Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrickis an American professional stock car racing driver, model, and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing—her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only women's victory in an IndyCar Series race and her third place in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 the highest finish there ever by a woman. She competed in the series from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, she competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and occasionally...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth25 March 1982
CityBeloit, WI
CountryUnited States of America
My first Indy 500 was one of my high points. I ended up qualifying fourth and I finished fourth. I had a win in Japan a few years later, and then qualifying for Daytona was great as well.
I would also tell kids to make sure that they love whatever they end up doing in life. To really be good at something and excel you have to love it and have to be dedicated to it. Not every day is great and not every day is easy, but you do it because you love it.
I want to win at everything. I usually don't like things that I'm not good at, but it doesn't mean I don't want to win at them.
My boyfriend loves golf and he is good at it but I am not that great at it. It drives me nuts, but I'm super competitive and I always want to win.
I would tell kids not be like me, but to try and be better than me. Because I always wanted to be better than everyone I was around. That's what drove me. I wanted to be better than my role models. I'm super competitive.
Winning is the obvious goal, but it's not easy. There are so many good drivers and every week is different. I want to win badly, but I understand that it's going to take hard work. In the meantime I'll continue to set obtainable goals and do my best both on and off the racetrack.
Sometimes it takes looking at the past to really be able to move forward and learn from it.
I'm not tall enough to be a model, but I wish I was 6-foot, because I love it. It's kind of artsy, and I'm artsy. And I love clothes.
On Memorial Day, I was out floating on Lake Norman and came across Denny Hamlin. We struck up a conversation, and one of the first things we were talking about was how much it helped him when he started racing the Cup car and how much it helped his Nationwide program.
I'd love to do well on a big weekend with people watching and cheering, of course. But it's not fair to create an expectation level before I know what is realistic. I want to finish as well as possible. Is that top 20? Top 15? Top 25? You just have to play it by ear.
In motorsports we work in the grey areas a lot. You're trying to find where the holes are in the rule book.
To be honest, once you've driven around for about five, 10 laps, you don't notice a difference.
No matter how good you are, how brave you are or anything, it comes down to that car so many times. Not every time, but so many times.
No one wants to hear my perspective on politics, but I think honestly as you get older, you get more interested in it.