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Danica Patrick Unbelievable Saga of A Women Car Racer
 Danica
Patrick is rated by Forbes as fifth highest earning sports women in the world.
Her earning in 2012 was reported at $13 million. Forbes said " Patrick is racing
full-time in Nascar this year for first time, which has boosted her income. She
inked personal endorsement deals for Coke Zero and Sega in recent months. She
was Yahoo's most searched-for athlete, male or female, in 2011".
Danica Sue Patrick was born March 25, 1982. She is an American auto 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 ever there by a woman. She competed in
the series from 2005 to 2011. In 2012 she competed in the NASCAR Nationwide
Series and occasionally in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. For the 2013 season,
Patrick drives the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing in the
Sprint Cup Series, and a limited Nationwide Series schedule for Turner
Motorsports. In 2013, she became the first female NASCAR driver to win a NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series pole, turning in the fastest qualifying lap since 1990 in
qualifying for the Daytona 500.
Patrick started in kart racing and later raced Formula Ford in the United
Kingdom before returning to the United States and moving up to IndyCars. She was
named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005
IndyCar Series season. She holds the IRL record for most consecutive races
running at the finish: as of October 2, 2011, she had completed 50 consecutive
in the running (besting the record by 18). During her time in IndyCar, Patrick
drove for Rahal Letterman Racing from 2005�2006, and Andretti Autosport from
2007 to 2011.
Patrick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, the daughter of Beverly Ann and Terry
Jose Patrick, Jr. Her mother's family is of entirely Norwegian descent. She grew
up in nearby Roscoe, Illinois. Her parents met on a blind date at a snowmobile
event in the 1970s when Bev was a mechanic for a friend's snowmobile. T. J.
raced snowmobiles, motocross, and midget cars. They have owned a Java Hut and a
plate glass company. Patrick has a younger sister named Brooke.
Patrick was a cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School in Rockton,
Illinois, in 1996 and spent her off-time babysitting for a family down the road
when she wasn't racing. She dropped out of high school and attained a GED
certification. Her father, T. J., helps his daughter by driving her motor coach
and managing her Web site and merchandise trailer, while her mother, Bev,
handles Patrick's business affairs.
Patrick began go-karting in 1992 at the age of 10 at the Sugar River Raceway in
Brodhead, Wisconsin. At age 16 she moved to Milton Keynes, England, in order to
advance her racing career, racing in British national series events against
drivers including future Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button. During a
three-year period she raced in Formula Ford, Formula Vauxhall and earned a
second-place in Britain's Formula Ford Festival, the highest finish by an
American in the event.
In 2002 Patrick started driving for Rahal Letterman Racing in the United States.
After making several starts in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, she moved to the
Toyota Atlantic Championship for 2003. Patrick won one pole position and was a
consistent podium finisher (top three); however, she never won a race. In 2004
Patrick finished third in the Championship.
After the 2004 racing season, Rahal Letterman Racing officially announced that
Patrick would drive in the IRL IndyCar Series for 2005. On May 29, 2005, Patrick
became the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, following Janet
Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher. As of 2012, Patrick joins Guthrie as
one of only two women to have competed in both the Indianapolis 500 and the
Daytona 500. After posting the fastest practice speed of the month (229.880 mph
/ 369.956 km/h) during the morning practice session on the first day of
qualifications (May 15), she made an error in the first turn of her first
qualifying lap, and failed to capture the pole position, which went to Tony
Kanaan. Patrick's fourth starting position, however, was the highest ever
attained for the race by a female driver.
 Patrick became the first female driver to lead the race at Indianapolis, first
when acquiring it for a lap near the 125-mile (201 km) mark while cycling
through pit stops, and late in the race when she stayed out one lap longer than
her rivals during a set of green-flag pit stops. Patrick overcame two crucial
errors to finish fourth, the same position she started in. Patrick's car stalled
in the pits about halfway through the 500-mile (800 km) race, dropping her to
the middle of the field; and shortly after reclaiming a spot in the top 10,
Patrick spun on a caution period just before an intended green flag leading to a
four car accident. The accident caused damage to Patrick's car that was limited
to the nose and front wing. Her pit crew promptly made repairs, and due to the
subsequent yellow, Patrick was able to rejoin the field, losing only one
position. When the leaders pitted for fuel on lap 172, Patrick stayed out to
take the lead. On lap 194, eventual race winner and 2005 series champion Dan
Wheldon passed her as she was forced to slow in order to conserve fuel. Patrick
was subsequently passed by both Bryan Herta and her teammate Vitor Meira.
Patrick's fourth place was the highest ever finish for a female driver at the
Indy 500, besting the previous record of ninth set by Janet Guthrie in 1977.
Patrick led 19 laps overall.
On July 2, 2005, Patrick won her first pole position, leading a 1�2�3 sweep by
Rahal Letterman Racing at Kansas Speedway. She became the second woman to
accomplish this feat in the IndyCar Series, the first being Sarah Fisher in 2002
at Kentucky Speedway. On August 13, 2005, she won her second pole at Kentucky
Speedway, although this time, rain prematurely ended qualifying and position was
determined by speeds achieved during practice. She took a third pole at
Chicagoland Speedway which tied her with Tomas Scheckter's record for number of
pole positions earned in a rookie season.
In 2005, Patrick finished 12th in the IndyCar Series championship, with 325
points. She was named Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and
the 2005 IndyCar Series season. During the offseason following the 2005 racing
year, Patrick competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona along with Rusty Wallace in
January 2006. The car did not finish and they ended the race in 50th place.
Robby Gordon has claimed that Patrick's comparatively low body weight
constitutes unfair competition due to the inverse proportionality of the
combined mass of a car and its driver, and its maximum velocity.
Patrick drove a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for JR
Motorsports and her sponsor GoDaddy.com. Her first competitive stock car
experience was driving the #7 Chevrolet in an ARCA race on February 6, 2010, at
Daytona International Speedway, in which she finished in sixth place. She raced
at Daytona on February 13, 2010, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for her first
career start in the series, which ended when Patrick was caught up in a 12-car
accident off turn 4 on lap 68 (Patrick's owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. flipped over
in a violent crash on the back straightaway on lap 92 of the same race after
contact from Brad Keselowski). She started 15th and finished 35th. Patrick
started her second NASCAR Nationwide Series race February 20, 2010, in the
Stater Brothers 300 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California from 36th
place and finished in 31st place in the JR Motorsports Chevrolet. She did not
qualify for the race on speed but invoked a provisional to make the grid. In her
third Nationwide race, Patrick finished 36th when she crashed into Michael
McDowell, her 2nd DNF in 3 races. Her next Nationwide race in June resulted in a
30th place finish. At the Chicagoland race she finished 24th, two laps down. At
final race on November 20, 2010, Patrick set her best 2010 Nationwide Series
result, finishing 19th in the Ford 300 Race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in
Florida. After making 13 Nationwide Series starts, Patrick finished the season
43rd overall in the point standings.
On March 5, 2011, Patrick set racing history again, finishing 4th in the Sam's
Town 300 Nationwide Series Race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Patrick
mentioned in the post-race interview that her goal was to get a top 10 finish.
On July 7, 2011, Patrick finished 10th in the Subway Jalape�o 250 Nationwide
series race at Daytona after leading a total of 13 laps during the race before
being involved in an incident coming to the checkered flag on the last lap of
the race.
In Patrick's first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, she posted her first top 10
finish (6th) at Dover but the following day, during the Nationwide race, she hit
the wall after experiencing a vibration and a cut tire off turn 4 finishing
35th, 94 laps down.
Danica Patrick and her sponsor GoDaddy.com announced on August 25, 2011 that
Patrick will be leaving the IndyCar series to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide
Series full-time for JR Motorsports in 2012, as teammate to Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
and Cole Whitt.
She won the pole for the DRIVE4COPD 300 in February, only the second woman to do
so in NASCAR history, the first being Shawna Robinson in a Busch Series event in
1994. Patrick closed out her first full-time season with one pole, four top
10's, and a 10th place points position. For 2013, in addition to her full-time
Sprint Cup ride, Patrick will drive for Turner Motorsports part-time in the
Nationwide Series.
It was also announced that Patrick will be running a limited schedule in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2012 with
GoDaddy.com as primary sponsor. On November 4, 2011, in a press conference at
Texas Motor Speedway, it was revealed that Patrick will be driving the #10
(Robby Gordon would not give up ownership of the #7) car for Stewart-Haas
Racing. In addition, Tony Stewart's former Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief Greg
Zipadelli would become crew chief for Patrick's Cup Series debut at Daytona.
Patrick was guaranteed a spot at the Daytona 500 through an alliance with Tommy
Baldwin Racing, using the 33rd place owner's points from the TBR #36 entry of
Dave Blaney.
At Speedweeks, Patrick qualified for the inside line in the first Gatorade Duel
qualifying race. Her run was marred when she smashed almost head-on into an
inside wall on the back straightaway on the last lap after Aric Almirola got
into Jamie McMurray, sending Almirola into Patrick's car. Tony Stewart won the
duel ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. At the Daytona 500, Patrick's chances of
being in contention ended quickly when she crashed on lap 2 with Jimmie Johnson,
David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and Trevor Bayne. She finished 38th. In her second
race, the Southern 500 at Darlington, she started 38th and finished 31st. This
was followed by a 30th place finish at the Coca-Cola 600.
In her fourth Cup start, the 2012 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol, Patrick was
running strong before she was crashed on lap 436 by Regan Smith. She responded
by wagging her finger at Smith as he drove by under caution. The incident was
ranked among Sports Illustrated's top 50 sports moment photos for 2012,
overshadowing an earlier incident on lap 333 when Tony Stewart had thrown his
helmet at Matt Kenseth's hood. Patrick finished 29th in this race and at the
AdvoCare 500 the following week at Atlanta. She finished in 25th place at
Chicagoland, and 28th at Dover. At Kansas, Patrick finished in 32nd place after
trying to wreck Landon Cassill in Turn 2 on Lap 156, but ended up wrecking
herself instead. At the 2012 AAA Texas 500 at Texas, she had her first lead lap
finish, finishing 24th, last car on the lead lap.
 The following week at Phoenix, during a green-white-checkered finish caused by
Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer's wreck, Jeff Burton sent Patrick into the wall in
turn 3. Controversy ensued because despite her wrecked car leaking oil as it
limped around the track, NASCAR refused to throw a caution flag. As a result,
when the field came around for the checkered flag, a crash occurred as Greg
Biffle tried to squeeze between Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman, causing those two
cars to hit the wall, starting a wreck also involving eventual series champion
Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, and Paul Menard. The rear end of Patrick's car was
jacked into the air as Kurt Busch and Paul Menard slipped and collided with her.
Race winner Kevin Harvick's owner Richard Childress was upset with NASCAR's
decision not to throw the caution for Patrick's wrecked car, saying, "I'm really
disappointed in the way the race was called. Kevin almost wrecked coming off of
4 on the final lap. We take the white flag, she's coming down there, everybody
could see what was happening. I just knew the caution was going to come out. And
he Harvick races back around and almost wrecks and we lose a car [Paul Menard's]
and could have hurt a driver. So I'm just still a little upset about that last
lap not being run under caution."
2013 started off on a high note for Patrick, as she won the pole position for
the Daytona 500 with a qualifying time of 45.817 seconds (196.434 miles per hour
(316.130 km/h)). Patrick became the first woman to ever win a pole in a Sprint
Cup race.
On February 24, Patrick became the first female driver in history to lead a
green flag lap at the Daytona 500, taking the lead on lap 90 temporarily from
Matt Kenseth, and later leading a few laps during green flag pit stops on lap
127. She was in the top-ten most of the day. At the white flag, she was in third
place behind Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle. Heading down the back straightaway
on the last lap, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin made a move on the inside
lane, causing Biffle and Patrick to drift back while Johnson won the race.
Patrick finished eighth, however, which makes her currently the highest placing
female driver in the race's 55 year history.
At Phoenix, Patrick was running strong until lap 185, when she cut a tire in
turn 4. After striking the wall, she was struck again by David Ragan. She
finished 38th.
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Patrick ran in the back of the pack most of the
race and ended up 33rd.
In the Food City 500, her bad luck continued as she had several car issues
during the race and finished 28th. She finished 25th the following week at
Fontana.
At Martinsville, Patrick hit a rebound. She qualified 32nd, but due to an engine
change she was forced to start at the rear of the field. In the first part of
the race, she was spun by Ken Schrader on lap 15. After struggling for most of
the race, Patrick used a wave-around to get back on the lead lap. Despite being
at the back of the lead lap afterwards, and an incident late-race where she made
contact with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. that caused Earnhardt to spin, she finished
12th.
At Texas, Kansas and Richmond, Patrick again fell back in the pack, finishing
off the lead lap in all three cases.
At Talladega, Patrick was running in the top fifteen for most of the day. She
was able to avoid being caught up in a 13 car wreck on lap 43 and missed Kyle
Busch, but she ultimately finished 33rd when she was caught in a crash on lap
182 that also saw Kurt Busch flip over and land on top of Ryan Newman, Clint
Bowyer, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, J.J. Yeley and more.
At the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race Danica was not entered but participated in
the Sprint Showdown, a race for those who did not win in Previous races from the
2012 Coca Cola 600 - 2013 Bojangles' Southern 500 or Past winners of the All
Star Races. The Showdown was won by Jamie McMurray and second place went to
Ricky Stenhouse Jr who both advanced into the All Star Race. Danica finished
Ninth, but Danica would also eventually advance into the All Star Race by virtue
of the Fan Vote. Much like Jamie and Ricky, Danica completed over 100 laps to
finish 20th in her first All Star Race.
Patrick was scheduled to test for Formula One team Honda in November 2008, but
this was called off due to the Honda team pulling out of the sport. In late
2009, the stillborn American F1 team US F1 allegedly considered testing Patrick
for a potential drive in 2010. However, she stated that she wasn't contacted by
anyone from the team, and that she 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 USA in 2012, Formula One executive Bernie Ecclestone said that "to have
someone like Danica Patrick in F1 would be a perfect advert."
Following her IndyCar win at Twin Ring Motegi, Patrick was praised by many
drivers, including Tony Stewart, who said "I think obviously she's got talent;
she's been successful in every form of racing she's been in so far and I don't
see why she wouldn't be successful here in NASCAR."
She won the 2008 Kids Choice Award for favorite female athlete and again in
2012. Patrick made a second appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
in February 2009, posing with a Shelby Cobra 427.
In October 2011, Patrick appeared on Cake Boss to order a special surprise cake
for Michael Kalish, an established artist that created an art display called
"24M", representing the 24 million people affected with COPD. The artwork
consists of 24 giant pinwheels made from U.S. license plates. The custom cake
designed by Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss included a racetrack with moving cars
and pinwheels.
Patrick appeared as a playable guest character in the video game Sonic &
All-Stars Racing Transformed, providing her own voice and in addition, she made
an appearance in the game's commercial. Patrick is represented by IMG talent
agency.
Patrick made her acting debut in the February 10, 2010, episode of CSI: NY where
she played a racing driver suspected of murder. Patrick also voiced herself in
The Simpsons episode "How Munched is That Birdie in the Window?". She also
appeared in Jay-Z's music video "Show Me What You Got," where she drove a Pagani
Zonda Roadster. She also drove the 1969 Camaro SS in the music video for
"Fastest Girl in Town", a single by American recording artist Miranda Lambert.
Patrick is the celebrity spokesperson for Drive4COPD, an awareness campaign for
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, of which her grandmother died.
Danica Patrick diet
 She takes a high-protein diet with plenty of complex carbs. She starts every
morning with a three-egg white omelette and a bowl of homemade oatmeal with
cinnamon, flax meal, brown sugar, and a scoop of peanut butter on the side. For
lunch, she prefers open-face turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, mustard,
and sometimes a slice of cheese.
She said "I get hungry every three hours, so I also like to munch on an apple or
whole-wheat toast with peanut butter," Patrick says. "I like my food to be
tasty."
Danica Patrick Workouts
Not surprisingly, the pint-sized racer works out almost every day to keep up her
endurance. During race season, she runs for an hour, then concentrates on upper
body exercises that strengthen her shoulders, forearms, and back � moves
essential for handling her 1,500-lb. vehicle.
To stay strong but in shape during the off-season, she works out with a trainer.
But she doesn't run herself into the ground, either: "I skip days here and there
and don't beat myself up for it," she says.
NASCAR driver Danica Patrick hired her trainer Bob Alejo as she began to
transition from IndyCar to NASCAR, but not necessarily because of the heavier,
more brutish stock cars she would have to wrangle, Alejo said. He said her
workout routine, an all-encompassing regimen that emphasized increasing
strength, likely would not have varied if she had remained in open-wheel racing.
Alejo emails Patrick five-week blocks of routines that she executes herself,
informing him of necessary changes prompted by racing or health concerns. Though
he rarely is able to supervise her routines, Alejo said Patrick's savvy
regarding her fitness and nutritional needs alleviates most potential problems.
"I have access to her calendar, and we speak often either through text message
or phone call or email,'' Alejo said. "We're in constant communication about
where she is, not only in the year, but week to week, and let's look at last
year and what are we doing this year.
"This year's conversation was, 'I'm doubling [racing twice on the same weekend]
a few times this year. How do we attack that?' Of course, last year was, 'I'm
transitioning from open-wheel to NASCAR. How do you attack that?'
"We pretty much go with a five-week schedule, which we go four weeks pretty
hard, and then we have what we call an unloading week where we go a little bit
lighter, where it's not complete rest, it's an active sort of rest."
Patrick's regimen is a total-body approach, four days a week in the offseason
and three in-season, Alejo said, with one day a week designated for lower-torso
work. Patrick is also an avid runner. Workouts may be adjusted to any physical
discomfort she feels after time in the race car or postponed if they conflict
with a race or test.
"The most important thing is performing in the car," Patrick said, "so if I ever
feel like my lifting program interferes with my strength and my endurance inside
of the car, then I don't do it, because the only thing I'm weight-training for
is the car."
Though Patrick's regimen is "nothing Star Wars-y," Alejo said, "I think we do
things that are different than most." He adds that Patrick is loath to allow
much of it to be revealed.
"She said, 'Hey, make sure you don't give him too much,'" Alejo said.
Her official website is located at:
http://www.danicaracing.com/
Dated 15 July 2013
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