"EMBRACING WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT IS SOMETIMES WHAT MAKES YOU GREAT"

Patrick is not just an icon; she’s also a role model who has taken racing by storm with her recent success in NASCAR

How large does Danica Patrick’s presence loom over NASCAR? Look no farther than the garage area at Phoenix International Raceway: Patrick’s image dominates both sides of her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet’s hauler — the only Sprint Cup driver with that. • For the two-week period around the Daytona 500, Patrick arguably was America’s most famous athlete. She was the focus of intense national media coverage by becoming the first female to win a Cup series pole position. She ran near the front all race and finished eighth — and is largely credited for Daytona’s highest TV rating since 2008. • Today, in the Subway Fresh Fit 500, Patrick settles in for her first full Cup season. She met with azcentral sports Friday at PIR. Her answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Question: You’ve been called a role model. A certain responsibility comes with that. Do you embrace it? Answer: I do. I think it allows me to figure out what it is I stand for (and) would want to tell kids. It lets you reflect a tiny bit and look a little deeper. It’s not about trying to be somebody that society says is a good person. For me, what I realize is, you just have to embrace who you are and not be afraid of that. For me, it was being a girl in a guy’s world; it was getting mad if I was mad; it was getting happy if you’re happy; a clever answer to a silly question. It allows you to show your personality and feel good about who you are and embracing what makes you different is sometimes what makes you great, actually.

Q: Are you glad Daytona is over? A: Not necessarily. I enjoy the big events, the big races. It feels good to know people are paying attention to us. At the end of the day, we’re entertainers. It was more relaxed than in some years’ past. Not because there was less to do but because everything we did was impactful and planned well. Q: How does it feel to know so many people watched you on TV? A: I’m happy for people to watch the race. But if it was just me they were watching, it would be very boring watching me going around in circles. It takes the 42 other drivers to entertain the fan base or new fans. Whatever it takes to bring people in for the afternoon is good for me. Q: How will you measure your progress this season? A: It’s measured on a progression from the beginning to the end of the year. Where I start out with my ability level and how fast that goes is not necessarily something that can be judged. It’s whether I am improving. Q: The old saying is the media builds people up to tear them down. Do you ever worry that will happen to you? A: No. I think that’s just the nature ... the media grabs on to the good and the bad and they both happen. It’s just more obvious when you’ve been built up when something bad happens. I don’t think that is the motive of media. Q: NHRA driver Ron Capps said you’ve been as big as LeBron James . . . A: That’s nothing as an athlete you can control, how much you’re in the media. As athletes we do the best job we can for, especially in racing, our sponsors. And, our brands, as athletes. If the opportunity comes up to do good interviews and photo shoots, then you do it, barring it doesn’t interfere with your job. Q: Do you and boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have a bet on who will be Cup Rookie of the Year? A: No. But we both want to win it. Ricky was really one of the first drivers that I wanted to do well and am genuinely happy for when he does well and he is for me. I guess, in a cheesy fashion, you could call that a win-win situation.