Danica Patrick - First Woman to Lead NASCAR Race at Daytona

Danica Patrick began her new Nationwide Series campaign in NASCAR in great fashion, scoring her best result in the championship so far. The IndyCar regular even got to lead the season opening Daytona race at one point, before losing momentum and dropping to 14th place at the finish line, a lap down to the leaders.

Patrick enjoyed a great starting position on Saturday as she qualified 4th for the race, and during the first part of the running she really looked capable of scoring a Top 10 result. By lap 30, she was leading the race, but her lack of technique got her to lose pace and get dragged down the pack.

Missing a drafting partner for the majority of the race sure had an effect on the JR Motorsports driver, who admitted after the Daytona event that she still needs to do a lot of learning before becoming a regular contender for the top spots.

“I think it's important to me to keep in perspective that this is not year two for me. This is race 13 for me,” said Patrick, who became the first woman to lead a NASCAR race at Daytona.

“The Nationwide Series is how many races in the year, 34? I've done 12. So this is not my 35th race, this is my 13th. So I need to keep it easy on myself and understand that I still have a lot to learn. It would take three years almost to achieve the full schedule.”

“It's important for me to keep that in mind, because I can get real down on myself when I'm not running up front or running fast, because that's what I'm used to and that's what I hope and expect. But these things take time, and there's lots of cars and lot of experience out there.”