Danica Patrick is is the top female race driver in American auto sports history and has been the face of international marketing campaigns. Her career recently came to an end with her retirement after the 2018 Indy 500. With her many side projects and public appearances, it is important to remember that the 36-year-old from Beloit, Wisconsin rose to fame from her many racing accomplishments.
Danica dropped out of high school and got her GED at age 16 to move to England and pursue her racing dreams with the support of her family. She raced in a few lower tier series and built a friendship with racing great Jackie Stewart. In 2005, she was signed to the Rahal Letterman IndyCar racing team. She was the second woman in series history to qualify for a pole position and landed three of them in her rookie year, earning the IndyCar Rookie of the Year award for 2005. By 2008, Danica was signed to the Andretti racing team. She then became the first woman to win an official open-wheeled race with a victory at the 2008 Japan 300.
In 2010, she transitioned to NASCAR stock car racing. She became the first woman ever to hold pole position at the Daytona 500 in 2013. Danica retired from racing in 2018 after coming back to IndyCar for her favorite race, the Indy 500. Now that she is stepping down from her racing career, the diverse interests she cultivated over her years as a driver are paying off. She owns her own winery, is involved with raising money for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and is set to be the first woman to host the ESPY awards at the 2018 event.
