"I need to respect the position I'm in": When Danica Patrick returned to Indy 500 as an analyst

Danica Patrick, the former racing driver, brought the curtain down on her career in 2018, with her last appearance being at the Indy 500 for Ed Carpenter Racing. When she was asked to come back to the event in 2019 as an analyst for NBC, Patrick said she needed to be aware of all the relevant information and 'respect the position' she was in as an analyst.

Patrick, to date, is the only woman to triumph in an IndyCar Grand Prix, having achieved this feat at the 2008 Japan Indy 300. In line with her 2019 appearance as an Analyst, back in the day, she had the following to say ahead of the event:

"I thought, 'Oh my God, I've got to know all the names. I've got to know who's the guy who has momentum and who doesn't. I need to respect the event and the position that I'm in. It's so important for me to be up to date on everything." Patrick said (via Foxnews).

Danica Patrick's career in the highest class of open-wheel racing in America began in 2005 (Toyota Indy 300). Moreover, in the same year, she was chosen as the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and competed in a total of 116 IndyCar races with seven podium place finishes.

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Danica Patrick picks drivers she would've loved to race against

While Danica Patrick has talked about how she felt about going to the Indy 500 as an analyst back in 2019, she recently revealed the drivers she would have loved to race against.

In line with this, Patrick took the names of late NASCAR legend (seven-time Cup Series Champion) Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Formula 1 royalty and three-time F1 world champion, Ayrton Senna (died, 34).

Speaking to Riley Gaines on the outkickthecoverageshow on Instagram last week, Patrick said:

"Well, so I'm assuming I'm going to be racing against them, they are not in my car, right? I'm racing against them, driving. Well, maybe I'll just do a hybrid. Let's see because I think I'd probably wanna see how I stacked up against Ayrton Senna, which was, he was one of the greats in Formula 1. Maybe get out there and door bang with Dale Earnhardt Sr."

Other than Danica Patrick's heroics in Indycar, she also competed in 191 NASCAR Cup Series races (seven top-tens and one pole position) and 61 Xfinity events (seven top-tens and one pole position).

Since ending her racing career back in 2018, the 42-year-old has further built her name was a podcast host (Pretty Intense, launched in 2019) and also as an esteemed motorsports pundit.

In recent years, Patrick has often been spotted sharing her knowledge of sports like NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1. She even appeared as a pundit on F1's Driver to Survive Netflix series in season 6.