When Danica Patrick came clean on feeling “very humbled” regarding a daily chore

Every individual, at some point in their life, has had to do a chore or two—and Danica Patrick isn’t exempt from this. The 43-year-old once opened up about doing a chore that left her feeling humbled whenever she had to carry it out.

The former IndyCar driver, who made a name for herself as a pioneering female in the male-dominated world of motorsports, detailed how she used to clean up after her dogs, particularly at race tracks.

Speaking in a 2016 interview with USA Today, Danica Patrick, who was quizzed about the unlikeliest of chores she had undertaken—ones that would likely surprise people—shared:

“I mean, I have to pick up my dogs’ poop. Especially at the racetrack. I don’t think that’s abnormal, but I always feel very humbled that I’m picking up (crap).”

However, when Danica Patrick isn’t scooping after her dogs at the race track, she’s etching her name into history with some incredible lap times—whether in the IndyCar racing series or the world of NASCAR.

The Wisconsin-born driver became the first woman to win an IndyCar race when she claimed victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300, racing for Andretti Autosport. The former Indy 500 rookie would eventually transition into NASCAR and continue to break barriers, becoming the first woman to win the pole position for the Daytona 500 in 2013.

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When Danica Patrick announced her retirement from racing

Danica Patrick during the NASCAR Ford EcoBoost 400 - Source: Imagn

Danica Patrick largely took the motorsports world by surprise when she announced her retirement from active racing. The then-NASCAR driver, in what was an emotional press conference in November of 2017, detailed how the upcoming 2018 season would be her last year in racing.

Visibly fighting tears, the Premium Motorsports driver detailed she would be shifting her focus to several new adventures in the aftermath of her career.

In a video shared by NASCAR on YouTube during the Homestead-Miami Speedway weekend in 2017, Patrick said:

“So this will be my last season as a full-time driver. My sister told me I was supposed to get emotional. I said I wouldn’t,”an emotional Patrick said.

“But anyway… I am grateful for all the opportunities. I am thankful for Dale and Kelly and Bob Parsons from GoDaddy for getting me into NASCAR. Thank you to Tony and Gene,” Danica Patrick said, her voice quivering.

True to her words, the former junior formula driver stepped into new ventures, as she has since delved into new paths, including the world of punditry and fashion, among several other things.

Danica Patrick’s racing career remains one characterized by breaking several barriers and feats only a few would have imagined were possible for a female in a sport heavily dominated by men. The 43-year-old remains the first woman to lead laps in the iconic Indy 500 racing event.