March 25, 1982
Danica Patrick
Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA.
She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. Her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only women's victory in an IndyCar Series race, and her third place in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, the highest finish there ever by a woman. In 2013, she became the first female to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, turning in the fastest qualifying lap for the Daytona 500.
Patrick started in kart racing and later raced in Formula Ford in the United Kingdom before returning to the United States and moving up to IndyCars. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. She holds the IRL record for most consecutive races running at the finish, as of October 2, 2011, she had completed 50 consecutive races.
On November 17, Patrick announced that she would step away from full-time racing after the season finale at Homestead-Miami, though she also announced plans to compete in the 2018 Daytona 500 and 2018 Indianapolis 500. Patrick finished the 2017 season with one top-ten, eleven DNF's, and an average finish of 23.8. She scored 511 points, putting her twenty-eighth in the drivers' standings.
In January 2018, it was announced that Patrick would be reunited with longtime partner GoDaddy for sponsorship of the "Danica Double" and assistance as she moved on to her life as a business woman and entrepreneur. For her final NASCAR race at the 2018 Daytona 500, Patrick signed with Premium Motorsports to drive its No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after discussions with Chip Ganassi Racing did not yield in a race seat. Her final Daytona 500 came to an early end when she was involved in a six-car accident on lap 102, placing 35th in the final results. 138] Patrick concluded her NASCAR career without scoring any wins, and finished in the top ten in 3.6% of her 191 races.
On March 7, 2018, it was announced that her final Indianapolis 500 appearance would be in a third car for Ed Carpenter Racing.
"Happy Birthday Danica!" :-)
ReplyDeleteNo talent hack....
ReplyDeleteSo, being “the most successful woman in the history of American open wheel racing” qualifies her as a “no talent hack” in your opinion? Don’t quite follow your reasoning on that one.
DeleteI absolutely agree Danica is not only a women race car driver she is simply a very good race car driver. I admire and respect her talents. Her record speaks for itself. Happy Birthday Danica and many more
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