Patrick, Danica (1982-…), became the most successful woman driver in the history of American automobile racing. Patrick became a celebrity in both Indy car racing and stock car racing. For a description of both kinds of racing, see Automobile racing (Kinds of automobile racing).
Patrick achieved many firsts for women drivers in the male-dominated sport of automobile racing. She became the only woman driver to win a race in the IndyCar Series (now called the NTT IndyCar Series) when she won the Indy Japan 300 in 2008. In 2009, Patrick finished third in the Indianapolis 500, the highest finish by any woman driver in the history of the race.
In 2010, Patrick began racing stock cars part-time on the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) circuit while continuing to race Indy cars. She first raced in the Nationwide Series (now called the Xfinity Series) and in 2012 joined the Sprint Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), the highest level of NASCAR racing. In 2013, Patrick won the pole position at the famous Daytona 500 race, becoming the first woman to win a pole position in a Sprint Cup race. The pole position is awarded to the fastest driver in qualification races for an event. Patrick finished eighth in the race, the highest finish by any woman driver in the Daytona 500.
Danica Sue Patrick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on March 25, 1982. She started kart racing in 1992. At the age of 16, she moved to England to advance her racing career. Patrick returned to the United States to race in 2001 and signed a racing contract there the following year. In 2005, she became the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. She won Rookie of the Year honors for both the Indianapolis race and the IndyCar Series. She was the first woman driver to lead a lap in the race and finished fourth, a record for a woman until she finished third in 2009. Patrick retired as a racing driver after competing in the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
In addition to racing, Patrick has hosted television programs and has appeared on many TV commercials. She became one of the most photographed women athletes in the world.
