AP Photo
When a stock car is running at 196 miles per hour, it’s impossible to tell whether the driver is a man or a woman: The driver is just a blur without a trace of specific character to the rest of us awed bystanders. It’s one of the few instances in sports when women compete directly against men, with no allowances. When Danica Patrick crosses the start line in Sunday’s Daytona 500, her situation will be exactly the same as the guys: They’ll all be staring out of helmets at the road ahead, absorbing high speed sensory jolts while encased in 3,400 pounds of carbon and sheet metal.
Nevertheless, when it’s Patrick driving, the question inevitably arises: Is a racecar really genderless?
“I don’t know,” she says. “That’s a good question,...
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick, likely the lightest Sprint Cup driver, drives a car that might be 30 pounds or so lighter than most of her competition. The lighter weight could give Patrick an advantage by allowing... more »
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After winning pole position for Sunday's Daytona 500, the public focus and the fan pressure to win the Great American Race has descended on Danica Patrick. Famous driver, historic moment, grand stage. Yet... more »
Everyone knows where Danica Patrick will start in Sunday's Daytona 500. Where she will finish is the hot topic now. Patrick made an appearance Tuesday on Pardon the Interruption and was told just 17 percent of Daytona 500... more »
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR drivers are fond of downplaying the difficulty of a qualifying lap at Daytona. A monkey could do it, five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said Sunday. So could an orangutan,... more »
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Not quite eight years ago, a split-second gust of wind kept 23-year-old Danica Patrick from electrifying rather than just wowing the world. It kept her from winning the pole for the 2005 Indianapolis... more »
Email
Print
Share