Danica Sue Patrick is the most successful professional racing driver in American open-wheel car racing history.
Danica Patrick was born in a middle-class family on march 25, 1982, in Beloit, Wisconsin.
In 1998, she moved to the UK to advance her career after dropping out of high school with her parent’s consent.
In 2002, when she drove for Rahal Letterman Racing for the first time in the IndyCar Series, she won three pole positions and broke Tomas Schecter’s rookie season record for pole position.
It takes an exceptional blend of hard work, confidence, and enthusiasm to succeed in the male-dominated sport of open-wheel racing.
Danica is a massive sensation in Indy Racing League, driving for Rahal-Letterman racing, co-owned by racing legend Bobby Rahal.
She is regarded as the most successful and independent woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. The now-retired professional race car driver has set several records for women’s races.
Danica Patrick transitioned from sports star to entrepreneurial powerhouse after her retirement.
As of 2023, Danica is focused on obstacles for entrepreneurs, and she is defying convention in business. She is handling more than one business venture like Somnium, Danica’s expanding Napa vineyard, which is her property.
Also, Warrior by Danica Patrick is her own line of activewear, and she is the author of the health and fitness book “Pretty Intense.” She is a spokesperson for her long-term sponsor, GoDaddy.
Today, we will disclose more than Danica’s professional life in this article. We will discuss her early life, family, net worth, relationship, and other details. So, make sure to read this article till the end.
But before that, check out some of the general facts about Danica to help plunge with her life closely.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Danica Sue Patrick |
| Date Of Birth | March 25, 1982 |
| Birthplace | Beloit, Wisconsin, United States |
| Hometown | Roscoe, Illinois |
| Nick Name | Dani |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Hononegah Community High School |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Father’s Name | Terry Joseph “T. J.” Patrick Jr. |
| Mother’s Name | Beverly Ann |
| Siblings | A Younger Sister, Brooke Patrick |
| Age | 41 Years Old |
| Height | 5 feet 2 inches/1.57 m/157cm |
| Weight | 100 lb /45 kg |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Shoe size | 8 (U.S.) |
| Dress size | 2 (U.S.) |
| Build | Athletic |
| Profession | Racecar Driver, Athlete, Spokesperson & Model |
| First Win | Indy Japan 300 |
| Active Years | 1998-2018 |
| Retirement | 2018 |
| Racing Series | Indy, NASCAR |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Husband | Paul Hospenthal (19 November 2005-17 April 2013) |
| Kids | No |
| Net Worth | $ 80 Million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Hardcover, Paperback |
| Last Update | March 2023 |
Early Life & Family
Danica Sue Patrick shortly, Danica Patrick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, US, to parents Terry Joseph “T. J.” Patrick Jr. and Beverly Ann.
Her parents met on a blind date at a snowmobile event in the 1970s when Beverly was a mechanic for a snowmobile friend.
Besides her parents, Danica grew up with her younger sister, Brooke Patrick.
They are both half Norweigan, while their ancestry runs through Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and Native American.
She grew up in Roscoe, Illinois, and attended Hononegah Community High School. Danica was a cheerleader in 1996 and babysat for a nearby family in her off-time.
Age, Height, & Appearance
Born in 1982, Danica is 41 years old. Patrick celebrates her birthday on March 25, making her birth sign Pisces.
And from what we know, they are known for being independent, determined, brave, and talented. Indeed Patrick is a bold lady with determination.
Regarding her body measurement, Dancia stands 1.57 meters tall, weighs around 100 pounds, and wears 8 (US) shoes.
She has the perfect small oval-shaped face with bulging jaws, while her chin is small. Her proportional face gives her a natural look of ‘grit.’
Danica has dark brown eyes with long brown hair flowing near her waist. All in all, her physical appearance gives off a ‘strong’ aura.
Beginning Of Karting
Initially, Patrick had no aspiring dream; she thought of being a secretary, singer, or veterinarian.
However, when her parents sought a hobby to bring them close, both sisters wanted a go-kart.
That was how Danica Patrick began karting at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wisconsin.
Back then, her father acted as her crew chief, and her mother recorded her statistics.
In the beginning, Patrick didn’t have any racing idols; all she ever wanted to do was her best.
Due to the lack of coordination, she crashed into the wall on her first track race. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured. Gradually, partaking in tons of games, she improved her eye-to-foot coordination.
Afterward, she set numerous track records at Sugar River Raceway and Michiana Raceway Park.
Pursuing Interest
As Patrick started following her interest in Karting, she pursued snowmobiles, motocross, and midget car racing.
By age 13, she had ventured across the Midwestern U.S. for racing. To cover her travel expenses, her family sold merchandise featuring Patrick.
However, due to her parent’s business, she couldn’t move to California for year-round racing.
Between 1994-1997, she won ten regional karting titles, the World Karting Association Grand National Championship in the Yamaha Sportsman, and later HPV class three times.
In 1996, Patrick was accepted into the Indianapolis-based Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development Program, where her abilities were further refined.
In 1997, at her father’s request, she got media exposure from ABC and MTV. This led her to be hired by John Mecom Jr. to compete in U.K. racing.
Additionally, he sponsored Patrick to a high-quality driving school.
Finally, she attended three different schools, including Track Speed School at Sebring International Raceway and the Formula Ford driving school.
Junior Years (1998-2004)
In 1998, Danica Patrick dropped out of high school with her parent’s permission and got the GED certificate.
Three-time Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart helped Patrick move by herself to England’s Buckinghamshire town of Milton Keynes.
There she socialized with drivers such as Jenson Button. At that timeframe, she was financially backed up by the Ford Motor Company.
Unfortunately, after one season, rumors surfaced about her having an extravagant lifestyle; hence, she lost the support of Mecom.
U.K. Achievements
Patrick spent three years in the U.K. During the 1999 British Formula Vauxhall Championship, she placed ninth.
In 2000, Patrick participated in Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch with Haywood Racing, where she stood second.
This led her to receive a Formula Three test with Carlin in 2001.
Later, Bobby Rahal (Jaguar Racing team principal) organized a second test for her in the Paul Stewart Racing development program, which got canceled in mid-2001.
The same year, Danica got awarded the Gorsline Scholarship Award as the most aspiring road course competitor.
She was then recognized as the top female open-wheel race car driver with experience on the international scene.
Back To The U.S.
As Danica Patrick’s sponsorship ended, she flew back to the U.S. Back then, in the U.K., she had a difficult season with Mygale cars as she wasn’t getting much technical support.
After she arrived in 2002, she commenced negotiations to drive a BMW M3 for Team PTG in the American Le Mans Series.
She also partook in the fundraising campaign of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, where she stood third, defeating Tommy Kendall to win the professional class.
Besides, every weekend, Patrick, along with her father, traveled to race tracks expecting to get hired by a team owner.
Alongside, Danica spoke to Rahal for funding, and he signed her into a three-year contract at Milwaukee Mile.
The same month, Patrick tested for a two-day session at Greenville-Pickens Speedway for a PPC Racing Ford Taurus NASCAR Busch Series car.
Titles
In 2003, Patrick switched to the Toyota Atlantic Series, becoming the first woman to race in the championship since 1974.
Following it, she stood on the first podium, rewriting women’s race history to do so in Monterey’s season-opening race.
In June, she debuted at the Grand Prix of Atlanta, part of the American LeMans Series, partnering with Jérôme Policand in the No. 80 GTS-class Prodrive Ferrari 550.
Afterward, the following year (2004), she competed in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the second consecutive year, becoming the first woman to win a pole position in series history at the Portland International Raceway race.
“No matter how good you are, how brave you are, or anything, it comes down to that car so many times. Not every time, but so many times.” – Danica Patrick
Indy Car Series
Patrick’s name was listed in Inday Car Series for 2005 by Rahal Letterman Racing.
In the meantime, she was hospitalized for a mild concussion while debuting for the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Year 2005
At the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi, Patrick’s seasonal race settled for the season’s best finish. At the Indianapolis 500, she set the fastest overall practice speed record.
Following it, on the 8-season race at Kansas Speedway, she became the second woman in Indy car history to achieve the feat after Sarah Fisher.
In addition, she also matched Tomas Scheckter’s record for the most pole positions in a rookie season.
Therefore, Danica was titled ‘Rookie of The Year for both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series as she finished the season with 325 points and 7 top-ten finishes.
The Year 2006
Patrick’s 2006 IndyCar campaign began at the first road course round of the season. She had returned to Rahal Letterman Racing for the 2006 season.
She made her endurance racing debut in January at Daytona’s 24 hours. At the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, she stood second, and at Indy Japan 300 at Motegi, she came eighth.
In November, the March of Dimes awarded her the title of Sportswoman of the Year to celebrate her dedication and success. The rest of her season went modestly, and at the end of the year, she had 302 points.
The Year 2007
Beginning of this year, Patrick moved to the Andretti Green Racing in place of Bryan Herta in its No. 7 Dallara-IR05 Honda.
This season she commenced with two top-ten finishes in the first four races. She took the best finish placing third at the Bombardier Learjet 550.
Danice closed this year’s chapter, placing eighth at the season-closing Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. By the end, she had 424 points and eleven top-ten finishes.
The Year 2008
She kickstarted the year with Andretti Green Racing, where she had the best Homestead finish of sixth. Following it, she placed tenth in St. Petersburg.
At the same time, she became the first woman to win a top-level sanctioned open-wheel car racing event.
During the Indianapolis 500, she had to leave the game right after being placed fifth due to her collision with Ryan Briscoe in the pit lane.
Similarly, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, she had an incident with Milka Duno while practicing, which later turned into a confrontation.
Hence, she ended this season with all those events with three further top-ten finishes with a best of fifth at Infineon Raceway.
Her total reached 379 points (sixth in final standing); hence, she was the highest-placed American over the course of the season.
The Year 2009
Danica Patrick made her second appearance at the 24 Hours of Daytona, teaming up with Casey Mears, Andy Wallace, and Rob Finlay.
Due to some mechanical issues, they placed eighth in the race.
After returning to Andretti Green Racing, she was placed 19th in the very first race.
Moving forward, she finished the other two races at Long Beach and Kansas, covering up the fourth and fifth places, respectively.
She stood third at the Indianapolis 500, giving her best career finish after five attempts and giving a new women’s record.
She ended the season with her peak performance, as she stood fifth in the overall point standings.
Later, in December, she signed a contract extension that would see her through the next two seasons.
The Year 2010
Like the season before, Danica Patrick began this season poorly at the inaugural São Paulo Indy 300, only placing at 15th place.
She was seen to have newly renamed Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series and with JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
At the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Patrick placed herself seventh, followed by Indianapolis 500, in which she placed herself 23 (lowest place in her career).
Right after, a week later, she gave the best performance of the season, placing herself second at the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway.
At the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Patrick set a new record for a consecutive running race.
She bid goodbye to the year, placing tenth in the drivers’ standings with 367 points.
The Year 2011
This year saw her aghast as she faced two accidents. To illustrate, during the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, she collided with Justin Wilson and J. R. Hildebrand, which placed her in the 12th rank.
Also, she couldn’t qualify for the Indianapolis 500 due to her car failed and stood the 26th place.
It was followed by the day when Dan Wheldon was killed at the season-closing IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Danica was one of those nineteen drivers avoiding a fifteen-car pile-up; the race was abandoned.
This ended her time with the IndyCar race as she announced in August her plan to focus only on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series.
Hence, she closed the season in tenth place in the drivers’ standings with 314 points.
ARCA & Nationwide Series
Danica Patrick first entered the ARCA racing series in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway.
She started as 15th and ended with 35th due to a car crash at the season-opening Nationwide Series race, the DRIVE4COPD 300.
In the third season of 2010, she collided with Michael McDowell on the 82nd lap.
It was at the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where she stood in 36th place.
Therefore, Patrick entered the K&N Pro Series East race at Dover International Speedway to enhance her stock car experience.
She closed this season with 1,032 points in 13 starts.
The Year 2011
For this year, Danica worked part-time with JR Motorsports for the schedule that consisted of twelve races. She partook at the season’s opening two races at Daytona and Phoenix International Speedway.
In the meantime, she broke the 62-year-old record of Sara Christian. She became the highest-finishing woman in the national NASCAR history in Las Vegas.
Patrick’s best performance was the eleventh-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway with 26 points. She had a total score of 321.
Sprint Cup Series
For the 2012 season, Patrick gave her full-time to JR Motorsports with a limited ten races with Stewart-Haas Racing in an alliance with Tommy Baldwin Racing.
At the beginning of the season, she became the first woman to achieve the pole for the DRIVE4COPD 300 at the national NASCAR after Shawna Robinson.
During this race, she got into a four-car accident finishing at 38. Her eighth position at Texas Motor Speedway was the season’s best.
2012 Incidents
- Partick took part in Prelude to the Dream dirt track race at Eldora Speedway, with the invitation of team owner Tony Stewart in June. However, she hit a wall during the race and went off-pace; she stood in 15th place in her fourth Cup start.
- Danica got listed in DNF (Did Not Fintart, the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- During the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Patrick’s attempt to wreck Landon Cassill made her car hit on the outside wall while Cassill managed to get away safely.
- Patrick’s final race at Phoenix caused an accident between Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman due to her oil leak. Since NASCAR elected not to wave the caution flags, Danica was not classified in the final standings.
2013 Season (Sprint Cup Series)
Danica Patrick got assigned to teammate Ryan Newman’s former crew chief Tony Gibson and his pit crew.
Also, she became the highest-placing woman driver in the history of the Daytona 500.
After joining the elite club (14 members), she led both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.
In the May exhibition Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway, she stood in ninth place, and with the fan’s vote, she advanced to the Sprint All-Star Race.
Sprint Cup Events
During the season opener, Patrick failed to finish in the top fifteen in over 28 games. She got second in the Rookie of The Year after a season-long battle with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
At the end of the season, she had one top-ten, an average finish of 26.1, five DNFs, and was 27th in the standings with 646 points.
2014 Season
For the 2014 Sprint Cup Series, Patrick remained with Stewart-Hass Racing. She even won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500.
At Daytona 500, Patrick started as 27th, but Aric Almirola sent her car to the wall without a safer banner; hence, she ended at 40th.
She set three records throughout the season. At first, in Aaron’s 499, she became the first female to lead the track.
Secondly, she had the best finishing position of the 22nd for women.
Lastly, at the grid of Coca-Cola 600, she became the best qualifying performance for any woman at a non-restrictor plate track.
She broke the record of Janet Guthrie’s tenth-place finish at the Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Furthermore, in 2015, she was appointed as the full-time crew chief.
At the end of the season, she had an average finish of 23.7, 2.4 positions better than her rookie year.
Final Years In NASCAR
The Year 2015
With tons of narrow escapes of collateral damage from a multi-car accident, Danica Patrick stayed at the tenth for the beginning of the Sprint Unlimited season.
Hereafter, she claimed Janet Guthrie’s title for the most top tens by a woman in Sprint Cup Series.
Even at the Quaker State 400, Patrick became the first woman to start a hundred Cup Series races.
Right after it, for an intentional retaliatory crash against David Gilliland, she was fined $50,000 and was kept on probation by NASCAR.
At its end, she was in 24th place in driver’s standing with an average finish of 23.5.
The Year 2016
For the upcoming season of 2016, she switched crew chiefs from Daniel Knost to Billy Scott.
At the beginning of the season race, she got her car’s front end heavily damaged by Greg Biffle. Adding up, she had a fierce clash with Matt Kenseth at Talladega, which necessitated a chest radiograph.
Subsequently, at Auto Club 400, after Kasey Kahne wrecked her car, she gestured to him and was fined $20,000.
Her best form was eleventh place at the fall Charlotte race and the 30 laps this season.
At the end of the season, she stood in 24th place in the final with 689 points.
The Year 2017
During the Advance Auto Parts Clash exhibition race at Daytona, she began the campaign after placing fourth in the NASCAR.
After entering 33rd place during the season opener at Daytona 500, she was forced to retire cause of multiple accidents.
Following it on November 17, she announced her plan to compete in the 2018 Daytona 500 and 2018 Indianapolis 500 while staying away from full-time racing.
She closed off this year’s chapter, standing 28th with one top-ten, eleven DNFs, and an average finish of 23.8, accumulating 511 points.
The Year 2018
This season commenced with seeing Danica Patrick as a businesswoman and entrepreneur.
In January 2018, Patrick started to get back with her longtime partner GoDaddy for sponsorship of the “Danica Double.”
At the 2018 Daytona 500, Patrick dealt with Premium Motorsports to drive its No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after discussions with Chip Ganassi Racing but wasn’t successful.
She ended her Daytona career as she had a six-car accident on lap 102. She didn’t place or win at the end of the season.
However, on March 18, she announced her appearance would be in a third car for Ed Carpenter Racing.
Formula One
Formula One Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone once stated, “to have someone like Danica Patrick in F1 would be a perfect advert.”
However, due to various incidents throughout the years since 2008, Danica Patrick couldn’t make up for it.
Hence, in 2015, Danica said she was too old to switch teams and needed to be near her family and NASCAR.
Stats
| YEAR | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | Stewart-Haas Racing | 36 | 0 | 0 | 716 |
| 2016 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | Stewart-Haas Racing | 36 | 0 | 0 | 689 |
| 2017 | Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | Stewart-Haas Racing | 36 | 0 | 0 | 511 |
| 2018 |
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 |
|
Media Coverage
Along with being featured in the 2005 documentary Girl Racers, she has hosted several TV shows on Spike, including “Powerblock.”
In 2006, alongside her biography’s publishment (Danica: Crossing The Line), she also featured in Jay-Z’s music video.
Patrick was seen with a Pagani Zonda Roadster around Monaco’s streets in the song “Show Me What You Got.”
After her win in Indyrace on April 24, 2008, she appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman.
At Phoenix International Raceway, she filmed a commercial with GoDaddy.com, which aired nationally.
At the same moment, Patrick met with Paul Teutul Sr. and Mikey Teutul and later made her appearance in the American Chopper.
Godaddy.com had another commercial named ‘Kart’ representing a girl who aspired to become like her.
Even in the following year, Patrick worked with Godaddy for a commercial during Super Bowl XLIII.
In 14 Super Bowl commercials, Patrick has appeared more than any other celebrities, among which ‘Enchantment’ was the most-watched Super Bowl commercial.
Acting
- Patrick debuted as an actor on February 10, 2010, with the episode of CSI: NY. Her role in it was of a car driver suspected of murder.
- She also appeared as a voice actor in The Simpsons episode “How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?”
- Danica appeared in the game Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed as a playable guest and in its commercial. She also appeared in Archie Comics’ Sonic Universe #45.
- On February 21, 2015, Patrick was hired by FOX NASCAR as a booth analyst for Xfinity Series races.
- Patrick was the voice actor of the race car for the 2016 Nickelodeon animated series Blaze and the Monster Machines.
- In June 2017, she worked alongside Denny Hamlin for Fox’s Cup driver-only broadcast of the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
- The same year on November 8, her documentary was featured with the title ‘Danica’ by the Epix. Her second book, Pretty Intense, was released on December 26.
- Danica also made a cameo in Maroon 5 ‘Girls Like You’ album featuring Cardi B. Likewise, on 18 July, she became the first woman to host the ESPY Awards.
- Similarly, in August 2019, Patrick launched a weekly podcast, Pretty Intense, to connect to people talking about success and spirituality.
- During 2019 and 2020, she was a studio analyst for NBC’s broadcast of the Indianapolis 500.
Endorsements
Danica Patrick has worked with many advertising campaigns, such as AirTran Airways, Secret, Nationwide Insurance, Tissot, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Peak Antifreeze, William Rast, Hot Wheels, GoDaddy.com, Nature’s Bakery, and Lyft.
She also represents IMG talent agency and Excel Sports Management.
Likewise, Patrick is a celebrity spokeswoman for DRIVE4COPD, an awareness campaign for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, from which her grandmother died.
Therefore, Danica believes in health-conscious lifestyles, partnering with Williams Sonoma to campaign for No Kid Hungry.
Lastly, she fell in love with the original concept of founder and former shortstop Derek Jeter to allow athletes to write and control their own content. Therefore, in 2014, she joined The Players’ Tribune as a featured writer.
Business Ventures & Net Worth
The boss lady, Danica Patrick, has a net worth of $80 million as of 2023.
Besides her racing career, Danica Patrick is a self-made entrepreneur. She owns her own travel clothing and a wine collection.
Her athleisure collection is called “Warrior by Danica Patrick,” formed in partnership with G-III Apparel Group.
She named it after Native American mythology that crossed her path in Arizona.
Not to mention, She also owns her own brand of wine named ‘Somnium,’ which indicates ‘Dream’ in Latin.
The vineyard of Somium is located in St Helena, California, within the Howell Mountain AVA, covering an area of 24 acres (9.7 hectares) at elevations from 1,000 to 1,375 feet (305 to 419 m).
Media’s Take On
Henry Hutton of the Independent Tribune had covered her during her first debut with Indycar in 2005.
He stated she bloomed as a pop culture due to her modeling and gender; however, her race track version wasn’t much appreciated due to her constant accidents and uncompetitive nature.
The writer Andrew Lawrence describes Patrick to be an anti-Mulan in an article for The Guardian.
He stated, “she is an instrument of male and female fantasy, the sports pinup who grinds harder for feminism, day-to-day than the great Billie Jean King ever could.”
Labeling
Danica has covered many magazines such as FHM, Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and ESPN: The Magazine. She was labeled as one of the most beautiful people in the world in 2006.
Following it, she was also voted for Victoria’s Secret’s “What Is Sexy” list, placing her at No. 42 in 2006 and No. 85 in 2007.
During an interview with Fox News in 2012, Patrick showcased her dissatisfaction with being labeled as a sex symbol.
However, in the same context, after just a few years, she expressed her satisfaction with the exposure it bought her.
Titles
- In 2008 and 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked her the 50th and 88th most powerful person in the world of sports, respectively.
- Patrick was named a candidate for the world’s 100 most influential people in 2009 and 2010 by The Times magazine.
- In 2007 following Serena Williams, she placed second among the favorite female athlete and got first place in 2008.
- Since 2007-2013, ranking in the bottom quartile, she has been among the 100 highest-paid celebrities four times.
Danica Patrick’s Impact
The strong and determined Danica has inspired many young girls to lead their own way and has raised interest in motorsports.
Having broken the gender issues, she has been titled the pioneer for women in auto racing.
“I’ve never seen myself as a ‘girl driver.’ I’m just a driver.”
-Danica Patrick quotes
Her ever-growing dedicated fan base voted her for the IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver from 2005 to 2010 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver in 2012.
Criticism
Many media and fans have kept their eyes on her private and professional life throughout her career.
She has often been compared with the tennis player Anna Kournikova, stating that they are both famous for their looks but have no on-track specialties.
She has been nicknamed a ‘publicity stunt’ or ‘gimmick’ because of her lack of good results on the race track.
Before her Indycar race in 2008, she was commended for her body weight, claiming it to be her advantage. Following these, she was commended for being a car racer in June 2013.
Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty stated she was a ‘marketing Machine,’ and even Kyle’s father (Richard Petty) criticized her for not winning races during the eighth annual Canadian Motorsports Expo in February 2014.
Political Views
Danica is largely non-political. She has done a pretty good job of keeping her personal political opinions out of the hands of the press.
Regarding religion and politics, Patrick immediately puts on the brakes.
She mentioned in one of her interviews with FOXBusiness saying,
“I feel like religion and politics are the two things that you just stay away from.”
Personal Life & Relationships
Patrick was a junior formula driver in 2002 when she met physical therapist Paul Edward Hospenthalin at his office after she sustained a hip injury during a yoga session.
They began their romantic relationship and married in 2005, although Paul Edward was 17 years older than Patrick.
Unfortunately, the duo broke their relationship in 2013, as Patrick announced it via her Facebook.
Afterward, Patrick dated a fellow race car driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. However, they dated each other for five years and broke up as Stenhouse didn’t propose to her.
Then, Patrick was in a relationship with NFL player Aaron Rodgers for two years.
Danica was expecting to get engaged to him; however, as the tables turn, Rodgers called off their relationship.
They separated in July 2020, and Aaron announced his engagement with actress Shailene Woodley.
Currently, Danica is in a new relationship with Carter Comstock. Carter is the co-founder of Freshly company.
Danica confirmed her relationship with Comstock during an interview with ExtraTV.
She gushed over her new boyfriend and said he is already fulfilling one of her grand visions for a relationship.
“I just always imagined how great it would be to find someone to sit on the couch and talk with for hours, and that’s just what we do.”
Moreover, Patrick and Comstock made their relationship official on Instagram by sharing photos on the beach.
Social Media Presence
Danica Patrick likes to keep her social pages simple and has a natural way of connecting with fans.
View this post on Instagram
She is immensely popular on Instagram, with 902k followers, and recently, she uploaded her interview regarding ‘enlightenment and spiritual awakening’ with Sarah Elkhaldy – The Alchemist.
On Twitter, Danica has 1.7 m followers, higher than her Instagram.
The Popularity Graph
Danica is immensely popular due to her former racing career and now with her public appearances and businesses.
The above graph shows Patrick’s popularity over the past twelve months.
FAQs
Danica Patrick is the first woman to win an IndyCar championship event. She took the checkered flag on April 20, 2008, and became the only woman to cross the finish line first in an IndyCar Series race.
The Indianapolis 500 in 2018 was the last race of Danica's career.
Danica Patrick leads a fulfilled, healthy life, and among other unhealthy things, Danica just can't stand popsicles.
Danica Patrick has a guilty pleasure for homemade mashed potatoes.
Danica Patrick's favorite movie is Anchorman. Did Danica Patrick win an IndyCar race?
When was Danica Patrica's last race of her career?
What does Danica Patrick hate to eat?
What is Danica Patrick's guilty pleasure?
What is Danica Patrick's favorite movie?
