"I was forced to push myself in ways I never had before": When Danica Patrick embraced the challenges of her NASCAR journey

Back in 2018, Danica Patrick opened up about the challenges she faced in NASCAR as a driver. Patrick, who transitioned to the stock car racing series from IndyCar, made her debut in the Cup Series in 2012 and raced till the 2018 Daytona 500.

Patrick is one of the most renowned female racing drivers in the history of the United States and the world. A stalwart of women's racing when it comes to NASCAR and IndyCar, she made headlines after emerging as the IndyCar Rookie of the Year in 2005, her debut year in American open-wheel racing.

That year, she also claimed the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. After five years of racing in IndyCar, Patrick moved to ARCA Menards Series, where she raced for two years in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, she made her debut with the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway.

"The Daytona 500 one of the greatest traditions in sports," Patrick told The Players' Tribune in 2018, ahead of her final race in NASCAR. "I’m thankful for the challenges that joining NASCAR presented to me, because I was forced me to push myself in ways that I never had before."

"It made me to look inward to find a sense of peace and happiness so that I could push through the hard times. Now as I emerge from my NASCAR career as the person I am today, I can only be thankful for that. There couldn’t be a better place for my NASCAR journey to end."

Danica Patrick raced in the Cup Series for seven years, where she participated in 191 races. She racked up a pole position and seven Top 10s across these seven years. Her pole in the 2013 Daytona 500 is still the only pole by a woman driver in NASCAR.

---

Danica Patrick let her feelings be known about retirement from NASCAR

Ahead of her final race, Danica Patrick shared her feelings about retirement. Speaking to The Players' Tribune, she stated how she felt as she was about to appear in the final race of her NASCAR career. She said:

"This one is a little harder to answer because my feelings are still evolving. Truthfully, this isn’t how I envisioned the end of my career playing out. I didn’t plan any of this. It actually began with a pretty big jolt when I lost my sponsor last fall. That was really hard.

"My passion for racing has never wavered. I don’t think it ever will. But that experience made me more honest with myself about my relationship with racing. It was changing, and looking back now, I know that change was inevitable. It was always going to happen."

Danica Patrick, Premium Motorsports, GoDaddy Chevrolet Camaro pits during the Can-Am Duels Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race - Source: Getty

While Danica Patrick is a renowned name in NASCAR, her records in IndyCar are also worth remembering. She has 116 races in eight years under her belt where she picked up a win, three pole positions and seven podiums. Her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 at Motegi is the only win by a woman in IndyCar.