5 interesting facts about Danica Patrick that you should know

Danica Patrick is a popular figure in motorsports who has achieved a multi-record-breaking career in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

Patrick was the first woman to earn the pole position at the 2013 Daytona 500 in only her second season in the NASCAR Cup Series. She also beat Janet Guthrie to hold the record for the most top-ten finishes by a woman in 2015. Patrick’s best NASCAR finish was sixth in 2014 at Atlanta.

Here are five interesting facts about the now-retired race car driver to know about.

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1. She was the first woman to win an IndyCar race

Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race in 2008. She won the Indy Japan 300. She started racing in the series with Rahal Letterman in 2005 Racing and earned three pole positions.

She finished third at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 and fifth overall in the final ranking.

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2. She has appeared on TV multiple times

Patrick has starred in various TV shows. She played a racecar driver on season six of "CSI: NY" and a driving instructor in the "Charlie’s Angels" movie. She has also voiced characters in kids’ shows and been in music videos, including Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got” and Miranda Lambert’s “Fastest Girl in Town.

Patrick also appeared in an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

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3. Patrick's father influenced her racing

Patrick grew up around racing as her father was a champion in cars, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. She often attended her father’s snowmobile races, which sparked her passion for motorsports.

Patrick was born in Wisconsin and started racing go-karts at 10 and moved to Europe at 16 to race in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford.

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4. She was a cheerleader in high school

Danica Patrick was once a cheerleader at the Hononegah High School. However, she missed a football game to attend a go-kart race in France, which led to her being removed from the team. Racing quickly became her main focus.

She even dropped out at 16 and moved to England for her racing career.

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5. Danica Patrick made her first US presidential election vote in 2024

Patrick voted for the first time and actively supported Donald Trump in the US presidential election this year. The 42-year-old shared her views on social media and attended rallies.

"I voted today, for the first time. I made a rule for myself that if I didn’t vote I could not have an opinion about the outcome, because I didn’t earn that right. Not this time," Patrick wrote in October.

Patrick celebrated Trump's win in Palm Beach with former ESPN anchor Sage Steele.