Danica Patrick

Danica Sue Patrick (born March 25, 1982) is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series, the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as a model and advertising spokeswoman. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. Patrick currently drives the #7 GoDaddy.com Honda/Dallara for Andretti Autosport. In 2010, Patrick began racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports part-time. She also has an equity stake in her #7 team. She placed 3rd in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, which was both a personal best for her at the track and the highest finish by a woman in the event's history.

The 2010 season saw Patrick returning to drive with the newly renamed Andretti Autosport in the IZOD Indycar Series, as well as a limited schedule with JR Motorsports in the Nascar Nationwide Series. She would be sponsored by GoDaddy.com in both series.

The 2010 Indianapolis 500 got off to a rough start for Patrick when difficulties with the car setup led her to blame her team for poor qualifying results. Her comments that the car was "absolutely awful" and that "its not my fault," led the crowd to boo Patrick loudly. Patrick was also booed during driver intros.Despite starting in 23rd position, Patrick moved up 17 positions to finish in 6th.

Patrick's top finishes of the season came at Texas and Homestead-Miami. She finished in 2nd place in both races, making it the first season since 2007 in which she had placed on the podium in multiple races during a season. She finished 10th in the championship points for the season, moving just 6 points ahead of Justin Wilson during the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

During the 2010 season, Patrick set the Indycar Series record for consecutive races finished running, having finished every race of the 2010 season as well as all but the first race of the 2009 season, for a total of 33 races.

The 2010 season would also see Patrick participating in the Drive4COPD campaign along with Patty Loveless, Bruce Jenner, Michael Strahan, and Jim Belushi. The team is working as part of a multi-year initiative to bring awareness of the dangers of COPD (which includes Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema), the 4th leading cause of death in the US today





stats
Nationality : American
Date of birth : March 25, 1982 (1982-03-25)
Place of birth : Beloit, Wisconsin
2010 IRL IndyCar Series
Debut season : 2005
Car no. : 7
Former teams : Rahal Letterman Racing
Starts : 98
Wins : 1
Poles : 3
Best finish : 5th in 2009
Awards
2005–07, 2009 : IndyCar Rookie of the Year
IndyCar Most Popular Driver