Danica Patrick Biography

Danica Patrick was born on March 25, 1982, in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA, to Terry Jose Patrick, Jr., a racer of snowmobiles and midget cars, and his wife Beverly Ann. She has a younger sister named Brooke.

In 1992, at the age of 10, she began go-karting with her sister in Wisconsin.

She was raised in Roscoe, Illinois. She studied at ‘Hononegah Community High School’ where she was part of a cheerleading team. She dropped out of high school and obtained a GED certification.

At the age of 16, she moved to Milton Keynes, England, in order to advance her racing career. During a three-year period, she competed in ‘Formula Ford’ and ‘Formula Vauxhall.’ She was placed second in Britain's ‘Formula Ford Festival,’ the highest finish by an American in the event.

In 1997, she was a guest of Lyn St. James at the 81st ‘Indianapolis 500’ where she met John Mecom Jr., a former Indy 500-winning team owner. John subsequently began following her career and arranged for her to take part in the ‘Formula Fords’ in the U.K.

In 2002, Patrick made a deal with ‘Rahal-Letterman Racing’ and achieved moderate success in the next two years. She was a consistent podium finisher but never won a race during that period.

In 2005, she competed in the ‘Indianapolis 500’ and finished fourth, achieving the highest-ever finish by a female driver at the ‘Indy 500.’ The same year, she also won her first pole position and became only the second woman to do so in the ‘IndyCar Series.’

In 2008, she won at ‘Twin Ring Motegi’ in the ‘Indy Japan 300.’ Overall, she finished the 2008 ‘IndyCar Series’ season in sixth place, the highest championship finish among American drivers for the season.

In 2009, she impressed everybody at the ‘Indianapolis 500’ by finishing third in the event.

In 2011, she competed part-time in the ‘NASCAR Nationwide Series,’ driving for ‘JR Motorsports.’ She finished fourth in Sam's Town ‘300 Nationwide Series Race’ at the ‘Las Vegas Motor Speedway.’

In 2013, she won the pole position at the ‘Daytona 500’ and also became the first woman to ever win a pole in a ‘Sprint Cup’ race. She also drove part-time for ‘Turner Scott Motorsports’ in the ‘Nationwide Series.’

In 2014, she became the second woman to earn a top ten at ‘Atlanta Motor Speedway.’

In 2015, she matched Janet Guthrie’s score of most top tens by a woman in the ‘Sprint Cup’ series. She joined ‘Stewart-Haas Racing’ for the 2016 season. Unfortunately, the year was marked by crashes and early retirement in races; she even struggled to finish races.

The next year, she had success in the ‘NASCAR Cup Series.’ She also finished fourth at the ‘Advance Auto Parts Clash’ exhibition race at Daytona.

In 2018, she had her last race in NASCAR with ‘Premium Motorsports’ at the 2018 ‘Daytona 500.’ She concluded her race early as she was involved in a six-car accident. She finished her NASCAR career in the top ten.

She has also worked as a television host and model. She posed for the cover of ‘Sports Illustrated,’ and has also been featured in advertisements and music videos. She made a cameo appearance in the 2019 action comedy film ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ She has also guest-starred in many television series such as ‘CSI: NY,’ ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Project Runway All Stars,’ and ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls.’

She has also appeared in music videos for songs like "Show Me What You Got," "Fastest Girl in Town," "Girl Ridin' Shotgun," and "Girls Like You."

In 2005, Danica Patrick became the fourth woman to race in the ‘Indianapolis 500.’ Her fourth-place finish was the highest ever for a female driver. She led 3 out of 19 laps of the race, becoming the first woman ever to lead the ‘Indy 500.’

In 2006, the ‘March of Dimes’ conferred upon her the title of ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ in recognition of her dedication and success.

In 2008, she created history by becoming the first woman to win an ‘IndyCar’ race.

In 2013, Patrick won the time trials at the ‘Daytona 500’ and became the first woman to win the pole position at the famous NASCAR event.

In 2005, Danica Patrick married Paul Edward Hospenthal, a physical therapist, who helped her recover from a yoga injury. After seven years of marriage, she filed for divorce in January 2013.

In 2012, it was reported that she was dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two-time ‘Nationwide Series’ champion. They broke up in 2017.

In February 2018, Patrick started dating NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, they broke up in 2020. She later started dating American entrepreneur, Carter Comstock in 2021 before parting ways with him in 2022.