Who Is Danica Patrick?
A number of firsts were achieved by Danica Patrick in the world of female racing, including being the first female driver to lead the Indy 500 and taking home first place in pole position at the Daytona 500.
Who Is Danica Patrick and What Does She Do?
Danica Patrick is a former professional racing car racer who now works as a motivational speaker. When she left out of high school in order to pursue a racing career, she signed with Rahal Letterman Racing, which she joined the next year in 2002. Patrick made history by being the first woman to hold the lead at the Indianapolis 500 in 2005.
Her maiden victory on the IndyCar circuit came three years later, when she became the first woman to do so. Switching to stock cars, Patrick won the time trials for the 2013 Daytona 500, making history by being the first female driver to capture the pole position at the world-renowned NASCAR race. Following her retirement from racing in 2018, she started presenting the Pretty Intense weekly podcast, which she continues to broadcast today.
Early Life and Professional Development
Originally from Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick started racing go-karts with her sister when she was 10 years old. She dropped out of high school to pursue her racing career in England, where she has competed since. It was during this event that she finished second in the Formula Ford Festival, the best ever result achieved by a woman or an American in the event’s 30-year history.
Patrick signed a contract with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2002, which was co-owned at the time by former racer Bobby Rahal and talk show presenter David Letterman. After that, Patrick had considerable success and was a constant finisher at the top of race results for the following two years, but had never won a race.
Driving as a profession
Patrick became the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 when she did so in 2005. In addition to setting a new record for female drivers, she improved on the previous mark of ninth established by Janet Guthrie in 1978 by taking fourth position. She took the lead for 19 laps of the race, becoming the first woman to do so in the history of the Indy 500.
Her maiden pole position came later that year at Kansas Speedway, making her just the second woman in the history of the IRL (Indy Racing League) IndyCar Series to achieve this milestone in the sport. Patrick was voted Rookie of the Year at the 2005 IRL Championship, which took place in Australia.
Paul Dana, Patrick’s teammate, was killed in a car accident the morning before the Toyota Indy 300, which marked a devastating start to the year 2006. Patrick scored a number of Top 10 finishes during her IRL season that year, finishing in ninth position overall in the championship standings. She has received several awards, including the United States Sports Academy’s Female Athlete of the Year award.
Patrick made history in 2008 when she became the first female driver to win an IndyCar race in the United States. The next year, she put forth an amazing performance at the Indianapolis 500, finishing third in the race. Another notable achievement occurred in August 2010, when she established a new record by finishing the race for the 29th time in a row, breaking the previous mark of 28.
Patrick made his move to stock car racing in 2010, when he was invited to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The next year, she finished fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which was the greatest result ever achieved by a woman in the NASCAR national stock car series’ history.
At the Daytona 500, Patrick took home the victory in the time trials in 2013, during her maiden full season on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. Another first was achieved as a result of her victory: she became the first woman to take the pole position in the prestigious NASCAR race.
It is said that Patrick commented, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s official website: “I was brought up to be the quickest driver, not the fastest female.” “That’s how I’ve viewed my racing career from the beginning. I’ve had the good fortune to create history and to be the first woman to accomplish a variety of things. More history is still to be written, and we are eager to get started on it.”
In the following year, she placed seventh in the “Great American Race,” and after appearing in every race on the 2013 season, she was voted second in the Rookie of the Year poll.
While chasing her first major Sprint Cup victory, Patrick maintained a string of impressive performances. – When she finished sixth in the Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in August 2014, it was the greatest result of her career.
The following year, she earned her sixth Top 10 finish, which was the most by any female driver in the history of the Sprint Cup Series.
With her sponsorship being terminated before the start of the 2017 season, Patrick revealed in November that she would be walking away from the sport full time, and that she would retire after running in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2018.
Patrick’s professional career did not have a happy finish, as she was forced to retire after collapsing in both competitions. “Today was a huge disappointment in terms of what we were expecting for and what you wanted from your final race, but I’m glad for everything,” she remarked following her Indy 500 finish. “I’m grateful for everything,” she said. “I just wish I had been able to finish with more power.”
Projects outside of racing and a post-racing career
The combination of her one-of-a-kind reputation as a female racing car driver, along with her youth and attractive looks, resulted in several media possibilities for Patrick. She has hosted a show on Spike TV, been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and acted in advertisements and music videos, among other things. Danica: Crossing the Line was the title of her autobiography, which was released in 2006.
Patrick started creating wine at her Somnium Vineyard in Deer Park, California, as part of her preparations for a post-racing career, and she also established the Warrior apparel brand. In 2017, she published a new book titled Pretty Intense: The 90-Day Mind, Body, and Food Plan That Will Totally Change Your Life, which is available on Amazon.
In August of this year, Patrick debuted a weekly inspirational podcast, also named Pretty Intense, which he continues to host. Early visitors included former baseball player Alex Rodriguez, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, among others.
Observations on My Own Personal Life
In 2005, Patrick tied the knot with physical therapist Paul Edward Hospenthal. She filed for divorce in January of this year. According to Sporting News NASCAR, in her divorce filing, Patrick declared that “my marriage is irretrievably ruined and there is no realistic chance of reconciliation.” Her relationship with fellow stock car racer Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came to light during this time period.
Patrick ended her relationship with Stenhouse in late 2017, and she quickly revealed that she was seeing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at the time. Patrick’s representative announced in July 2020 that the couple was “no longer together.”
