Danica Patrick is an American former professional racing driver and has an incredible story about her raise to fame and how she became a household name in NASCAR. She is the most successful racer in the history of American open-wheel racing - a type of professional automobile racing also known as Indy car racing.
Her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, the third round of the 2008 Indy Car Series season for drivers who competed in the 2007 series, was historical. This marked the only win by a woman in the Indy Car Series, the premier level of open-wheel racing within the United States. Add this to the list of things you need to know now about Danica Patrick. In addition to this list, she could become jealous at times. We don't think so with her laidback personality, but she might be jealous of some other peoples' rides...
Coming from humble beginnings in Beloit, Wisconsin, she began go-karting at just 10 years old, and immediately found success and her true talent. She won her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times, an event ran by the largest sanctioning body for kart racing within North America.
She dropped out of high school and moved to the UK in order to pursue a professional racing career and solely focus on her career.
Let's see how her true rise to fame...
Junior formulae (98-2004)
After moving to the UK, she settled in the town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. Relocating here, she was met with huge opposition, since she was both female and foreign. This helped her to develop a thick skin, a sense of confidence, and an independent spirit that would help spur her to become one of the best.
During the three years she spent in the UK, she raced in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford, coming in 9th place in points in the British Vauxhall Championship. She was awarded the Gorsline Scholarship Award as the most aspiring road course competitor in 2001, which somewhat made up for the poor next season due to faulty equipment and non-smooth driving cars. This lack of success prompted her return to the United States, where she began negotiations to drive a BMW M3 for Team PTG.
She faired much better after returning to the US, taking part in multiple races, securing the first podium finish for a woman in a series' history at the season-opening race in Monterey in 2003. In 2004, she became the first woman to win a pole position in series' history at the Portland International Raceway, showing her true grit and determination to be the best.
IndyCar Series Career
She first drove in the IndyCar series with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005, an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTEch SprotsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. She earned three pole positions, tieing the record for pole positions in a rookie year.
She was named Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. Even with this accommodate, she managed to improve over the years with two teams, Rahal Racing and Andretti Green Racing in 2007, an auto racing team that competes in IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, and the FIA Formula E Championship.
The next year, she followed up her victory with sixth overall in the drivers' standings for the year. The next year, she improved again, earning fifth overall, slowly working her way up the leaderboard.
NASCAR Career
Patrick began racing stock cars in 2010 at the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a stock car racing series that is the "minor" league circuit of NASCAR, and is widely considered to be a providing ground for new drivers or those who want to bump up to the top circuit.
Her career saw more growth in this new racing world. She earned a fourth place finish at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011, earning a tenth place in the 2012 season standings, and was the second woman ever to clinch a pole position in the Nationwide Series.
She earned the title of becoming the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position by setting the fastest qualifying lap for the 2013 Daytona 500, a 20 lap and 500-mile race on asphalt tri-oval.
Although she stopped racing full time after the 2017 season, she still competed for a last hoorah at the 2018 Daytona 500 and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 before officially announcing her retirement.
Criticism
Patrick has a very strong fan base that has been present since the origin of her racing career, helping her to earn IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver from 2005-2010, NASCAR Nationwide Most Popular Driver in 2012, Favorite Female Athlete at the Kids' Choice Awards in 2008 and 2012, and pioneering a career for women in auto racing.
Despite all of these positive claims to fame, she has still come under scrutiny throughout her career for being used as a face for NASCAR racing, a gimmick, a publicity stunt, and for just publicity due to her lack of on-track success and promotion of her looks.
Even with all of these claims, the stats do not lie. Danica Patrick is one of the most influential women in sports, one of the best racers in the history of the sport, and has helped pave the way for generations of young female racers. Just check it out, here.