Danica Patrick: Toughened by Europe, Launched by Indy, Mellowed by Love

When you look back over Danica Patrick’s hyper-documented career — as Patrick herself did recently in a feature for the CBS Morning show (above) — turning points start to emerge. Like toughness tempered by a difficult European experience, fame launched by a “magical day in Indianapolis,” and private joy that takes the edge off professional disappointment.

European-Made Mental Armor

From when she first sat in a go kart through last Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup ride at Kansas Speedway, Patrick’s career is among the most documented in sports history.

Despite that, her three years driving in Europe in the late 1990s remain relatively unexplored. A recent examination by ESPNW’s Brant James published in August 2013 (read it here) is among the most through, but compared to every other aspect of her career, the European years remain a bit of an enigma.

What seems clear is that Patrick left for Europe after a somewhat idyllic rise to fame in the U.S. The uniqueness of a woman in racing circa 1997, her model looks, focused and sometimes fiery personality, natural media savvy, and the relatively under-the-radar arena of go-karting all helped keep life fun.

But when 16-year-old Patrick hit the shores of England, reality was waiting to greet her, and it brought gifts ... including frequent doses of misogynistic-tinged scrutiny and active dislike. At least the “no girls allowed (to succeed)” vibe wasn’t unique to Patrick. Her contemporaries Katherine Legge and Pippa Mann and doubtless many others drank from the same bitter cup. But along with the gender issues, Patrick also faced the late-90s version of “Yankee go Home.”

"They don't like Americans, let alone women," Patrick's father, T.J., told James.

Experience is the greatest teacher, and class was definitely in session in Europe. Patrick faced these tough lessons without her trusted advisors and protectors, mother Bev and father T.J.

“I was 16 and young, and naive and open-minded,” Patrick said Friday at Kansas Speedway. “I really hadn’t been hurt yet, so, yeah, I would tell anyone anything they wanted to know, and just talk out loud and trust people were doing a good job for me, and they weren’t.”

Patrick said one of the biggest lessons from Europe “was probably the toughness that came from it and to not being so open with people. Also understanding that not everyone has the purest intentions and not everyone really cares much about me.”

When Patrick got back to the states at age 19 she had what Bev Patrick described as a “hard shell.”

"I think I had it (thicker skin) when I came home from England," Patrick said in this 2010 interview.  "Because I had just such an awful time and there was only one way to cope, and that was to emotionally turn off a little bit more. So I think I have been a little cold since then."

Today, 12 years on from Europe and three years after she made the statement above, the shell seems to have softened somewhat. There are more smiles and laughs these days. The mental armor forged in Europe even comes in handy in handling the small-but-vocal cadre that openly hopes Patrick literally crashes and burns in every race. Other lessons from England still echo.

“I’m probably still learning about how a team operates, and what you need to do (as a driver) how hard you have to work for yourself, still,” Patrick said. “No matter what level you get to, you’re in control of your own destiny.”

Maintaining Control

Patrick seems at home at the center of a media scrum like this one in Daytona.

Today Danica Patrick is in control. In some ways it's both her strength -- less pain and more gain -- and vulnerability -- opens the door for allegations of being a me-first diva. One way Patrick asserts control is through her understanding of the symbiotic relationship between professional athletes and members of the media.

”I think at the end of the day the job of journalist is to get people to read their articles, and be published in a big way,” said Patrick. “For us (Danica and her advisors), it’s more about making sure that everyone’s happy and doesn’t find a reason to not like me anymore, or to write mean things about me.”

The way the media make money is by attracting audiences. And everybody in the media knows the name "Danica Patrick" can draw a huge audience -- of both lovers and haters -- all by itself. That results in dozens more media requests for Patrick's time that can possibly be accommodated. Selecting who gets what access comes down to relationships built on understanding and a certain level of trust.

"The things I say or don’t say in those interviews are everything from very careful to some stuff off the record. It only comes through time, but certain people get that certain level of an interview, because of what they’ve done for me or how they’ve treated me," Patrick said.

"I pay attention to who does a good job, and who I like. For the most part, it has a lot to do with people like (PR team) Allison (McKinney), Joe (Crowley) and Haley (Moore), and all the other people along the way that have done my PR for me to handle everyone in a pleasant professional manner, and make them feel good about me and about what we are able to do.”

The ability to work this mutually beneficial relationship with the media appears to be innate with Patrick. From her earliest interviews during her karting days she showed media maturity beyond her years. That ability would serve her well in the aftermath of what she calls “that magical day in Indianapolis.”

The 2005 Indianapolis 500

Any mapping of Patrick’s journey to superstardom invariably traces back to a launching pad at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, 2005.

Patrick entered the 2005 Indy 500 surrounded by a buzz created from being Bobby Rahal’s latest protégé and amplified by fresh reactions to her 2003 FHM photo shoot. That buzz, a factory Honda car very capable of winning, her trademark focus and determination, and Patrick very nearly winning the pole for her first 500 all set the stage.

pressdog: In your CBS letter to yourself recently (above, which Patrick wrote herself), you talked about the ‘magical day in Indianapolis.’ Looking back, do you think that was the big moment, one that changes the path of your career?

Danica Patrick: Yeah. I remember coming in to the first year of Indy 500 thinking to myself that I felt nervous. I felt concerned that if the first year didn’t go well, then you’d be at just as much at risk of not staying in IndyCar as you were to not get there at all. So to have a race like that, I felt like, cemented me a little bit more in the series then and also kept the sponsors excited and happy, and wanting to keep going. Those are the two important things.”

pressdog: What do you remember most about that race? When you think back about it, what immediately sticks out to you as a memory?

Danica: There’s a lot. I remember a lot about that race. Probably the things that stick out, is I remember how rough it started. I remember asking veterans for advice before the race, and just them telling me, how it’s never over, just never give up.

I stalled at the first pit stop; there was a crash three quarters of the way through the race took my front wing off. Then, I still found myself in a position to nearly win the race in the end. I remember the progress. The maturity I felt like I had in the race even though I hadn’t done it before. And then I just remember feeling very comfortable in the lead, just like I was where I belonged, that’s where I was supposed to be.

pressdog: When you took the lead, there was a big roar in the crowd. Did you know that? Could you sense that?

Danica: No. I had a lot of people ask me after the race, if I heard the crowd. But, no, you can’t hear it, but it gives me a little Goosebumps right now thinking about it.

pressdog: You didn’t freak you out a little bit (in the car)?

Danica: The only thing that I saw that gives me any kind of indication, was I saw something on YouTube that was just a handheld camera (shot by a fan). It was me coming down in to Turn 3. You could hear all the people. It was somebody in the stands holding the camera.

You could hear us (the cars), it sounds like jets coming at you. It’s like a [revving engine sound], and they just get so loud, and everybody’s ‘Oh, she’s in the lead, she’s got it, she’s got it.' Everybody erupts and gets excited, and starts cheering. That’s probably the best feeling I have for what it was like. I don’t even remember what point in the race that was, I feel like that was probably after that restart that I passed Dan (Wheldon). All I was thinking about at the time was just timing it right so I could get the run, and I did.

Her late overtake of Dan Wheldon, making Patrick the first and only woman so far to ever to lead the Indy 500, was the pass heard around the world. Wheldon went on to win the race, but it was Patrick who achieved liftoff to fame.

Things went supernova from there. Sports Illustrated covers and a Bataan Death March schedule of interviews. With a combination of media savvy and an acute understanding of how beneficial media exposure was to her career, an indefatigable Patrick rode the bucking publicity bull for all it was worth.

Merging the Two Danicas

Patrick and Stenhouse Jr. at Daytona 2013.

Anybody who has found the right mate can tell you the profound, positive impact it has on every aspect of life, both personal and professional.

Fast forward about seven years from the magical day in Indianapolis. There’s a lot to indicate that Danica Patrick, now 30, has mellowed with age. There are few if any angry marches down pit lane and far fewer scowls. It’s mostly “kittens and rainbows,” a shorthand description of a more relaxed and generally happier Patrick. Sure, there are still f-bomb-laced radio transmissions and the occasional in-car rages, but Patrick today seems far more judicious of when, where, how, and to whom she flashes her formidable temper.

Seven years on from her first Indy 500, Patrick’s career has pivoted to NASCAR and her seven-year marriage to Paul Hospenthal has ended. Soon after Patrick’s breakup with Hospenthal, fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Patrick publicly acknowledged their coupleship. Far from her ultra-private life with Hospenthal, Patrick and Stenhouse seem happy to answer questions about their lives together (within reason), even inviting USA Today’s Nate Ryan along on a dinner date where he glimpsed the depth of the relationship (Read it here). 

It may be coincidental, but before the arrival of Stenhouse, Patrick usually described herself as two people: At the Track Danica and Away from the Track Danica. At the Track Danica was all business, focused, predominately serious if not dour. Away from the Track Danica was fun and funny, laughing, joking, just one of the girls, having a great time.

Her move to NASCAR seems to have triggered a merging of the two Danicas, with more smiles, more laughs, more general happiness from Patrick even when she’s in the fire suit.

pressdog: My last question is about the happiness in your personal life. How does that impact the rest of your life? Obviously you’re happy ...

Danica: (Laughter) Can you tell?

pressdog: ... well, it looks that to me from the outside. I’m assuming. I haven’t talked to Ricky, but ... What does that do to your life overall? How has that rippled out, because it seems like it’s had an impact.

Danica: I just think that … You just have something to always look forward to, even the simple things of like lying on the couch together, and watching TV or spending time with your family or something. Family is big. We’ve had a lot of fun at the racetrack with them.

It's having enough fun stuff to look forward to outside of the racecar, even if you’re still at the racetrack, to not let what happened on the track that day to dominate your mood the whole day.

--

For more of my interview with Danica -- including her thoughts on keeping up team morale, her relationship with the media, in what way Stenhouse is a role model for her, and dealing with haters, read the partial transcript here.

Read my previous interviews with Woman of pressdog® Danica Patrick from 2010 here and 2012 here. A story about my transformation from Danica hater to fan is here.

Comments

[Tim in Independence]

Very nice job, I didn't realize you were that talented and respected enough to gain a 1 on 1 with her. Keep up the good work

[Barb Kreisel]

Bill you are always looking beyond the mainstream media questions. I as a Danica appreciate that. Great post. As a fan of your writing and her as a woman and a racer her evolution is greatly written in your post .

[ramblinman]

Great interview Bill!

[Ray]

This is a great interview. I have grown to be a Danica fan and I wish her well in the future. Ricky is a lucky man to have her.

[vern]

Nice interview as I saw it previously. Now this gives me a chance to do some ranting about her Cup career so far.

Shes having a tough rookie season in Cup but most would agree she never should have been put into the cup series as should've stayed in NNS but-- too late now as all her people wanted her where they could benefit the most with $$'s and she went along with it.

Iam not big on this SHR team either as check their results this yr vs other teams and that tells the story. Newman was doing back flips of happiness when he learned he would have a different CC this yr instead of Gibson again and his results are showing it although all of SHR is struggling with this new car. Even the few times she has a good showing in practice speeds the car is crap in qualifying and crap in the race so whats going on as Daytona & Matinsville the exception but 2 good races doesn't make a very good season. Course-- IF HER lack of talent in these cars is the issue then-- enough said??

Apparently GoDaddy has dropped the Indycar driver so how long before they drop her as reportedly they want out of auto racing although her contract runs through next yr.
Danica being so popular doesn't count if no one else wants to sponsor her as no one did for her supposedly 10 races in NNS that never came to be for lack of sponsors so if Godaddy leaves her--then what???

Ricky may be the bright spot making her smile these days as her racing results certainly aren't. She isn't getting much airtime anymore for nascar races and her career depends on exposure for Godaddy but they aren't even using her in commercials anymore which is a warning sign she should be aware of. Reportedly She is the #1 brand ambassador in the world for Godaddy in a Forbes recent article/survey and Godaddy wont use her in anything new for advertising --says it all doesn't it??

I don't see the bright side to her career anymore if this is the best SHR can give her but Iam amazed at her composure and smiling attitude in all this nightmare of a rookie season but--if she cant see whats wrong and change it--then---oh well?

Ok done ranting as only time will tell with Danica and her nascar career such as it is but she will be ok either way as she has achieved lots of records and milestones but here's hoping for more??

[Chiefswon]

Great job Bill!

[Ron Ford]

There is a YouTube video that Danica mentioned of footage taken by a fan in the stands at the 2005 500. It onlys last for a few seconds as the fans react to her taking the lead. The reaction by the crowd is electric! I never get tired of hearing that. Check it out if you haven't already.

[Andrea]

Great interview, PDog! You asked some good question and the back and forth between y'all flowed nicely.

[vern]

To add as I reported I saw that CBS video before. However reading your interview want to add since you know Danica very well--why is it when I tuned in an Indycar race randomly recently I saw Danica's PR person for yrs Haley Moore now with the Indycar driver Hinchcliff? Havent saw Haley with Danica in awhile now--just wondering as they were together a long time & supposedly best friends as well?

BTW--who paid for that dinner?

[Vern]

For those who are fans of Danicas or if Pressdog hasn't saw this yet--breaking story.
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/andretti-replace-godaddy-sponsor-27-car-20610900

Basically---Godaddy officially drops Indycar and says "they love Danica and she will be with them a long time"--Per the CEO Irving today. Remember Godaddy pulled Danica out of Indycar in the first place to Nascar wider arena for them, so makes sense they wasn't going to stay with the other driver @ Andretti when the contract was up.

Aspen dental just signed with Danica also today for 2 Primary races next yr and co sponser all next yr.

Guess this news will quiet the naysayers about Danicas future. BTW don't worry-- Hinchcliff will be fine at Andretti with new sponsor being announced tomorrow somewhere?

[Kswartzlander]

This is a great interview, Bill! It definitely reveals a part of her career that hasn't been explored much - which you wouldn't believe is possible.

I love the way she talks about interacting with the media. That's something that many fans (and racers) don't understand but treating people well is a big part of the media coverage of the sport.