"I know you're not used to being this front" - When Danica Patrick was roasted by a stand-up comedian at NASCAR Awards banquet

Danica Patrick is considered a trailblazer for female racers in NASCAR. Despite her usual jovial nature, she was not amused being the center of a roast (sarcastic joke) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards in 2013.

Patrick began her career as a race car driver with go-karts. After winning several regional and national karting titles, she eventually shifted her focus to junior Formula divisions such as Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford. Despite her best efforts, things didn't go as planned in the European racing circles, forcing Patrick to return to the US.

On returning, Danica Patrick took part in the IndyCar Series in 2005. She stunned everyone by leading 19 laps and coming fourth in the legendary Indianapolis 500 race, making her the first woman to do so. Patrick won the 'Rookie of the Year' in the IndyCar Series that year.

The Wisconsin-based driver made the move to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2013. Patrick became the first female racer to grab pole position in the 55th Daytona 500 race in her debut season. This made her one of the fan favorites that year. During the NASCAR Sprint Cup Awards for 2013, Danica Patrick won the Fan Voice Award.

However, the evening turned out to be a bit unpleasant for Patrick as she got roasted by one of the hosts, a stand-up comedian Jay Mohr.

"Danica, I hope you're not too uncomfortable tonight I know you're not used to being this close to the front," Mohr jokingly commented (0:10 onwards).

Here's a look at the clip from YouTube:

However, Patrick responded in kind during a backstage interaction after receiving the award.

"I of course have to thank the fans. That's why I have this award. I have amazing fans. I'm so fortunate and I think it's pretty safe to say Jay Mohr is not one of them," she replied. (1:52 onwards)

---

"I felt like it wasn’t a space I wanted to be in anymore," Danica Patrick commented during her retirement from NASCAR

After spending over five years in NASCAR, Danica Patrick eventually hung her racing suit in 2018. Despite being a trailblazer for female racers in the sport, she felt the negativity growing against her by the end of the 2017 season.

Patrick opened up about the feeling on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in January 2018.

"A lot of negativity to some degree, and it feels like a grind a little bit. I felt like it wasn’t a space I wanted to be in anymore. I wanted to be in a happy space, doing things that bring me joy. I was noticing I was missing that, or wanting it more," she said. (46:25 onwards)

“It’s just life. Just do things that make you happy,” Patrick further added (47:09 onwards).

Here's a look at the entire podcast from the PowerfulJRE channel on YouTube: