“You just have to get over it”: When Danica Patrick addressed her $50,000 fine by NASCAR

Former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick once reacted to a $50,000 fine that was slapped on her by NASCAR. The fine was imposed on Patrick after an on-track incident with former driver David Gilliland.

One of the greatest female racers of all time, one-time IndyCar race winner Danica Patrick faced several controversies across her career. One of the most prominent of those was all the way back in 2015, during the NASCAR Cup Series Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 race at Martinsville Speedway.

Patrick was penalized after deliberately colliding with David Gilliland during the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500. The race saw multiple heated exchanges between the two drivers, with Patrick initiating contact twice after Gilliland spun her out earlier in the event.

As a result, NASCAR fined her $50,000, docked 25 points, and placed her on probation until the end of the season. However, she was not suspended for the incident. NASCAR did not provide an official statement on the penalty, but it was widely believed to be related to her radio communications and repeated run-ins with Gilliland.

Reflecting on the incident ahead of the 2016 season, Patrick had opened up to Sports Illustrated:

"Not think about the weekend before. You can’t let one weekend spill over into the next. You just have to get over it and move on and see it as an opportunity to turn things around."

Danica Patrick had finished 40th in the 43-car field. Meanwhile, David Gilliland secured 24th position.

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Formula 1 legend blasts Danica Patrick's contention on women in racing

While Patrick remains a trailblazer for women in motorsports, she faced major scrutiny from fans and pundits alike after a particular comment of hers about women in motorsports. During an appearance on Sky F1, she responded to a young girl aspiring to become a Formula 1 driver and said:

"At the end of the day, I think that the nature of the sport is masculine. It’s aggressive. You have to handle the car – not only just the car because that’s a skill, but the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind, in a female mind."

However, 13-time F1 race winner David Coulthard, in a recent interview with Daily Mail, dismissed that idea. He said:

"It’s utter bull**** that women don’t have the strength to do it. Anyone who doesn’t train doesn’t have what it takes to perform in motor racing — whether you’re a man or a woman."

Danica Patrick retired from professional racing in 2018, after which she has shifted her focus to her broadcasting career.