Image via Complex Original
Even though Danica Patrick has earned every bit of complete coverage this week, it seems that everybody keeps rehashing old news. Yes, she will become the first woman to start atop the pole at the Daytona 500 this weekend. Yes, her victory in the Japan 300 in '08 was the first time a woman had won an IndyCar race, and, yes, her third-place finish at the Indy 500 in '09 was the best for a woman. She also recently finished up a divorce and is now dating fellow racer Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Oh, and in case you were wondering, her sponsor is GoDaddy and she once posed in a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated.
If you even casually watch SportsCenter on ESPN, then you already know all of this. So, as we prepare for one of the biggest races in NASCAR history, we'd like to give you some knowledge that you don't know (maybe the diehard Danimaniacs know some of these). Some of it's basic personal favorites, some of it's random facts about her racing. Here are 20 Things You Didn't Know About Danica Patrick.
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She stars in Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got" music video driving a Pagani Zonda.
She holds the record for celebrity Super Bowl Commercial apperances with 12.
She was a cheerleader in high school.
She left the IRL with the record for finishing the most consecutive races running at the finish at 50.
She's 5'2" and weighs 100 lbs.
She was in a commercial with Emmitt Smith for Academy Sports and Outdoors.
She sponsors her niece's softball team in Phoenix.
Her favorite movie is "Anchorman"
She's been on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" twice, and neither was in a swimsuit.
Donovan McNabb shouted her out on Twitter, after winning the Daytona 500 pole.
She's owned a Lamborghini but prefers SUVs.
She used to play "secretary" with her sister at her parents' plate glass shop and though it'd be a fun job.
Her first time in a go-kart, she crashed head-on into a concrete building.
She used to want to be a pop singer and took voice lessons for a couple months.
Her mom was a snowmobile mechanic and had the nickname "Captain Traction" for putting studs on the snowmobile belts.
Alanis Morissette is her favorite singer and she listens to her during workouts.
Danica broke the go-karting track record at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wis, when she was 10. Her parents had given her the go-kart that year.
Her favorite sport is football, her favorite team is the Chicago Bears, and her favorite player is Brian Urlacher.
She dropped out of high school to pursue racing in Europe.
Her 196.434 mph average speed in winning this week's pole was the fastest average speed since Dale Jarrett won it in '95 at 196.498 mph.
