Danica Sue Patrick (born March 25, 1982 in Beloit,
Wisconsin) is an American auto racing driver
competing in the IndyCar Series. She is from an
Irish-American family and was raised in Roscoe,
Illinois. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year
for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005
IndyCar Series season. In May 2006, she published
her autobiography, Danica: Crossing the Line.
Danica Patrick began go-karting in 1992 at Sugar
River Raceway outside of Brodhead, Wisconsin and
went on to win several national championships. She
moved to England at the age of 16 in order to
advance her racing career. She has also earned a
GED. Focusing primarily on road racing, Patrick
raced in several developmental open-wheel series
while in Europe, including Formula Ford and Formula
Vauxhall. Patrick earned a second-place finish in
England's extremely competitive Formula Ford
Festival, the highest-ever finish by either a woman
or an American in the event.
In 2002, Patrick signed a multi-year deal to race
for the team of Bobby Rahal. After making several
starts in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, she moved to
the Toyota Atlantic Championship for 2003. Driving
for Rahal Letterman Racing with sponsorship from
Argent, Patrick achieved moderate success in the
Toyota Atlantic series. During her time in
Atlantics, she won one pole and was a consistent
podium finisher (top three); however, she never won
a race. In 2004, Patrick finished third in the
Championship.
As well as participating in Atlantics, Patrick also
made an appearance in the American Le Mans Series,
driving for the Prodrive Ferrari team to tenth place
at the 2003 Grand Prix of Atlanta. She would attempt
sports cars later in her career with a run at the
Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2006.
The most notable criticism of Danica Patrick has
been her lack of performance on the track. Despite
perhaps the greatest hype of a driver, male or
female, during her rookie year she has failed to win
a race in her four year IRL career. She is compared
to female athletes like Anna Kournikova by her
apparent willingness to be marketed on her looks
rather than her achievements, her recent posing for
Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition as one
example. Critics contend that such exposure and fame
is warrentless and overshadows other drivers with
prestigious wins and championships such as Dan
Wheldon.
Some racing journalists, IndyCar fans, and other
drivers have claimed that Patrick's relatively low
body weight gives her an advantage in a competition
where engine size and car weight are strictly
regulated. (Patrick's height is 5'2", and weight is
100 pounds.) The IRL president, Brian Barnhart,
disagrees, telling Dave Caldwell for The New York
Times that Patrick's weight "had a minimal effect on
the competition."
Patrick has also had to deal with sexist remarks
from fellow racers, who feel that auto racing is a
man's sport. In May 2006, after an appearance on
ESPN SportsCenter's Budweiser Hot Seat, Patrick made
comments that ruffled the feathers of former NASCAR
drivers. Former driver Richard Petty responded, in a
separate interview, by stating, "I just don't think
it's a sport for women, and so far, it's proved out.
It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It
gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them
publicity. But as far as being a real true racer,
making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."
When talk heated up of a possible future Patrick
move to NASCAR in July 2006, fellow IRL driver Ed
Carpenter said, "I think Danica's pretty aggressive
in our cars. I mean, you know especially if you
catch her at the right time of the month, she might
be trading plenty of paint out there." He later said
that he meant no disrespect, and that he felt she
could hold her own on whatever circuit she was in.
He also said it was unlikely she would jump to
NASCAR.
In October 2005, Patrick was mentioned in the men's
magazine FHM by Formula One driver Jenson Button,
who, while dismissing her prospects in Formula One
racing, then added some colorful remarks of his own,
notably the infamous line "A girl with big boobs
would never be comfortable in the car. And the
mechanics wouldn't concentrate. Can you imagine
strapping her in?"
