“She’s just a racer like anyone else”: When Kelley Earnhardt played down notion regarding Danica Patrick in NASCAR

Kelley Earnhardt Miller, co-owner of her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Xfinity Series team, played a major role in introducing Danica Patrick into the sport. Patrick drove for JR Motorsports from 2010-2012 and was one of only a few female drivers in one of NASCAR's top three major touring series.

With her position at JR Motorsports, Miller has emerged as one of the most influential women in NASCAR. Back in 2014, the daughter of the late Dale Earnhardt participated in a “Women in the Winner’s Circle” panel at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

One of the topics discussed during the panel was Patrick, as the former IndyCar Series star helped bring in a different audience to NASCAR. Having been the owner of Patrick's car for three seasons, Miller got to know a lot about her driver. The key aspect that stuck out to her was how Patrick wanted to be treated like any other driver. She told Mooresville Weekly:

“She really doesn’t want to be pointed out as the (main) female from that standpoint. She’s just a racer like anyone else. That’s probably what I learned from her, that she wanted to be the person who could get in there and do the job.”

While she never won a race at NASCAR's top level, Danica Patrick broke barriers for women in NASCAR. Her fourth-place finish in an Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas in 2011 still stands as the best finish by a female driver in NASCAR. After three seasons with Jr. Motorsports, Patrick moved to the Cup Series full-time in 2013 to drive the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing car.

Danica Patrick kicked off her full-time Cup career with a bang as she sat on the pole for the Daytona 500, the first female to start a race from the pole. The Wisconsin native also led a green flag lap in the event, becoming the first woman to accomplish such a feat. She scored a career-best finish of sixth in 2014 at Atlanta. Ultimately, Patrick retired from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2017 season. Her career lasted five full-time seasons.

Katherine Legge will be the first woman to compete in a Cup race since Danica Patrick this Sunday

Katherine Legge talks with the crew as they work on the no. 23 Chevrolet following ARCA practice - Source: Imagn

Danica Patrick was the last female driver to compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race back in the 2018 Daytona 500. However, that'll change this Sunday at Phoenix as Katherine Legge will pilot the #78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet.

Legge previously competed in five Xfinity Series races, most recently running at Road America in 2023. The 44-year-old from England competed in the ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona last month.

Katherine Legge also has experience in the IndyCar Series, with seven races last season. She has four starts in the Indianapolis 500 and set the best qualifying time for a woman back in 2023.