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
Being nervous isn't always the worst thing for me.
It looks like I have a thing for dangerous sports, don't I?
I think you have to feel comfortable with your car. You have to go into turn one, every lap, with confidence. You have to be sure of yourself and your equipment.
If you want to be the best in your industry you need to have a relentless dedication to your job.
I've read stories that are set in a celebrity's house, and you know where it is and what it looks like and what's inside it, and that's not something I want anyone to know.
We don't do things we aren't good at by nature. I wouldn't play basketball because I'm only 5' 1". Find what you enjoy - whether it's racing, flying a helicopter, being a doctor, or stitching clothes together. Once you've done that, you have the passion you need.
Maybe back in the day you didn't need to be the greatest looking to be on TV and you didn't need to speak the best, but in this day and age, I think you need to be the package. You need to look the part for your sponsors, you need to be able to speak the part for the media and to big CEOs.
Give yourself permission to shoot for something that seems totally beyond your grasp. You may be surprised at your capabilities
I was very against pink and purple when I was young, because they were girls' colors. But that was only because I didn't want people to write me off for what I can do. When I got into my 20s, I decided that was stupid.
Take those chances and you can achieve greatness, whereas if you go conservative, you'll never know. I truly believe what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Even if you fail, learning and moving on is sometimes the best thing.
There are people all over the place. Kids and adults. Men and women. It's been really cool. Having this whole role model thing happen is definitely something that happened a lot quicker than what I thought. It's really easy because it's not trying. I'm not, like, trying to be a role model. I haven't tried to go out of my way to inspire people. When you're real and you're authentic and you try to give honest answers all the time, then it's easy.
I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you know what to expect slightly more from the track and from your car.
I'm probably not 100 pounds anymore, but around there. I definitely got obsessed with my weight. When I met my husband and realized that he could put on 50 pounds and I'd still love him, I realized that's how he sees me or at least how he should!
I think it's very flattering. I feel very lucky to have people talking about Formula One and to potentially have that as an opportunity.