“Our thoughts manifest into reality” - When Danica Patrick shared her insight for aspiring female racecar drivers

Danica Patrick, the most successful woman in American open-wheel car racing history, is a well-known name all over the globe. She hung up her racing boots at the end of the 2018 Indianapolis 500, but before that, in 2015, she shared her thoughts on women trying it big in motorsports.

Danica Patrick's competitive racing career in IndyCar began in 2005 with the Toyota Indy 300 (Homestead). Moreover, in 2008, she created history by becoming the first and only woman to triumph in an IndyCar Series race (Indy Japan 300).

In line with this and the career she managed until 2015, Patrick took the time to guide young women who wanted to become racing drivers.

"Don’t think of yourself as being any different from the guys. That’s what I learned from my upbringing. My mom and dad were never the ones to say that being the fastest girl was good enough. It was always about being the fastest driver. If you think of yourself as being any different, you will be different. Our thoughts manifest into reality, so believe in yourself and have a goal," Patrick said via SI.

The 42-year-old competed in 116 IndyCar races before retiring from professional racing in 2018.

Danica Patrick's take on competing in a male-dominated sport

While Danica Patrick urged women back in 2015 to take up professional racing, via the same interview, she also took the time to talk about competing in motorsports. Historically, women's participation in motorsports has always remained significantly low in comparison to men's.

"No. I feel like I’ve gotten a ton of support, and I’m around as a female athlete in a day in age when there is a lot of open-mindedness to women in sports, and particularly women in racing. There was a point in time probably 30 years before I came in when women weren’t even allowed in the pits, so everything has progressed and evolved, and it’s a good time to be around," Patrick said via the aforementioned source.

Other than her racing career in IndyCar, Danica also took up the challenge to compete in stock car racing. From 2010 onwards, her interest started shifting toward NASCAR, and in 2010, she competed in the Xfinity Series's DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona).

Moreover, from 2012 onwards, she started competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Her first race was the Daytona 500 of that year, and she went on competing in the sport until the 2018 edition of the same event. Danica ended her Cup Series career with seven top-ten finishes and a solitary pole position. Since calling it quits in professional racing, Danica Patrick has successfully transitioned into becoming an esteemed motorsports (Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar) pundit.