Danica Sue Patrick (born March 25, 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin) is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series, as well as a model and advertising spokeswoman. She was raised in Roscoe, Illinois. Patrick was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. In May 2006, she published her autobiography, Danica: Crossing the Line. With her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300, Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. In 2010, Patrick began racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports part-time. She also has an equity stake in her #7 team. She had her best career finish of 4th in series on March 5, 2011, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway—the best finish by a woman in a NASCAR top-circuit. On February 17, 2013, Patrick became the first woman to win a pole position in Sprint Cup history, doing so for the 2013 Daytona 500.
Danica Patrick and the dopamine effect? "It's a good bet she inherited her need for speed," says neurologist Malcolm Stewart, medical director of the Human Performance Lab at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. "She probably comes from a family of high dopamine producers." Dopamine is a brain chemical that acts as a messenger involved in reward, motivation and mood. People with high dopamine production tend to be risk-takers such as race car drivers, bungee jumpers, test pilots, astronauts and explorers, Stewart says." They ride motorcycles fast, get tattoos."
Sports Illustrated "airbrushed" Danica Patrick's tattoo, removing it from the small of her back for pictures in their 2009 Swimsuit Issue. Her team at the time stated that Danica is aware of the edits and is comfortable with the final photos." "The Swimsuit Issue emphasizes natural beauty," a SI spokesman told CNBC. "The freckles are left on and, in this case, the tattoos came off." Patrick told Fanhouse that it's half American flag and half checkered flag. Danica stated she had added more tattoos including "some angel wings and some stars and stuff."
"How funny, right?" Patrick said. "I'm very flattered that someone would take the time to talk about my tattoo. It's a good thing I picked out a tattoo that I really liked because now people know that I have one. It's just amazing how some of the smaller things nowadays make news. "I guess it's a good sign that people want to hear about me and know what is going on."
Want to find out some more about Danica Patrick's tattoo designs?
Check out:
Flag tattoos,
Angels,
Wings,
Stars
