crew chief Tony Gibson and his pit crew. Patrick simultaneously became the first woman to clinch the pole position for the

and the first female to achieve the feat in the Sprint Cup Series. She ran strongly in the top ten for most of the race, but fell back from third place in the final three laps to finish eighth, becoming the highest placing woman driver in the history of the Daytona 500. Having led 5 laps, she joined an elite club of only 14 drivers to have led both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. In the May exhibition

Sprint Showdown The NASCAR All-Star Race, formerly known as The Winston from 1985 to 2003, the Nextel All-Star Challenge from 2004 to 2007, the Sprint All-Star Race from 2008 to 2016, and the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race from 2017 to 2019, is an annual NAS ...

at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Patrick finished ninth and advanced to the Sprint All-Star Race by virtue of a fan vote. She started from the 22nd position and finished two spots higher than that. Patrick struggled after the season opener, failing to finish in the top-fifteen in the next 28 races over the next seven months. In 36 races, she had one top-ten, an average finish of 26.1, five DNFs and was 27th in the standings with 646 points. She was second in the Rookie of the Year standings after a season-long battle with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. In the

, Patrick drove the season-opening

and the first of two races at Talladega Superspeedway, the

Aaron's 312 The Ag-Pro 300 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway, a 300-mile race. It is held annually before the NASCAR Cup Series race, the GEICO 500. From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as ...

, in the No. 34

Turner Scott Motorsports Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), formerly Turner Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, the Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series ...

car. She finished thirty-sixth and thirty-ninth after a respective engine failure and crash. NASCAR 140601-F-BF612-289

Patrick remained with Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2014 Sprint Cup Series. As she won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500, she was eligible for the

Sprint Unlimited The Busch Light Clash is an annual pre-season NASCAR Cup Series exhibition event held in February before the season-opening Daytona 500. The event was held each year at Daytona International Speedway since the race's inception in 1979 until 2022, ...

, finishing sixteenth after being involved in a multi-car accident. Patrick started twenty-seventh for the

and led briefly during the pit stop cycle before

Aric Almirola Aric Michael Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. A graduate of Hillsborough High School in T ...

clipped her, sending her car into a wall that lacked a SAFER barrier; she finished 40th. She set three records during the season: the first came at the

Aaron's 499 The GEICO 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. The race is usually held in April or May. The 1997 event stands as the fastest NASCAR race to date ever run with an average speed of ...

where she was the first female to lead at the track, and her finishing position of 22nd was the best for any woman at the circuit. Patrick had the best qualifying performance for any woman at a non-

restrictor plate A restrictor plate or air restrictor is a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to li ...

track when she put her car fourth on the grid for the

Coca-Cola 600 The Coca-Cola 600, originally the World 600, is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. The first race, held in 1960, was also the first on ...

. She clinched her best finish in the Sprint Cup Series with a sixth at the Oral-B USA 500 at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

, making her the second woman to take a top ten at the circuit; this beat the record of

's tenth-place finish in 1978. She was assigned teammate Kurt Busch's crew chief Daniel Knost and his pit crew for the season's final three races, and was later appointed her full-time crew chief for 2015. At the season's end, Patrick finished 28th in points, one position down from the previous year, although she finished with 89 more points than her rookie season. She also had an average finish of 23.7, 2.4 positions better than her rookie year, with three top-tens and four DNFs. Early in the season, Patrick again drove for Turner Scott Motorsports in its No. 34 car at the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300, starting third and finishing 19th.

2015–2018 (final years in NASCAR)

For 2015, Patrick again stayed with Stewart-Haas Racing. She began her season in the

by finishing tenth after escaping with collateral damage from a multi-car accident. Patrick started at the back of the field for the season-opening

and finished 21st. After scoring two top-tens (seventh at the STP 500 at

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...

and ninth at the

Food City 500 The Food City Dirt Race is an annual 250-lap, NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. It was th ...

at Bristol Motor Speedway), she eclipsed Janet Guthrie for the most top tens by a woman in Sprint Cup Series history. Patrick led two laps of the

Quicken Loans 400 The NASCAR Cup Series has held stock car races annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. Traditionally, the track held two Cup Series races, one in June, around Father's Day weekend and another in August. The A ...

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is ...

during the pit stop cycle, and finished 16th, and at the

Quaker State 400 The Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart, commonly known as simply the Quaker State 400, was a annual NASCAR Cup Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. The inaugural event was held on July 9, 2011 and was won by Kyle Busch ...

, she became the first woman to start a hundred Cup Series races. At the Fall Martinsville race, she had twenty-five owner and drivers points deducted, was fined $50,000, and put on probation by NASCAR until the end of 2015 for an intentional retaliatory crash against

David Gilliland David Leonard Gilliland (born April 1, 1976) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. Since 2017, he has operated David Gilliland Racing, a team that races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, ...

. In 36 races, Patrick scored 716 points, placing her 24th in the drivers' standings, the highest of her career. She had two top-ten finishes, an average finish of 23.5, and failed to finish four times. Patrick had signed a multi-year contract which allowed her to stay at Stewart-Haas Racing for 2016. She also switched crew chiefs from Daniel Knost to Billy Scott for the upcoming season. At the first race of the season, the Daytona 500, she retired when she made contact with

Greg Biffle Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team and full-time in the ...

on the 184th lap, spun into the grass and heavily damaged her car's front end. Patrick was fined $20,000 for gesturing to

Kasey Kahne Kasey Kenneth Kahne (; born April 10, 1980) is an American dirt track racing driver and former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, driving the No. 95 Dumont Jets/Procore, Procore ...

after he wrecked her car at the

Auto Club 400 The Pala Casino 400 is a 400-mile (643.737 km) NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. It is the second race of the Cup Series season (after the Daytona 500) and has been since 2022 as well ...

. She was involved in a high-speed crash with Matt Kenseth at Talladega which necessitated a

chest radiograph A chest radiograph, called a chest X-ray (CXR), or chest film, is a projection radiograph of the chest used to diagnose conditions affecting the chest, its contents, and nearby structures. Chest radiographs are the most common film taken in med ...

. Patrick struggled with form during the season, but did improve her average result for the fifth consecutive year to a career-high 22.0 in thirty-six starts. Her best result of the season was eleventh place at the fall Charlotte race, and she led a career-high 30 laps. Patrick was again 24th in the final drivers' standings, but had fewer points than the previous season, at 689 accrued, and did not finish three races she entered. Danica Patrick Richmond 2017

Patrick remained with Stewart-Haas Racing for the duration of the renamed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

. She began her campaign with her best finish in any NASCAR Cup Series race with a fourth place at the

Advance Auto Parts Clash The Busch Light Clash is an annual pre-season NASCAR Cup Series exhibition event held in February before the season-opening Daytona 500. The event was held each year at Daytona International Speedway since the race's inception in 1979 until 2022, ...

exhibition race at Daytona. Patrick was credited with a 33rd-place finish for the season-opening

after she was forced into retirement from being caught up in a multi-car accident. She later took her first top-ten finish in seventy-seven races when she placed tenth at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

on June 4. On November 17, Patrick announced that she would step away from full-time racing after the season finale at Homestead-Miami, though she also announced plans to compete in the

and

. She retired halfway through when her right-rear tire blew after glancing the wall and she collided heavily with another barrier. Patrick finished the 2017 season with one top-ten, eleven DNFs and an average finish of 23.8. She scored 511 points, putting her twenty-eighth in the drivers' standings. In January 2018, it was announced that Patrick would be reunited with longtime partner GoDaddy for sponsorship of the "Danica Double" and assistance as she moved on to her life as a business woman and entrepreneur. For her final NASCAR race at the 2018 Daytona 500, Patrick signed with

Premium Motorsports Premium Motorsports (formerly Jay Robinson Racing) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team last fielded the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 LE full-time for Brennan Poole, and the No. 27 Cam ...

to drive its No. 7

Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

after discussions with Chip Ganassi Racing did not yield in a race seat. Her final Daytona 500 came to an early end when she was involved in a six-car accident on lap 102, placing 35th in the final results. Patrick concluded her NASCAR career with no wins, and finished in the top ten in 3.6% of her 191 races. On March 7, 2018, it was announced that her final

appearance would be in a third car for

Ed Carpenter Racing Ed Carpenter Racing is an American racing team based in Speedway, Indiana that currently competes in the IndyCar Series. The team is owned by driver Ed Carpenter. The team is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and currently fields the No. 20 Dal ...

Formula One speculations

Patrick was scheduled to test for Formula One team

in November 2008, but this was called off when the Honda team pulled out of the sport. In late 2009, the American Formula One team

US F1 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

allegedly considered testing Patrick for a potential drive in

. However, she said she was not contacted by anyone from the team and had no plans to leave the IndyCar Series for Formula One at the time. After the announcement of the return of Formula One to the United States in 2012, Formula One chief executive

Bernie Ecclestone Bernard Charles Ecclestone (born 28 October 1930) is an English business magnate. He is the former chief executive of the Formula One Group, which manages Formula One motor racing and controls the commercial rights to the sport, and part-owns ...

said that "to have someone like Danica Patrick in F1 would be a perfect advert." However, in 2015, Patrick asserted that she had no desire to move into Formula One, because she was too old to switch racing series; she said that she felt more comfortable being around her family and friends in NASCAR.

Media appearances

Patrick has hosted several TV shows on ''

Spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

'', including "Powerblock", and featured in the 2005 documentary ''Girl Racers''. She drove a Pagani Zonda Roadster around the streets of

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

in the music video of

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's song "

Show Me What You Got "Show Me What You Got" is the lead single by rap artist Jay-Z from his album '' Kingdom Come''. Song information It is the first single from his "comeback" album '' Kingdom Come''. It was produced by Just Blaze. The song samples " Show 'Em ...

" in 2006. That year, she published her autobiography, ''Danica: Crossing the Line''. On April 24, 2008, Patrick was a guest on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' after winning her first IndyCar race. During testing at

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...

GoDaddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. , GoDaddy has more than 21 million customers and over 6,600 employees worldwide. The co ...

.com filmed a commercial with her that aired nationally. At the same test, at GoDaddy's invitation, Patrick met with Paul Teutul Sr., and Mikey Teutul, and later appeared in an episode of ''

American Chopper ''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also know ...

''. She was also in a 2008 "inspirational, feel-good" GoDaddy commercial called "Kart" that features a girl who aspires to be like Patrick. On February 1, 2009, Patrick appeared in two GoDaddy commercials aired during

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

. The Most Watched Super Bowl commercial of 2009, according to TiVo, was her "Enhancement" ad for GoDaddy.com. Patrick has appeared in a total of fourteen Super Bowl commercials, more than any other celebrity. Patrick made her acting debut in the February 10, 2010, episode of ''

CSI: NY ''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...

'' where she played a race car driver suspected of murder. She also voiced herself in a cameo role in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window? How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...

" and was featured as a character on a 2010 episode of ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' called "

Poor and Stupid "Poor and Stupid" is the eighth episode and mid-season premiere of the South Park (season 14), fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''South Park'', and the 203rd overall episode of the series. It aired on Comedy Central in ...

". Patrick appears as a playable guest character in the video game ''

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a Kart racing game, kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U in November 2012, for PlayStation Vita in December 2012, for Windows in January 2013, for ...

'', providing her own voice and appeared in the game's commercial. She also appeared in

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Sonic Universe ''Sonic Universe'' was an American comic book series published by Archie Comics in association with Sega, based on the latter's ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. It is a spin-off of the comic book series of the '' same name'', and shared continuity with th ...

'' #45, which adapted some of the game storyline. ''

Fox NASCAR ''NASCAR on Fox'', also known as ''Fox NASCAR'', is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox television network in the United States since 2001. Speed, a motorsports-focused cable channel ...

'' hired Patrick on February 21, 2015, as a booth analyst for Xfinity Series races. She provided commentary for the race at Michigan. Patrick also voices the race car character Rally in Nickelodeon's ''

Blaze and the Monster Machines ''Blaze and the Monster Machines'' is a computer-animated interactive children's television series with a focus on teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that premiered on Nickelodeon on October 13, 2014. The series r ...

'' 2016 animated series. In June 2017, she joined Fox's Cup driver-only broadcast of the Xfinity Series race at

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as ''The Tricky Triangle'', is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It is the site of three NASCAR national series races and an ARCA M ...

, working in the studio alongside

Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver and NASCAR team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. He co-owns and oper ...

. A documentary entitled ''Danica'' which chronicles Patrick's professional and personal life premiered on November 8 on

Epix Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...

. Her second book, ''Pretty Intense'', was released on December 26. Patrick had a cameo role in

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

's "

Girls Like You "Girls Like You" is a song recorded by American band Maroon 5 from their sixth studio album ''Red Pill Blues'' (2017). The track was written by lead singer Adam Levine, Starrah, Gian Stone, Cirkut (record producer), Cirkut, and Jason Evigan, wit ...

" featuring

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

. On 18 July, she became the first woman to host the

ESPY Awards An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the form ...

. Starting in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, Patrick was a studio analyst for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's broadcast of the

. In August 2019, she launched a weekly

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

called ''Pretty Intense'' in which she discusses success and spirituality with guests. She joined the

Sky Sports F1 Sky Sports F1 is a television channel created exclusively for Sky's UK and Ireland coverage of Formula One, with Sky having a package of rights from the 2012 season to the 2029 season. From 2012 to 2029, Sky Sports F1 has the exclusive rights ...

broadcast team as a pundit for the

2021 United States Grand Prix The 2021 United States Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on October 24, 2021, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, United States. The race was the ...

. Patrick has also commentated on

Superstar Racing Experience Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne. The formation of the series was announced on July 13, ...

events on CBS in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

and select rounds of the NASCAR Cup Series for Fox from 2022.

Endorsements and philanthropy

IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...

talent agency and Excel Sports Management represent Patrick. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for

AirTran Airways AirTran Airways was a low-cost U.S. airline that was originally headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and ceased operation following its acquisition by Southwest Airlines. AirTran Airways was established in 1993 as Conquest Sun Airlines by the ...

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

Nationwide Insurance Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, commonly shortened to Nationwide, is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio. The company also operates regional headquarters in Scotts ...

Tissot Tissot SA () is a Swiss watchmaker. The company was founded in Le Locle, Switzerland by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son, Charles-Émile Tissot, in 1853. After several mergers and name changes, the group which Tissot SA belonged to was renam ...

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

, Peak Antifreeze,

William Rast William Rast is an American clothing line founded by Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala. It is most known for their premium jeans. On October 17, 2006, Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala put on their first fashion show to launch their new William R ...

Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have ...

, GoDaddy.com, Nature's Bakery and

Lyft Lyft, Inc. offers mobility as a service, ride-hailing, vehicles for hire, motorized scooters, a bicycle-sharing system, rental cars, and food delivery in the United States and select cities in Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dynamic ...

. Patrick promotes health-conscious lifestyles and partnered with Williams Sonoma to campaign for No Kid Hungry. She is the celebrity spokeswoman for DRIVE4COPD, an awareness campaign for

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

, from which her grandmother died. In 2014, she joined ''

The Players' Tribune ''The Players' Tribune'' is a new media platform that produces daily sports conversation and publishes first-person stories from professional athletes. The platform was founded by former professional Major League Baseball player Derek Jeter in ...

'' as a featured writer, having been immediately attracted to founder and former shortstop

Derek Jeter Derek Sanderson Jeter ( ; born June 26, 1974) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, businessman, and baseball executive. As a player, Jeter spent his entire 20-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...

's concept of allowing athletes to write and control their own content.

Business ventures

Patrick owns her own brand of wine, called Somnium, which means "dream" in Latin. The Somnium Vineyard is located in the area of

St Helena, California St. Helena ( ; Wappo: ''Anakotanoma'') is a city in Napa County, in the Wine Country of California. Located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the population was 5,814 at the 2010 census. St. Helena is a popular tourist d ...

within the

Howell Mountain AVA The Howell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA of California. Location The AVA is located in the Howell Mountains within the Vaca Range on the northeast side of Napa Valley around the town of Angwin, an ...

, covering an area of , at elevations from . Patrick owns her own athleisure collection, called "Warrior by Danica Patrick", that was created in partnership with

G-III Apparel Group G-III Apparel Group is an American clothing company which designs, manufactures, and markets women's and men's apparel in the United States and internationally through a portfolio of highly recognizable proprietary and licensed brand names, inclu ...

and named after the Native American mythology she had been exposed to in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Public image

In a 2017 article for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Andrew Lawrence described Patrick as "an anti-

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

" who infiltrated and thrived in a male environment while accentuating her womanhood. He also said she is "an instrument of male and female fantasy, the sports pinup who grinds harder for feminism, day-to-day, than the great

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

ever could". Henry Hutton of the ''

Independent Tribune ''Independent Tribune'' is a newspaper based in Concord, North Carolina covering Cabarrus County. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The ''Independent Tribune'' was formed September 29, 1996, with the merger of ''The Concord Tribune'' and ...

'' noted that when Patrick entered IndyCar in 2005, she rapidly became a

pop culture icon Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

largely due to her gender and modelling, but her driver profile depreciated from car problems, racetrack accidents and uncompetitiveness. She has been a magazine cover model for ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'', ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'', ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' and '' ESPN: The Magazine'' and ranked highly on beauty lists and in polls, about female athletes. ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' magazine named her one of the most beautiful people in the world in 2006. The following year, Patrick was voted the sexiest athlete in the

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

"What is Sexy" list. She was voted No. 42 in 2006 and No. 85 in 2007 in ''FHM'''s 100 sexiest women in the world. In an interview with ''

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

'' in 2012, Patrick objected to being labeled a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...

: "People don't know how to describe women in a pretty way. Do you call

Blake Griffin Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consensu ...

a sex symbol because he was on the cover of ''

Men's Health ''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. Started as a men's health magazine by Rodale, Inc. ...

'' with his shirt off? People just don't know what to call women who look attractive." She expressed a different view five years later, saying she felt "awesome" about being a sex symbol: "The exposure that was generated because of being female and using my attributes — it works." Patrick has featured on sports power and popularity lists. ''

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...

'' ranked her the 50th and 88th most powerful person in the world of sports in 2008 and 2010, respectively. ''Time'' magazine named her a candidate for the

100 most influential people in the world ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...

in 2009 and 2010. She has been highly ranked in the Davie-Brown Index for several years, and peaked at number eight among female athletes in 2010. Patrick was the

Harris Poll The Harris Poll (legal name: Harris Insights and Analytics) is an American market research and analytics company that has been tracking the sentiment, behaviors and motivations of American adults since 1963. In addition to the traditional consulti ...

's favorite female athlete in 2008; she placed second behind tennis player

Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...

in 2007 and again from 2013 to 2015. Between 2007 and 2013, she appeared on ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' list of the 100 highest paid celebrities four times, ranking in the bottom

quartile In statistics, a quartile is a type of quantile which divides the number of data points into four parts, or ''quarters'', of more-or-less equal size. The data must be ordered from smallest to largest to compute quartiles; as such, quartiles are a ...

and was 93rd on the magazine's list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2010. Her endorsement deals generated a

Q Score The Q Score (popularly known as Q-Rating) is a measurement of the familiarity and appeal of a brand, celebrity, company, or entertainment product (e.g., television show) used in the United States. The higher the Q Score, the more highly regarded the ...

—the industry's measure of celebrities' likability—peak of 29 in 2010.

Impact and criticism

Patrick's strong fan base voted her the IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver from 2005 to 2010 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver in 2012. She was voted the Favorite Female Athlete at the

Kids' Choice Award The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

. She also won the legend award at the 2018 Kids' Choice Sports. Increasing attendance at auto racing events and improved television ratings have been attributed to Patrick by scholars and the press. She has inspired many young girls' interest in motorsports, leading them to race competitively. Some have credited her with preventing the dissolution of the IndyCar Series, and strengthening support for NASCAR. Patrick has been called a trailblazer or pioneer for women in auto racing, and commentators agree her achievements have broken the gender barrier in an industry that is overwhelmingly male. Patrick has come under scrutiny from the media and fans throughout her career. She has been called a "gimmick" or a "publicity stunt" by some fans for lack of better racing results. Critics have compared her to former tennis player

Anna Kournikova Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova ( rus, Анна Сергеевна Курникова, p=ˈanːə sʲɪrˈɡʲejɪvnə ˈkurnʲɪkəvə, a=Anna_kournikova.ogg; born 7 June 1981) is a Russian former professional tennis player and American televisio ...

for her lack of on-track success and promotion of her looks, though the similarities have been questioned by others.

Prior to her 2008 Indy Japan 300 triumph, Patrick was criticized by commentators and fans who claimed her ~ body weight constituted an unfair advantage. Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart responded that her weight "had a virtually minimal effect on the competition". In June 2013, former NASCAR driver

Kyle Petty Kyle Eugene Petty (born June 2, 1960) is an American former stock car racing driver, and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash dur ...

called Patrick a "marketing machine" and asserted that she was not a race car driver. In February 2014, during an appearance at the eighth annual Canadian Motorsports Expo, Kyle's father,

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

, criticized her for not winning more races. In December 2023, Danica’s political views now favour between Republican & Independent after attending a conservative event called Turning Point USA.

Personal life

In 2005, she married Paul Edward Hospenthal, whom she met at his office in 2002 for physical therapy while recovering from her hip injury sustained during a yoga session. They divorced in 2013. She was in relationships with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (from 2012 to 2017) and then

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...

(from 2018 to 2020). In 2021, Patrick was reported to be in a relationship with American businessman Carter Comstock. In 2022, she confirmed that they had ended their relationship.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

Motorsports career results

Career summary

: * ''IndyCar Series Race 18 was abandoned due to the death of Dan Wheldon after 13 laps.'' : ** ''Season still in progress''

American open-wheel racing

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Small number denotes finishing position)

Barber Dodge Pro Series

Toyota Atlantic Championship

: ** Podium (Non-win) indicates second or third place finishes. : *** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates fourth through tenth place finishes.

IndyCar Series

* Season still in progress. : ''¹ Rahal-Letterman Racing withdrew both Patrick and

Buddy Rice Buddy Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing. Career Early years ...

from competition when their teammate

was killed in a race-morning practice session accident.'' : ''² Because of Reunification prior to the start of the 2008 IRL season, a compromise was established where teams were permitted to run either the

on April 20 with the IRL formula and rules or the

Long Beach Grand Prix The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...

the same day with the old Champ Car formula and rules. Both races were for full IRL points.'' : ''³ Non-points race'' : ''⁴ The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after

died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.'' : ** Podium (Non-win) indicates second or third place finishes. : *** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates fourth through tenth place finishes.

Indianapolis 500

Sports car racing

American Le Mans Series

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class) (Small number denotes finishing position)

24 Hours of Daytona

NASCAR

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. Small number denotes finishing position.)

Monster Energy Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Nationwide Series

K&N Pro Series East

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points

ARCA Racing Series

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. Small number denotes finishing position.)

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

* * * * - {{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Danica 1982 births 20th-century American women 21st-century American women 24 Hours of Daytona drivers ARCA Menards Series drivers American Le Mans Series drivers American female models American female racing drivers American people of Irish descent American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent American people of Norwegian descent American people of Italian descent American women philanthropists Andretti Autosport drivers Atlantic Championship drivers Barber Pro Series drivers Ed Carpenter Racing drivers Female IndyCar Series drivers Female models from Wisconsin Formula Ford drivers GoDaddy Haywood Racing drivers Hononegah Community High School alumni Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Indianapolis 500 drivers IndyCar Series drivers JR Motorsports drivers Living people Motorsport announcers NASCAR drivers Philanthropists from Wisconsin Racing drivers from Wisconsin Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Spokespersons Sportspeople from Beloit, Wisconsin Stewart-Haas Racing drivers

Early life

Junior Formula (1998–2004)

IndyCar Series career

2005–2007 (Rahal Letterman Racing and Andretti Green Racing)

2008–2009 (first victory and peak performance)

2010–2011 (final two full-time IndyCar seasons)

2018 (Indianapolis 500)

Stock car career

2010–2011 (ARCA and Nationwide Series)

2012–2014 (switch to the Sprint Cup Series)

2015–2018 (final years in NASCAR)

Formula One speculations

Media appearances

Endorsements and philanthropy

Business ventures

Public image

Impact and criticism

Personal life

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Video games

Motorsports career results

Career summary

American open-wheel racing

Barber Dodge Pro Series

Toyota Atlantic Championship

IndyCar Series

Indianapolis 500

Sports car racing

American Le Mans Series

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

24 Hours of Daytona

NASCAR

Monster Energy Cup Series

=Daytona 500

Nationwide Series

K&N Pro Series East

ARCA Racing Series

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading

External links