DRIVEN TO INSPIRE
Patrick, racing in final Indy 500, reflects on legacy and future
INDIANAPOLIS – There are only 500 miles to go for Danica Patrick. Just one race left in a career that has brought her:
Rare one-name celebrity fame, and her sport new and younger fans of both genders.
Soaring hype but just one major victory, and thus the inevitable social media/TV and radio talk show backlash.
Jealousy from other drivers and the need to firmly establish personal boundaries, and deal with harassment, in a male-dominated game.
And enough wealth to venture into a post-racing life of entrepreneurship.
Patrick finishes Sunday with a final Indianapolis 500, reunited with Scottsdale-based GoDaddy as her sponsor. She’s smiled a lot during practice and qualified with a fast car to start seventh and a chance to win, a feat that arguably would be the most significant in all of motorsports’ history.
She is a firm “no” on racing again: “It’s not time (to stop.) It’s the time.” So when the checkered flag waves on the 102nd “Greatest
Spectacle in Racing,” the legacy of the part-time Scottsdale resident can be judged.
Or can it? Or might NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon’s theory be correct? We must wait 10 or more years to see if a new generation of female drivers emerges, inspired by Patrick to pursue racing at its highest levels, and make winning routine enough – as it is in NHRA drag racing -– to, ironically, be a non-story.
Patrick still inspiring
If so, the driving force will be Patrick’s example. She’s not planning an ongoing hands-on role, as she pursues her business goals and other commitments, such as hosting the July 18 ESPY’s on ABC.
“It’s that inspiring part that I don’t want to go away,” Patrick told The Republic during a lengthy interview a few days ago at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I learned adults, maybe because I am one (36), can be inspired, too. It can take to a certain age to cognitively understand concepts and how powerful the mind is before you can use it. I don’t think it’s just kids that need to be inspired.”
At least two Danica-inspired females are already on the horizon. Hailie Deegan, 16, has shown promise in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West. Natalie Decker, 20, is in ARCA (now owned by NASCAR).
Jealousy accompanies attention
Talent and opportunity aside, it’s unclear if they will experience the jealousy Patrick lived with when she became a national media superstar after leading and finishing fourth in the 2005 Indy 500 as a rookie.
Maybe some of it was understandable. When Patrick moved into first place, a radio network announcer screamed, “All is right with the world.” Patrick made the cover of Sports Illustrated, not winner Dan Wheldon. No IndyCar driver has been on the cover since.
A few competitors, who had embraced the attention she brought to the IndyCar series, began to resent the often-overstated media infatuation with all-things Danica.
“Unfortunately, some (drivers) did not show her enough respect,” said Helio Castroneves, who is going for a record-tying fourth Indy win on Sunday.
“I can see jealously pretty easily,” Patrick said. “Insecurity is what it really is. There were people who seemed like they had tougher shells to crack that were really nice to me. I think that’s because they were some of the drivers who were more confident in their abilities and less threatened.
“The more insecurity, the more outward projection towards me of jealousy or negativity. I don’t get that offended because I can see what it is.”
That attitude began taking shape when Patrick went to Europe in the late 1990s to learn in various junior formulas. What once were season-long parties traveling from race-to-race became cut-throat competitions as one aggressive young driver after another tried to impress Formula One team owners.
When Patrick arrived in IndyCar in 2005, it was diverse with serious and more sophisticated drivers from many nations, most open to her participation. Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher had already opened that door.
By the time she shifted full-time to NASCAR’s Cup series in 2013, her strong and independent persona was well established. Just in case, NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton made it clear to all involved that Patrick was most welcome.
‘Leave’ look
Patrick said she has not experienced sexual harassment in the blatant way exposed in the last year that created a national conversation.
“Nothing’s ever been uncomfortable, but there are some people you have to look at and give them the ‘leave’ look,” she said.
“I’ve been in a man’s world since I was 10. I jive with guys. I’m happy to speak their language and joke around and I don’t take things too personally. But I will stand up for exactly how I feel.”
She gave an example: “There was somebody (several years ago) grabbing me in the (Indy) garage area to take a photo. Then he did it again and I said, ‘Don’t touch me.’ I don’t know if people are always meaning offense by it, but from the very beginning if something feels off, I snap that right into place. I’ve always been a very outspoken person, so I don’t know if I catch things before it becomes something that could be uncomfortable. I just think there are guys that are perverts and inappropriate.
“I’m about equal. It’s not about women rising above men. It’s all about respect. If we all had respect for each other, insecurities wouldn’t go on. Jealousy wouldn’t go on. Inappropriateness wouldn’t go on. The way someone treats you is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves. It also helps not to take as much offense about things.
“I do have a ‘Don’t F with me’ vibe. I’m fortunate enough that that’s who I am. Manipulation is widespread across any profession. Putting people in compromising situations is inappropriate. But, look, at the core of everything your gut, your heart, knows what should and shouldn’t be going on. You have to call it like it is. You have to honor and respect yourself enough to say, ‘This doesn’t seem right.’”
Mixed results on track
Critics cite that Patrick achieved only one victory in seven full IndyCar seasons, 2008 in Japan, to become the first woman to win a major closed-course race. In NASCAR, she won the 2013 Daytona 500 pole, a female first, but had a best finish of only sixth in five seasons.
Patrick likes to point out she’s one of a small number of drivers to lead both the Indy and Daytona 500s. Her Indy record is impressive with finishes of fourth, eighth, eighth, 22nd, third, sixth and 10th from 2005-11.
“I’ve been fortunate to have my best days on the biggest days,” she said.
Her near-heroic re-adaptation to 235-mph IndyCars after a six-year absence has impressed Castroneves, who said it “shows that she’s an amazing talent.” Patrick seemed to react calmly when her car had an electrical problem Friday in final practice. If it had happened Sunday, her Chevrolet would have been eliminated.
In those first years it wasn’t unusual to see an angry Patrick, after a frustrating race, stalk away from her car.
“I wanted everyone to know I had the same expectation levels as the next guy” is how she reflects on those days. “I didn’t want them to think I felt anything less than winning is fine. It took awhile but I finally gave it up. I realized it didn’t take away from what I could do.
“Best-case scenario is it did show people how intense and driven I was. Worst-case scenario it made me look pretty unhappy and made me somewhat unhappy, which is not very productive, but no less part of the journey.”
New challenges await
The journey after Sunday, Patrick says, will challenge her in new ways, focusing on ventures she’s created, with a message of “Inspiring Lifestyle: Things that make you feel good, look good, become empowered, feel confident.”
There’s a book (”Pretty Intense”), wine (Somnium), leisure clothing (Warrior), yoga, thoughts of a speaking tour and interest in a more-substantive sort of cooking show.
“As my driving career was ending, I didn’t want to not have a way to inspire people,” she said. “This is a way to do that.
“I never wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be the best me. You have to find what you actually believe in and that’s usually what you enjoy or what your passion is and finding that confidence that you can do it. You have to be the first you. That’s how it works.”
Her biggest adjustment after Sunday?
“My ego is going to have to cope with not being the center of attention as often.”
Patrick’s bottom-line message to girls aspiring to race, or young adults wondering how to get ahead, might best be found in the last line of her newest GoDaddy commercial:
“I made my own way. Now it’s time to make yours.”