Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick began go-karting in 1992 at the age of 10, and went on to win several World Karting Association championships.
She moved to England at the age of 16 in order to advance her racing career.
Patrick raced in Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall, earning a second-place finish in Britain's Formula Ford Festival, the highest finish by a woman in the event.

In 2002:
Patrick started driving for Rahal Letterman Racing in the United States. She also made making several starts in the Barber Dodge Pro Series,
Patrick won one pole position and was a consistent podium finisher (top three); however, she never won a race.

2003:
Danica moved to the Toyota Atlantic Championship series for 2003.
she won one pole position and was a consistent podium finisher (top three); however, she never won a race.

2004:
Danica Patrick wins the pole for race #2 in Portland driving for (#24 Argent Mortgage Company), in theToyota Atlantic Championship Series.
By winning the pole, Patrick becomes the first woman to start an open-wheel race on the point since Sarah Fisher accomplished the feat at Kentucky in 2002.
"I'm just so happy for my team, most of all," added the second-year Rahal-Letterman Racing driver. "They were here (working on the car) until 9 p.m. last night and I got to go out and have a nice dinner. They worked their butts off."
Patrick finished third in the Championship.

IRL IndyCar Series

2005:

After the 2004 racing season, Rahal Letterman Racing officially announced that Patrick would drive in the IRL IndyCar Series for 2005.
On May 29, 2005, Patrick became only the fourth woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, following Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher. After posting the fastest practice speed of the month (229.880 mph/369.956 km/h) during the morning practice session on the first day of qualifications (May 15), she made an error in the first turn of her first qualifying lap, and failed to capture the pole position, which instead went to Tony Kanaan. Patrick's fourth starting position, however, was still the highest ever attained for the race by a female driver.

Patrick became the first female driver to lead the race at Indianapolis, first when acquiring it for a lap near the 125-mile (201 km) mark while cycling through pit stops, and late in the race when she stayed out one lap longer than her rivals during a set of green-flag pit stops. Patrick overcame two crucial errors to finish fourth in the race, the same position in which she started: Patrick's car stalled in the pits about halfway through the 500-mile (800 km) race, dropping her to the middle of the field; and shortly after reclaiming a spot in the top 10, Patrick spun on a caution period just before an intended green flag leading to a four car accident. The accident caused damage to Patrick's car that was limited to the nose and front wing. Her pit crew promptly made repairs, and due to the subsequent yellow, Patrick was able to rejoin the field having lost only one position. When the leaders pitted for fuel on lap 172, Patrick stayed out to take the lead. On lap 194, eventual race winner and 2005 series champion Dan Wheldon passed her as she was forced to slow in order to conserve fuel. Patrick was subsequently passed by both Bryan Herta and her teammate Vitor Meira. Patrick's fourth place was the highest ever finish for a female driver at the Indy 500, besting the previous record of ninth set by Janet Guthrie in 1978. Patrick led 19 laps overall.

On July 2, 2005, Patrick won her first pole position, leading a 1-2-3 sweep by Rahal Letterman Racing at Kansas Speedway. She became the second woman to accomplish this feat in the IndyCar Series, the first being Sarah Fisher in 2002 at Kentucky Speedway. On August 13, 2005, she won her second pole at Kentucky Speedway, although this time, rain prematurely ended qualifying and position was determined by speeds achieved during practice. She took a third pole at Chicagoland Speedway which tied her with Tomas Scheckter's record for number of pole positions earned in a rookie season.

In 2005, Patrick finished 12th in the IndyCar Series championship, with 325 points. She was named Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season.
During the offseason following the 2005 racing year, Patrick competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona along with co-driver Rusty Wallace in January 2006.

2006:

Patrick competed in the 2006 IndyCar Series season giving her another chance at qualifying and racing in the Indianapolis 500. In the first race of the season, the Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead, Patrick qualified third behind the Penske Racing teammates of Helio Castroneves and Sam Hornish, Jr. However, tragedy struck as RLR teammate Paul Dana was killed in a crash during practice the morning of the race. Patrick and Buddy Rice withdrew from the race immediately. The two resumed their 2006 IndyCar campaign with the second race of the year at St. Petersburg
At the Indy 500, Patrick started eighth and finished eighth. After Watkins Glen, RLR switched to the Dallara chassis and the team struggled to adapt. Patrick struggled to remain competitive, but her fourth place finishes at Nashville and Milwaukee tied her career best IndyCar finishes. At Michigan, Patrick's car ran out of fuel with three laps to go and she fell to 17th. She rebounded at Kentucky and Infineon to finish 8th in both races.
In her final race with RLR at Chicagoland, Patrick recorded a 12th place finish and a 9th place finish in the IndyCar Series Championship point standings, besting her 12th place points finish as a rookie.
In November, the March of Dimes awarded her the title of Sportswoman of the Year in celebration of her dedication and success.

2007:

On July 25, 2006, Patrick announced she had signed a deal to drive for Andretti Green Racing, replacing Bryan Herta in the number 7 Dallara Honda car beginning in 2007. Patrick's car is sponsored by Motorola, XM radio and Go Daddy.
In Patrick's first race with AGR at Homestead on March 24 she finished 14th after crashing into the pit wall on lap 154. She finished 8th at St. Pete and 11th at Japan. At Kansas she had her best finish of the year at that point, finishing 7th.
In April 2007, Patrick launched her official fan club The Danica Maniacs to help foster greater interaction between her and her fans.
Patrick ended up starting and finishing eighth in the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500. She ran as high as 2nd to Tony Kanaan after the mid-race rain delay. After a pit stop, she dropped back in the field. Patrick was working her way back to the front until the race was ended under the caution caused by Marco Andretti's accident due to the subsequent rain on lap 166.
At Milwaukee, Patrick started second to last but moved up quickly to 5th before contact with Dan Wheldon. Patrick managed to save the car from hitting anything but the wreck caused aerodynamic damage. She used a timely caution to get back on the lead lap and finish 8th. After the race she and Wheldon had a heated exchange after she tried to confront him about the wreck.
Following the incident at Milwaukee, Patrick rebounded with a career night at Texas in the Bombardier Learjet 550. She ran with the lead pack throughout the entire race and led a race for the first time since 2005. She finished less than a second behind winner Sam Hornish, Jr., a then career-best third, her first "podium" finish.
Her good fortune would only be temporary as she was involved in one of the several crashes at Iowa to finish 13th. She would however rebound at Richmond to run in the top 10 all night before finishing 6th.
She followed that up with an 11th place finish at Watkins Glen before running in the top 5 all day and finishing 3rd at Nashville. At Mid-Ohio she finished 5th (her best career road course finish) despite being involved in a lap 1 accident that sent her into the grass briefly.
Patrick continued to have bad luck at Michigan International Speedway as previous years have seen Patrick retire from the race early due to fuel and other troubles. At the 2007 running, a flat tire in the late portion of the race forced Patrick to pit and dropped her to a 7th place finish.
Her terrible luck would continue at Kentucky as she ran in the lead group all night and appeared headed towards another podium finish when she spun out exiting pit road with less than 50 laps to go. After restarting from that spin, a rear tire on Patrick's car blew leading to a crash and forcing her to retire from the race.
Her luck would get a little better at Infineon as she ran in the top 10 and finished 6th. However a series of slow pit stops kept her from what could have been an even better finish.
At Belle Isle, Patrick started 11th and was involved in two accidents from which she was able to restart without damage, eventually driving to the front and leading 9 laps of the race before falling back after having to pit. On the final lap, while Patrick was running in 5th, Buddy Rice, Scott Dixon and teammate Dario Franchitti were involved in an accident immediately in front of her. Patrick was able to avoid the wreck and finish in second place, a career-high in the IndyCar Series and tying her with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing driver Sarah Fisher for best finish in IndyCar racing by a female.
At the season finale in Chicagoland Speedway, Patrick ran most of the race in the top 6, but had to make a pit stop for fuel with 7 laps to go. When entering pit lane, Patrick spun-out but avoided damage to her car. With assistance from her pit crew, Patrick was able to refire the engine, make a complete pit stop and reenter the race, finishing 11th overall.
For the 2007 season as a whole, Patrick scored her first three career podium finishes to finish with 4 top 5's and 11 top 10's while leading 17 laps on the season. She also scored her career best championship points finish of 7th with 424 points.

2008:

Patrick won her first IRL race at the 2008 Indy Japan 300, and became first woman to win an IndyCar Series race.
To begin the 2008 season, her second with AGR, Patrick scored her best career Homestead finish of 6th. She followed that up with another top 10 by scoring a 10th place finish at St. Petersburg.

Patrick won at Twin Ring Motegi in the Indy Japan 300 on April 20, 2008, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race, joining the ranks of drag racer Shirley Muldowney, who won three NHRA Top Fuel Championships,[9] as a "first female" winner in the top tier of American motorsports. Patrick took the Indy Japan 300 after the race leaders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps. She finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of the Brazilian pole-sitter Helio Castroneves, who ran out of fuel in the final turns on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) Twin Ring Motegi oval.
Her team owner, Michael Andretti, commented, "I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back".A mechanical problem late in the race RoadRunner Turbo 300 at Kansas Speedway forced Patrick to retire early from the race.

During practice for the 2008 Indianapolis 500, Patrick's car struck a member of Dale Coyne Racing's pit crew when she came into the pits on May 9. During the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2008, she retired from the race early after a collision in the pitlane. As Ryan Briscoe exited his pitbox the two cars collided, damaging Patrick's left rear suspension and eliminating both from the race. After being pushed back to her own pit, Patrick left her car and headed down pit road towards Briscoe's pit at which point IMS security intervened, preventing an on-track confrontation.
Following Indy, Patrick finished 9th at Milwaukee and 10th at Texas, with both races ending under yellow flag conditions.
At Iowa and Richmond she stayed out of the many crashes during these races and finished 6th in each event.
Overall, she finished the 2008 IndyCar Series season in sixth place - the highest championship finish among American drivers for the 2008 season.

During the offseason following the 2008 racing year, Patrick made her second appearance in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January 2009.

2009:
.
On May 24, Patrick raced at the Indy 500. She finished third behind winner Helio Castroneves and second-place Dan Wheldon,
It was her best finish in five attempts, one spot better than her 2005 finish, and a new record high finish for a female driver in the race. The following weekend in Milwaukee Patrick raced to 5th position at the flag. On June 6, she finished the Bombardier Learjet 550 in 6th place, dropping her to fifth place in the IndyCar Series point standings.

Patrick began the season with the Motorola sponsorship from her previous two seasons with AGR, however her car was rebranded for Boost Mobile following the Kansas race. The changes were made public with a drive down the tarmac at the Indianapolis International Airport.
In what was a difficult Honda Indy Toronto qualifying and practice for the entire AGR team, Patrick started the race in the 18th position (her teammates also starting in the rear of the field in 17th, 20th, and 22nd). Patrick had the best finish of the AGR team moving up 12 positions to finish 6th, putting her only three points behind Castroneves for the 4th position in the 2009 points championship.

11/30/09

The big announcement for Danica Patrick turned out not to be so big for NASCAR fans after all!

Just before 8:15 a.m. Monday morning, the GoDaddy.com site replaced the announcement banner with a picture of Patrick with the No. 7 Andretti-Green car. Along the top of the site was a news ticket with the headline: "GoDaddy.com is proud to announce its primary sponsorship of Andretti Green Racing team No. 7 Indy Car driven by Danica Patrick in the 2010 IZOD IndyCar series."

Shortly after Patrick revealed the car on Good Morning America and confirmed she did re-sign with Andretti-Autosport Racing for three more years. Also mentioned was a holiday charity coat drive.

There was no mention of anything beyond IndyCar.

The company issued the following statement:

RUMOR NO MORE: GO DADDY PUTS THE "GO" IN DANICA PATRICK'S RACING FUTURE

Go Daddy Girl Inks 3-Yr Deal with Andretti Autosport - Unveils 2010 GoDaddy.com IndyCar

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 30, 2009) - With all the speculation buzzing around her 100-pound physique and multi-million dollar appeal, one point about Danica Patrick's future is clear - she intends to be a Go Daddy Girl for years to come. Danica signed a three-year deal with Andretti Autosport to remain with the world's largest domain name registrar and Web hosting provider. This means Go Daddy is Danica's primary IndyCar sponsor into 2012.

The deal deepens a long-standing relationship between Go Daddy and IndyCar's Most Popular Driver.

"Danica is the quintessential Go Daddy Girl," said Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons, who spotted Danica's phenomenal marketing potential well before she won her first IndyCar race. "Danica is a beautiful woman competing in a male-dominated sport. She's passionate. She's focused. She's all about doing what it takes to win and we love that about her. Not to mention she's edgy, smokin' hot and as tough as any competitor anywhere."

Danica originally signed with Go Daddy and Andretti's team in late 2006 and appeared in her first Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial the next year. At that time she was well-known as the first woman ever to lead during an Indianapolis 500 race. Since that time, Danica won her first IndyCar race, as a Go Daddy Girl, in Japan, and starred as a Go Daddy Girl in the Most Watched Super Bowl commercial of 2009.

"We are very good together," Parsons said.

Danica clearly agrees. "Bob Parsons and Go Daddy have believed in me from the start," Danica smiled. "You know, my life long goal is to win the Indy 500 and I'd love to do that in the GoDaddy.com car."

The 2010 GoDaddy.com No. 7 car was officially unveiled before a national television audience of an estimated five million people this morning in New York City's Times Square. The sleek IndyCar should be easy to follow on the track next season given its bright green and orange Go Daddy design.

At Danica's side for today's unveiling was Andretti Autosport team owner and legendary racer Michael Andretti, who served as Danica's race strategist last season.

Meantime, rumors about Danica's racing future have had tongues wagging for months, but no confirmation on anything beyond IndyCar yet today.

What's next for Danica? She plans to be on-set for the filming of this year's Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials later this week.

Go Daddy is legendary for its Super Bowl ads, known as being GoDaddy-esque, meaning they are funny, edgy and slightly inappropriate.

When it comes to business though, Go Daddy takes itself very seriously. Go Daddy is the world's No. 1 registrar of new domains, as well as a world leader in paid Web hosting and new SSL certificates. Go Daddy offers 50-plus products to make getting online easy and affordable - while providing industry-best 24/7 personalized customer service.

11/16/09

Hendrick says Patrick deal not done yet.

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Rick Hendrick said Sunday he has no deal to bring IndyCar superstar Danica Patrick to NASCAR, and there's no certainty she'll even be driving stock cars next season.

"I just think that they are not even close to making a decision on whether to even do it this year or next year," Hendrick said of Patrick and her representatives at IMG.

"You never know until it's done. You never know until it's signed. And anybody can change their mind. When you get down to the nitty gritty of any deal, it's always complicated. There can always be someone who comes back and says 'I can't do it because of this.' So until it's done, it's not done. And that's the honest truth."

Patrick is reportedly in the final stages of a contract that would partner her on a limited Nationwide Series schedule with JR Motorsports, the team owned by both Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But speaking before Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway, Hendrick called the reports "premature" and insisted nothing is imminent.

"I think everything is an option, and it's just too early to really comment on it," he said. "I can't give you anything concrete, because there isn't anything concrete right now. Nothing is imminent until it's signed. Too many things can happen."

Hendrick, who just returned from a weeklong vacation in Israel, said there have been no new developments in talks with Patrick and that IndyCar remains her first priority. Existing contracts she has in that series could also complicate a potential venture into NASCAR.

"These are complicated deals, you have other contracts with the sport she's in, that's primary to her," he said.

Patrick has said very little about her 2010 plans, including an apparent contract extension to stay with Andretti Green Racing. Part of that holdup is a pending change of team ownership, which is expected to be transferred solely to Michael Andretti.

Once that transaction is complete -- potentially by the end of this month -- then Patrick is expected to announce her extension. That could also be holding up any deals in NASCAR.

But Hendrick said he supports her decision to try NASCAR on a limited schedule to gauge her skill and interest.

"I've been impressed with the way her approach has been," he said. "She wants to do the right thing and the right pace, and that's the only way she should do it.

"It's not like she's going to try to run Cup out of the gate. I think she's going to see how she likes it, whether she might be into it. I think she's doing it the right way."

11/09/09

Patrick remains driven
She's on a mission to add NASCAR ride
By Michael Vega
Danica and Dale Jr. What a sponsor's match made in heaven. It must have left GoDaddy.com feeling like a proud papa this week when reports surfaced that Danica Patrick, whose IndyCar Series ride with Andretti Green Racing is sponsored by GoDaddy, was close to signing a two-year deal to drive a limited Nationwide Series schedule next season for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s. JR Motorsports team.

With GoDaddy, of course, as the primary sponsor.

After recently signing a three-year extension with Andretti Green through 2012, Patrick seems intent on pursuing an exploration into NASCAR by joining Earnhardt's team, which had a seat available because Brad Keselowski signed a Sprint Cup deal with Penske Racing to replace David Stremme in the No. 12 Dodge.

"She's really serious about coming to NASCAR,'' Earnhardt told SceneDaily.com, who said there is competition for her services. "A lot of people, I guess, thought that it was just a media hoax or her kind of blowing smoke. She's really serious about it, and she's going to do it with somebody.''

Although Patrick did have discussions with Michael Waltrip last month and with Tony Stewart earlier this year, it appears Earnhardt has emerged as the front-runner because of one important person: car owner Rick Hendrick, who met with Patrick and pledged his support for her program at JR Motorsports. That was a huge negotiating tool for Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who has spearheaded the negotiations, which intensified this week.

When Hendrick scored a coup two years ago by signing Earnhardt to a five-year contract, his star-studded collection of drivers - which includes four-time champion Jeff Gordon and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, who is on the cusp of winning an unprecedented fourth in a row - were characterized as the New York Yankees of NASCAR.

Now, it appears Hendrick is swinging for the fences again. In helping Earnhardt position himself to sign the 27-year-old Patrick, Hendrick would be paving the way for her to move to Sprint Cup (when the circumstances are right) with his organization.

Although NASCAR next season will scale down the size of Sprint Cup teams from five to four cars, Patrick would be in position to slide into a spot at Hendrick if 50-year-old driver Mark Martin retires. Two months ago, Martin agreed to a two-year extension with Hendrick through 2011, with GoDaddy coming aboard as the primary sponsor of his No. 5 next season. The sponsor and team would be in place for Patrick to make a smooth transition from Nationwide to Sprint Cup with the Hendrick organization.

If all goes as planned, Patrick would compete in a full IndyCar Series schedule while adding 12-13 Nationwide Series races. It was hoped she could make her debut in February at Daytona, if not in a Nationwide car, then in an ARCA event. If she doesn't get NASCAR approval in time for the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona, then she would likely run her first race at Fontana, Calif.
"Danica's a racer,'' said Lyn St. James, who has closely followed Patrick's career. "She's doing this because she's a racer to her core. She's maturing and evolving and she's ready.''

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