“I was ready to leave”: When Danica Patrick opened up about sacrificing IndyCar for ‘attractive’ NASCAR future

In August 2011, Danica Patrick announced a significant change in her racing career. She would be ending her 7-year IndyCar career to join the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nationwide Series full-time in 2012.

In 2010 and 2011, Danica Patrick juggled a full-time IndyCar season with Andretti Autosport and part-time participation in the ARCA Racing Series and the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. This exciting inaugural stint of racing stock cars became the catalyst for her leaving IndyCar.

In 2012, four months into her first full-time NASCAR season, she explained how the stock car racing series was much more rewarding for her. Patrick said (via NY Times):

"Since I started in NASCAR, popularity has definitely gone up. I've become more attractive and helpful to companies that are looking for spokespersons. So from that perspective, things are going really well."

The Wisconsin native also candidly revealed how the growing NASCAR pull already had her attention even before her final IndyCar season ended.

"I was ready to leave IndyCar. I wanted to be here. When you are not missing something, longing for something, you don’t really think about it that much," Patrick added.

Though NASCAR meant more to her in those years, she returned to IndyCar for a final goodbye in the 2018 Indy 500. She started the race in seventh position but crashed out in Lap 68, marking a heartbreaking end to her IndyCar career.

Danica Patrick's not-so-secret recipe for her glorious racing career

Danica Patrick at an Indianapolis 500 Test - Source: Getty

Danica Patrick has been a true pioneer with her maiden achievements in racing and is the most accomplished female driver in American open-wheel racing. In her debut IndyCar season in 2005, she became the first woman since Sarah Fisher in 2002 to get a pole position. She also led 19 laps in that year's Indy 500, becoming the first female driver to lead the iconic race.

In 2008, she scripted more history by emerging victorious at the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first and only woman to win an IndyCar race. In 2017, a year before her retirement, she sat down for an interview with renowned journalist Jeff Gluck for his "12 Questions" column. When questioned if her success stemmed from pure talent or hard work, Patrick replied:

"Well, I got here by determination and believing I could. It’s that simple. And then I would say that to open it up to something that your question wasn’t exactly — I would say once you get to this level, I think we’re all talented, so then it depends on so many other circumstances, which is why you see a driver all of a sudden emerge and maybe submerge every now and again, depending on circumstances."

Her post-racing career as a TV presenter, analyst, and podcast host hasn't been received well by fans. Her controversial comments have marred her reputation. In 2024, Patrick served as a Sky Sports F1 commentator for seven out of 24 races. She is yet to reveal her 2025 commitments.