NASCAR/ARCA careerPatrick will drive a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports and her sponsor GoDaddy.com. Her first competitive stock car experience was driving the #7 Chevrolet in an ARCA race on February 6, 2010 at Daytona International Speedway, in which she finished in sixth place. She raced at Daytona on February 13, 2010, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for her first career start in the series, which ended while Patrick was caught up in a 12-car accident. She started 15th and finished 35th. Patrick started her second NASCAR Nationwide Series race February 20th, 2010 in the Stater Brothers 300 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California from 36th place and finished in 31st place in the JR Motorsports Chevrolet. She did not qualify for the race on speed but invoked a provisional to make the grid. In her third Nationwide race, Patrick finished 36th when she crashed into Micheal McDowell, her 2nd DNF in 3 races. Her next Nationwide race will be in June.
Critics :Some drivers have critically commented on Danica Patrick's using the fact she is a female driver as a means of self promotion. After Patrick's IRL win, she was praised by many drivers, including NASCAR driver and former IRL champion Tony Stewart, who said "I think obviously she's got talent; she's been successful in every form of racing she's been in so far and I don't see why she wouldn't be successful here [in NASCAR]."
Media work :
Patrick has hosted several TV shows on Spike TV, including the "Powerblock", and she was featured in the 2005 documentary Girl Racers. On the August 23, 2007 episode of Diggnation, hosts Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose shot live at Infineon Raceway, where they were treated to a lap around the track in the IndyCar Safety Car driven by Patrick. On April 24, 2008, Patrick was a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night With Conan O'Brien on April 25, 2008.
Patrick was featured on the cover of the June 6, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated, making her the first Indianapolis 500 driver on the cover since Al Unser, in victory lane, following his upset fourth victory in 1987. After her participation in the 2005 Indianapolis 500, she was asked by Playboy to have her pictures taken to be published in a future edition of its magazine. She declined the offer, but she did participate in a "20 Questions" interview with Jason Buhrmester for the magazine's July 2007 issue. She had also previously posed for FHM, appearing in the April 2003 issue. She was on the cover of the September/October 2006 issue of travelgirl magazine and the October 2006 issue of American Libraries. Patrick appears in the February 15, 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She is featured in a 4-page photo spread.
She appeared in commercials for Secret deodorant in 2005 and 2006 until she was replaced by Rihanna in 2007. She also appeared in Jay-Z's music video "Show Me What You Got," where she drives a Pagani Zonda Roadster. A spot for the Honda Civic Coupe features Patrick trying to avoid a speeding ticket.Patrick was featured in an ESPN "This Is SportsCenter" commercial, which showed then-anchor Dan Patrick towing her IndyCar due to a reserved space misunderstanding (the space in question being reserved for "D. Patrick"). She can also be seen in award winning corporate training videos Four Weeks In May and T.E.A.M.W.O.R.K. In May 2006, she published her autobiography, Danica: Crossing the Line.
During testing at Phoenix International Raceway, GoDaddy filmed a commercial with Patrick that has also aired nationally. During the same test, at the invitation of GoDaddy, Patrick met with Paul Teutul, Sr. and Mikey Teutul, and subsequently appeared on an episode of American Chopper. Patrick was also in a 2008 "inspirational, feel-good" Go Daddy commercial called "Kart" that features a young girl who aspires to be like Patrick. On February 1, 2009, Patrick appeared in two GoDaddy.com commercials advertised during Super Bowl XLIII. The Most Watched Super Bowl commercial of 2009, according to TiVo, was Patrick's "Enhancement" ad for GoDaddy.com.
Recently she was voted sexiest athlete in Victoria's Secret "What is Sexy" list. Patrick also was voted #42 in 2006 and #85 in 2007 in FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world.
Patrick made a second appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in February 2009, posing with a Shelby Cobra 427.
Patrick is represented by IMG talent agency.
Recently starred in a Boost Mobile commercial to advertise their prepaid unlimited telephone plans.
Acting :Patrick made her acting debut in an episode of CSI: New York in the the February 10, 2010 episode where she played a racing driver suspected of murder.
Personal life :
Patrick's parents, T.J. and Bev Patrick, met on a blind date at a snowmobile event in the 1970s when Bev was a mechanic for a friend's snowmobile. T.J. raced snowmobiles, motocross, and midget cars. They have owned a Java Hut and a plate glass company.
She was a cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School near Beloit in 1996. She dropped out of high school and attained a GED.
Currently, T.J. helps his daughter by driving her motor coach and managing her website and merchandise trailer, while Bev handles Patrick's business affairs. Patrick is married to Paul Edward Hospenthal, who had previously been her physical therapist while she was recovering from a yoga injury. She converted to Roman Catholicism upon marrying Hospenthal in 2005.
She won the 2008 Kids Choice Award for favorite female athlete.
She has received two speeding tickets in her hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona. The first, in 2007, was for driving 57 mph (92 km/h) in a 40 mph (64 km/h) zone, for which she was ordered to attend traffic school; the second, in 2008, was for going 54 mph (87 km/h) in a 35 mph (56 km/h) zone, and she paid a $196 fine.
