As collegiettes, we may not be that into sports, but we do love when a woman breaks barriers and makes history. This is exactly what professional racecar driver Danica Patrick is doing this season. She stands out among the men in her number 10 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series sponsored by Go Daddy.com as the only professional female racecar driver in the series today.
Patrick, who will turn 31 later this month, has yet again grabbed the nation’s attention as a racecar driver with a lot of potential. After scoring the pole position to start the first and biggest race of the year last weekend, Patrick is setting a lot of records on the race track. She was the first woman to lead a lap at the Daytona 500 at Daytona Beach in Florida last Sunday. Despite her eighth place finish, Patrick did manage to earn seven points, one for each lap she led. She is the highest placing female driver in the race’s history.
Patrick started becoming a more prominent record setter in 2010 when she made her first NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13. Â She started 15th at the race and finished 35th. On Oct. 9, 2010, she drove the first car to have a mobile bar code activation. People could scan the QR code on the hood of her car and it would lead to sites related to Danica, her racing, and the watch company, Tissot, which sponsored her at the time. She also decided to leave the Indy Series in 2010 after seven years in order to focus more on the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.
In 2006, Patrick was named Female Athlete of the Year by the United States Sports Academy. She was also named Rookie of the Year in 2005 by the Indy Racing League.
 Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy race in 2008 when she won the Indy Japan 300. This was her first and only career win to date. Despite her 39th place finish in Phoenix on Sunday, Patrick is sure to be a driver to watch this season.
One race at a time, Danica Patrick is showing America that women can compete with men at any level. “I was raised to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl. That’s how I’ve always approached my racing career. I’ve been lucky enough to make history and be the first woman to do many things. We have a lot more history to make and we are excited to do it,” Patrick said on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website.
*Photo courtesy of www.nytimes.com
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