"It wasn't from a lack of trying": Rick Mast opens up on Danica Patrick's NASCAR career, and 'gold mine' female drivers

Former NASCAR driver Rick Mast recently shared his thoughts on Danica Patrick's career in stock car racing. Mast further spoke about female drivers in the sport and how a successful female driver could be a gold mine.

Speaking on the Rick Mast Show, the NASCAR veteran said that the first woman driver who becomes a prolific winner and championship candidate would be like of "sitting on an absolute gold mine."

"That particular driver, the team owner, the team that invested in that person, the people that got behind them, they're all...it'd be like mining for gold, and all of a sudden you hit the big mother-lode worth billions – it's the same way with a female driver. And to this point, that hasn't happened. Will it ever happen? Hell, I don't know," Mast said. [23:34]

He mentioned the names of drivers like Janet Guthrie, Louise Smith, Patty Moise, and Shawna Robbinson, who all tasted success in NASCAR, but never reached the highest level.

Mast then spoke about Danica Patrick, how she helped NASCAR, but could never reach the top level.

"She came along and she was very marketable. Everybody in the world knew that name and she brought GoDaddy and she brought money into our sport. She had a team, brought money that fed crew guys for a number of years with that team she was with. That worked, but the problem is, she wasn't competitive. It wasn't from a lack of trying," Mast said.

He revealed that he knew the people who worked with Patrick. And they all told Mast that Patrick had the desire and the work ethic to "make it happen."

But it didn't happen as Danica Patrick retired from NASCAR without a win or even a top 5 finish across 5+ years in the Cup Series.

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Rick Mast shares his thoughts on Hailie Deegan's future in NASCAR

Hailie Deegan and AM Racing recently announced that they'd be parting ways midway through the season. For a long time, the 22-year-old was touted as the next Danica Patrick, but now with Deegan not having a ride for this season or the next, her NASCAR future is uncertain.

It's worth mentioning that in a 2019 interview, Deegan rejected the idea of her being the next Danica Patrick:

“Danica got thrown into the lion's den against guys who grew up racing stock cars. She is the best female driver we’ve had so far, but in the end there’s so much more a girl can accomplish that she hasn’t done yet," she said.

Deegan claimed that she desired to be the first female driver who not only makes it to the top level but also tastes success while doing so. However, five years later in 2024, Deegan is currently without a team for the current or next season.

Yet Rick Mast remained hopeful about Deegan being the next big thing in NASCAR.

Continuing on the subject of successful female drivers being a profitable investment for the sport, Mast shared his thoughts on Deegan.

"The deal with Hailie? She's the next young female star that we're going to promote and try to make work or make happen. And guess what? It didn't happen. Or to this point, it hasn't happened, not saying it's over for her. Hopefully s,he'll be the next big deal, but so far it hasn't happened," he said on the Rick Mast show. [25:30]

So with that said, it'll be interesting to see how the future of Hailie Deegan turns out in NASCAR.

Whether she'd be able to find a team for next season or whether she decides to race in leagues other than NASCAR, is something that only time will tell.