Born to working-class parents Beverly Ann and Terry Joseph Patrick Jr. in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick was raised in nearby Roscoe, Illinois. Her father owned a glass company and her mother ran a coffee shop. Patrick began karting at the age of ten at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wisconsin, winning her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times between 1994 and 1997. She dropped out of high school in 1998 with her parents’ permission to pursue racing in the United Kingdom.
Patrick competed in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford in the UK, achieving ninth in the 1999 British Formula Vauxhall Championship. Funding issues led her to return to the United States in 2001. She was awarded the Gorsline Scholarship Award as the most aspiring road course competitor that year. In 2002, she raced in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing, finishing thirteenth in points. She then moved to the Toyota Atlantic Series for the next two years, becoming the first woman to win a pole position in the series at the 2004 Portland International Raceway race and finishing third in the championship standings.
Patrick joined Rahal Letterman Racing for the 2005 IndyCar Series season, taking three pole positions – equaling Tomas Scheckter’s record for a rookie. She was named Rookie of the Year for both the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series that year. She continued with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006, and then moved to Andretti Green Racing in 2007. In 2008, Patrick achieved her first IndyCar victory at the Indy Japan 300, holding the lead for the final three laps. She finished sixth overall in the drivers’ standings that season. The following year, she placed fifth, achieving a career-high third at the Indianapolis 500 – the best performance by any woman at the race.
At the 2010 Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway, Patrick finished second, one of two second-place finishes on oval tracks that season. In 2013, she secured the pole position for the Daytona 500, but was involved in an early accident, finishing 38th. In 2015, Patrick was fined $20,000 for gesturing to Kasey Kahne after he wrecked her car at the Auto Club 400. In 2018, Patrick crashed into the wall on Lap 68 of the Indianapolis 500, marking her final race.
Patrick made her endurance racing debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2006, co-driving a Howard-Boss Motorsports Daytona Prototype. She also participated in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2002, winning the professional class. In 2017, she competed in a studio broadcast for Fox’s coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
Patrick was named the March of Dimes Sportswoman of the Year in 2006. She won the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Female Athlete in 2008, 2012, and 2013, and received the legend award at the 2018 Kids’ Choice Sports. She was also voted IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver from 2005 to 2010 and NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver in 2012.
Patrick’s achievements have undoubtedly broken barriers for women in motorsports and inspired a new generation of drivers. She was voted IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver from 2005 to 2010 and NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver in 2012.
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