“I took a huge leap of faith”: When Danica Patrick addressed her move away from IndyCar with no NASCAR experience

Danica Patrick is a well-known name in American motorsports. She made her last competitive outing in 2018 at the Indy 500, and while she has transitioned into becoming a motorsport pundit, there was a time back in 2011 when questions were raised regarding her decision to join NASCAR on a full-time basis.

The 42-year-old's first outing in NASCAR came in 2010 in the Xfinity Series when she took part in the DRIVE4COPD (300) Daytona. She made her Sprint Cup debut in 2012 at the iconic Daytona 500.

By the end of 2012, Patrick had decided to compete in stock car racing full-time, and in light of this, she added the following back then:

"NASCAR reminds me of growing up racing go-karts and how much I loved it. The fact that stock cars have bumpers invigorates the rougher side of me that's been tempered by the inability in open-wheel racing to touch anyone. To be able to go out on the track and stake your place excites me. The crazy thing is that I didn't even drive a stock car until I'd already signed a two-year deal to run a partial Nationwide schedule. I had friends in NASCAR who knew my driving style and thought I'd fit in there. So I took a huge leap of faith," Patrick told ESPN.

Before bringing the curtain down on her career, Danica Patrick amassed 191 Cup Series starts and was also able to put on board 61 starts in the Xfinity series.

Danica Patrick raced 'everyone fair' during her motorsports career

While Danica Patrick talked in detail about having a serious go at NASCAR in 2011, during the interview with ESPN, she also gave her take on how she treated her competitors on the race track.

In line with this, she insisted that she treated every driver fairly during her racing stint.

"When I was a kid, I was one of the most aggressive drivers out there. I'd go from 30th to winning a heat race in eight laps because I'd come up behind someone and bump him entering the corner. You don't have to make contact to be aggressive, but when you make a move, you stick it. You take the car to the limit. It's about confidence but respect at the same time. I race everyone fair. If they're not fair back to me, well, then I know where it's going," Patrick told ESPN.

Danica Patrick is considered the most successful female driver in American motorsports history. Having kicked off her career in 2005, she made an immediate impact by becoming the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

Moreover, in 2008, she made history by becoming the first woman driver to score a victory in the competitive IndyCar series. She secured a famous win in that year's Indy Japan 300.

Nowadays, she makes appearances during Grand Prix weekends of motorsports like Formula 1, NASCAR, and the IndyCar series.