Danica Patrick sells herself from being a passionate rookie

Burning
Rubber
to
Packaged
Plastic
Danica Patrick sells herself from being a passionate
rookie of racing to a cheap pop-culture figure.
D
anica Sue Patrick (born March
25, 1982) is an American autoracing driver, model and advertising
spokeswoman. She is the most
successful woman in the history of
American open-wheel racing and has
become a media sensation, being
pushed to be called a marketing
machine.
Early life
Patrick was born in Beloit, Wisconsin,
She grew up in nearby Roscoe,
Illinois. Her parents met on a blind
date at a snowmobile event in the
1970s when Bev was a mechanic for a
friend’s snowmobile.[7][8] T. J. raced
snowmobiles, motocross, and midget
cars. They have owned a Java Hut and a
plate glass company.
Early Racing Career
Patrick began go-karting in 1992 at the
age of 10 at the Sugar River Raceway
in Brodhead, Wisconsin. She dropped
out of high school and attained a GED
certification. At age 16 she moved to
Milton Keynes, England, in order to
advance her racing career, racing in
British national series events.
Public Perception
Following her IndyCar win at Twin Ring
Motegi, Patrick was praised by many
drivers, including 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].”
Criticism
Robby Gordon has claimed that Patrick’s
comparatively low body weight (100 lbs)
constitutes an
unfair advantage.
Kyle Petty has called Patrick a
“marketing machine,” and during an
appearance on NASCAR Race Hub in
June 2013, he asserted, “She’s not a race
car driver. There’s a difference. The King
always had that stupid saying, but it’s
true: Lots of drivers can drive fast, but
very few drivers can race. Danica has
been the perfect example of somebody
who can qualify better than what she
runs. She can go fast, but she can’t race.
I think she’s come a long way, but she’s
still not a racecar driver. And I don’t think
she’s ever going to be a race car driver.”
Patrick responded by saying “I really
don’t care,” while other drivers came to
her defense.
Media Work
Patrick is represented by IMG talent
agency and has hosted several TV shows
on Spike TV, including “Powerblock”,
and she was featured in the 2005
documentary Girl Racers. On the August
23, 2007 episode of Diggnation, she hosts
Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose shot live
at Infineon Raceway, where they were
treated to a lap around in the IndyCar
Car driven by Patrick. On April 24, 2008,
She was a guest on the Late Show with
David Letterman and Late Night with
Conan O’Brien.
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 four-page
photo spread. Later, she made a second
appearance in the Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue in February 2009, posing
with a Shelby Cobra 427.
In 2007 she was voted sexiest athlete
in the 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 and she won the 2008 Kids
Choice Award for favorite female athlete
and again in 2012.
She appeared in commercials for
Secret deodorant in 2005 and 2006 until
she was replaced by Rihanna in 2007. 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.
Patrick appeared as a playable guest
character in the video game Sonic & AllStars Racing Transformed, providing her
own voice and in addition, she made an
appearance in the game’s commercial.
In October 2011, Patrick appeared
on Cake Boss to order a special surprise
cake for Michael Kalish, an established
artist that created an art display called
“24M”, representing the 24 million
people affected with COPD. The artwork
consists of 24 giant pinwheels made
from U.S. license plates. The custom cake
designed by Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss
included a racetrack with moving cars
and pinwheels.
Patrick made her acting debut in
the February 10, 2010, episode of CSI:
NY where she played a racing driver
suspected of murder. She also voiced
herself in The Simpsons episode “How
Munched is That Birdie in the Window?”.
On September 3, 2013, the Food
Network’s competitive cooking show
Chopped featured Danica. She beat
out three other celebrities to win the
competition.
She also drove the 1969 Camaro
SS in the music video for “Fastest Girl in
Town”, a single by American recording
artist Miranda Lambert. Patrick also
appeared in Colt Ford’s music video
for “Drivin’ Around Song” with Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr.
Patrick is the celebrity spokesperson
for Drive4COPD, an awareness campaign
for chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, of which her grandmother died.
Racer Barbie
Clarence sale
20
10
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10.00
“Danica has
been the
perfect
example of
somebody who
can qualify
better than
what she
runs.”
-Kyle Petty