Curiosity
Danica Patrick Gets Fastest Time In Qualifying: First Female To Hold Pole Position
Danica Patrick: Fastest Time In Qualifying (photo courtesy Scott mecum)
For the first time in the history of NASCAR racing a female holds the pole position at the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick was the 8th person to qualify and she took the first position with a speed of 196.434 mph. She then had to wait a grueling two hours as she looked upon 37 of her competitors try to take her spot.
Making history is nothing new to Danica. She was the first woman to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500, and finished third-the highest ever for a female in that race. In Japan in 2008 she won an IndyCar race-again, the first woman to achieve such a feat.
Tony Stewart, who owns the team that Patrick races on had this to say “That’s a huge accomplishment. It’s not like it’s been 15 or 20 years she’s been trying to do this. It’s her second trip to Daytona here in a Cup car. She’s made history in the sport. That’s the stuff we’re proud of being a part of with her. It’s something she should have a huge amount of pride in.”
Sources
Fox Sports Florida
