Danica Patrick On Her Life & Career in Motorsports

Summary

Podcast Summary: Herm & Schrader – Episode: Danica Patrick On Her Life & Career in Motorsports

Release Date: February 20, 2025

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Introduction & Personal Banter

The episode kicks off with host Kenny Wallace welcoming Danica Patrick to Herm & Schrader, a show known for its irreverent and humorous take on racing and related topics. The initial moments are filled with playful exchanges, setting a relaxed and engaging tone.

Notable Quote:

• [00:00] Kenny Wallace: "How you doing, Danica?"
• [00:26] Danica Patrick: "Makes me worried about what you're about to ask me."

Danica’s Personality & Self-Perception

Kenny delves into Danica's personality, referencing her father’s description of her as a jokester and exploring whether she considers herself "fun." Danica offers introspective insights into her self-perception, emphasizing her introverted nature and ability to entertain herself.

Notable Quote:

• [02:22] Kenny Wallace: "Are you fun?"
• [02:23] Danica Patrick: "I laugh at my own jokes. So I am fun for myself."

Exploring the Self & Personal Growth

The conversation shifts to deeper topics as Danica discusses her fascination with the occult and self-discovery. She reflects on how different aspects of oneself emerge over time and how her career has allowed her to express these facets through various activities like racing, interviews, and photo shoots.

Notable Quote:

• [03:38] Danica Patrick: "Life is just like a big cat and mouse game with ourselves, where we can't see ourselves. So everyone around us shows us who we are."

Racing Career Highlights

Kenny highlights Danica’s impressive accomplishments in motorsports, particularly her groundbreaking achievements in IndyCar and NASCAR. Danica humbly acknowledges her milestones, expressing both pride and a desire to have achieved even more.

Notable Quote:

• [21:35] Danica Patrick: "I had a really fun career. I'm so glad that I got to do IndyCar and NASCAR and I was someone that's done something that no one else in the world's ever done before."

Detailed Race Story: 2008 Indy Japan 300

Danica recounts her historic win at the 2008 Indy Japan 300, the only victory by a female driver in IndyCar Series history. She describes the strategic maneuvers, fuel-saving techniques, and the exhilaration of leading the race, culminating in her victorious moment.

Notable Quote:

• [30:25] Danica Patrick: "I just started early... I passed him, and I think I pulled away by like 5 seconds or something like that."

Transitioning to NASCAR

The discussion moves to Danica’s decision to transition from IndyCar to NASCAR. She explains her dissatisfaction with the increasing number of road courses in IndyCar and disputes with her former team, leading her to explore the more competitive and oval-centric NASCAR environment.

Notable Quote:

• [42:22] Danica Patrick: "I was just kind of sick of the direction the IndyCar was going... and I didn't enjoy that as much."

Challenges as a Female Racer

Danica addresses the unique challenges she faced as a woman in a predominantly male sport. She shares experiences of sexism, aggressive behaviors from male counterparts, and the mental fortitude required to excel and assert herself in such an environment.

Notable Quote:

• [64:09] Danica Patrick: "I didn't want to get beat by a girl... I saw myself as a winner and like a guy and really competitive."

Interactions with Other Drivers

The conversation touches upon Danica’s interactions with notable drivers like Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. She discusses the aggressive driving styles and personal conflicts, highlighting the intense competitiveness within NASCAR.

Notable Quote:

• [56:48] Danica Patrick: "Denny can be a handful off track... he took me out in practice... that kind of stuff was totally unnecessary."

Post-Racing Ventures: Podcast & Winery

Danica shares her ventures beyond racing, including her Pretty Intense Podcast and her winery, Danica Rosam's Somnium. She explains the motivations behind these projects, focusing on health, wellness, and her passion for winemaking.

Notable Quotes:

• [71:19] Danica Patrick: "Podcasts were really hitting in 2019... it's all about health and wellness."
• [72:10] Danica Patrick: "I bought a property and started Somnium... I'm pretty excited for it."

Work in Television & Formula One

Danica discusses her role with Sky Sports in Formula One coverage, contrasting it with her previous television experiences. She appreciates the strategic and personality-driven aspects of Formula One, drawing parallels to her own competitive nature.

Notable Quote:

• [77:02] Danica Patrick: "I really enjoy watching it... I like it more all the time because I really know what's going on now."

Final Thoughts & Conclusion

The episode wraps up with mutual appreciation between Kenny and Danica. They reflect on their shared experiences, aspirations, and the importance of maintaining positive energy and honest interactions both on and off the track.

Notable Quote:

• [83:39] Danica Patrick: "I love your spirit... one of those needed spirits in the world."

Key Takeaways:

• Danica Patrick reflects on her multifaceted personality and her journey of self-discovery through racing.
• Racing Achievements: Highlights her unique accomplishments in IndyCar and NASCAR, emphasizing strategic prowess and resilience.
• Transition to NASCAR: Motivated by changes in IndyCar and disputes with her team, seeking a more competitive environment.
• Challenges as a Female Racer: Discusses sexism, aggressive competition, and the mental strength required to excel.
• Post-Racing Ventures: Enthusiastic about her podcast focusing on health and wellness, and her dedication to winemaking with Somnium.
• Television Work: Enjoys her role in Formula One coverage, appreciating the strategic and personality-driven aspects of the sport.
• Personal Insights: Emphasizes the importance of honesty, positive energy, and maintaining strong personal relationships.

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This episode offers a comprehensive look into Danica Patrick's life, career, and personal philosophies. Through candid conversations and reflective storytelling, listeners gain a deeper understanding of her as both a pioneering racer and a multifaceted individual navigating life beyond the track.

Transcript

[Kenny Wallace]

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Kenny Conversation, brought to you by jegs, the leader in high performance aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to JEGS.com to fix your hot rod up or your everyday vehicle. Well, as I always say, deep breath, everybody. You're looking at her. How you doing, Danica?

[Danica Patrick]

Makes me worried about what you're about to ask me. Deep breath. What?

[Kenny Wallace]

We're gonna have a good time, so.

[Danica Patrick]

I know. Always do.

[Kenny Wallace]

Let's start out like this. I thought to myself, how am I going to introduce Danica? But. But listen, it's pretty easy there. There's a lot to you and I know that, and we're going to get to it. But let's start like this. Danica Patrick, the most successful lady racer in American open wheel racing. But I say the world. I think you're the most successful lady world open wheel racer. I don't think there's anybody like you in the world with open wheel. Welcome to Kenny Conversation.

[Danica Patrick]

I like it. That's a very flattering opening. Thank you.

[Kenny Wallace]

You've done a lot. So it was your birthday last week. Happy birthday.

[Danica Patrick]

Thanks. Thank you. God, it's like I turned 42 and 42 sounds a lot like 42, but 41 still somehow sounds like 40, which could be 39, but 42 is 42.

[Kenny Wallace]

I follow you on Instagram. I follow what's up. It's a lot of fun. You're busy, but you look really Zen right now. You're not. You're not as. Are you still feisty?

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, like a hundred percent. Like, that's. That lives right below the surface. It's just not all of my being now.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's not everybody, you know, taunting you. Well, listen, your dad, tj, for some reason we're friends. I don't know why, but I like him. And he says that Danica is a lot of fun. And for a father to say that. He said you're a jokester, but I don't. I think he meant fun. So that's the first question of Kenny Conversation.

[Danica Patrick]

I like that.

[Kenny Wallace]

Are you fun?

[Danica Patrick]

Am I fun? Well, I can't answer that because. Well, I can say that I laugh at my own jokes. So I am fun for myself. I'm also, like, great alone. Like, I'm a good introvert. So, you know, that means. That feels like. It tells me I'm fun because I. I can entertain myself. But I. But I think it's a little like asking, are you famous? It's kind of in the eye of the beholder. Like, if you have to ask if I'm famous. I'm probably not. You have to. If you have to ask me if I'm fun, I'm not sure. I am.

[Kenny Wallace]

So. Kenny, conversation is just what it is. We don't have a line. It can go everywhere. And I want to remind you of something that you taught me. Sometimes people say to me, hey, remember when you said this? So I'm going to do that to you. You said that it's good to have two or three of you and, you know, a subconscious. So you help me along the way. Because when people tell me I'm goofy, I'm like, well, there's two or three of me. So I don't. It depends which one I want to give you today. So I want to thank you for that. You're really into exploring.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, for sure. I do love. I like learning about the occult, which is just the hidden. You know, like, what's really going on, including with ourselves. I feel like in general, life is just like a big cat and mouse game with ourselves, where we can't see ourselves. So everyone around us shows us who we are, whether it's how we're triggered, how we react to things, what we like, what we value, or what we judge in someone. It's all really just information about ourself. Because when we change, the things we see change. I mean, the perfect example of that is, like, it's silly, but old music. Or for me, it's old rap music. You know, I listen to it now and I go, whoa. That's what they say. No wonder why mom and dad didn't want us to listen to it. Or, oh, the lyrics sound so obvious, right? They're more clear. Or I'm listening to them. So, you know, that's just one silly example. But yeah, yeah, I think that we have different aspects of ourselves that come out at different times. And. And I. Probably what you're referring to as far as different personalities or different. Different sides, is that, you know, I. I've always been really fortunate that I feel like I've gotten to express a lot of those sides within my career, whether it's through on track activity or interviews or photo shoots or any of those kinds of things. I feel like people got to see different aspects of me and. And I. And I was always grateful that that was welcome.

[Kenny Wallace]

I like that because I agree with it, because I don't want people to think there's. This is me. Like. Like, I get aggressive when people go, oh, you're this way or that way. I'm like, hold on. There's a lot more to me than. Than you think there is, you know, so back up.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah. Like what? Like, give me an example. Like, give me one thing.

[Kenny Wallace]

I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy.

[Danica Patrick]

You're not crazy.

[Kenny Wallace]

I paid. Well, maybe I am. Maybe I am crazy. But I also think that. Look at you now. This is turning into pretty intense. Now you're interviewing me, but I thought.

[Danica Patrick]

That it was a perfect opportunity because at the end of the day, somebody might tune in because I'm on it. But people are tuning in every week because it's you. So everyone will want to know a little bit more about you, too.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, well, that. I'll take that, but that's humbling. Okay, so we're going to get to racing in just a little bit. But I did not want to start out by attacking you about racing. I want to comment on what you just said. Do you remember that. That movie, the Truman show, where you're watching the movie and at the very end.

[Danica Patrick]

You mean the. You mean the documentary about what we're really living in?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes, we're at the very end. Jim Carrey, his little boat just runs into a wall, and actually the whole world is watching, and you're like, oh, my God, that is us. That's. That's pretty deep.

[Danica Patrick]

You think that. Do you think there's any there? I mean, there's a lot of. I mean, we're. We're slipping into a total different, like, space here. But there's, of course, like, the idea that it's a flat earth, that it's a dome. Like, that would be one of the references. Another one is that we are like an. In a simulation. And, you know, there's, like, puppeteers moving, dealing, moving the people around. Like a game. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's some possibility.

[Kenny Wallace]

I think it's important to think like that because I also think that's why there's religion. One time I asked Father John, he married my. My wife Kim, and myself, and I said, how do I know I should believe in God? And he said, well, it's all what you believe in. What's your faith? And I thought, wow. So he, you know, Father John said, it's what you believe in there. There's Baptist, there's Catholic, there's Pentecostal. Okay. Wow. We're going deep.

[Danica Patrick]

I mean that. Yeah, I like it. You know. You know me. I get to. I love these. These conversations, but there's. My belief is that perception is reality. So if we. And which all you have to do is think about what. You know, what your thoughts rule, your reality. You know, if you think negative, you have a bad day. Think positive, you have a good day. If you're excited about something's gonna go great. If you're optimistic, if you're. If you have a direction that you want to go, a goal. Like, your thoughts become things, and your perception is your reality. So, you know, if you believe that there's a God and that is your. Is that. And that's your perception, then the result is the same. It's almost like a little bit like a placebo. We write placebo offer being something that doesn't really work, but it does work. Like, that's the kind of. The definition is like something works without actually having an active ingredient. It's happening psychologically. And. And so, yeah, it's.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, but that. That's so true. Because mind over matter. If you think you're a winner, you are. But I. I do like that comment, you all. I've read that you've said that a lot where, you know, it's kind of like, you know, the food thing, you know, you are what you eat. If you eat junk, you're gonna get fat, you know?

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Eat good, you're gonna be. You're gonna be healthy. All right, let's move on. Like I said, I follow you on Instagram. Instagram is a really good site. It seems like it's quality. And I. And I like what you show your sister. You and your sister, Brooke, I think that's rare. You love her?

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, yeah. We get along great. We're very close.

[Kenny Wallace]

Why do you think? I mean, I think it's awesome. I wish Rust. I love my brothers. But. But, boy, when you're with your sister, I mean, you really brag on her. I. Yeah. You guys are just. Tell me about you and your sister.

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, thanks. I mean, we're close in age. I think that matters a little bit. We're only two years apart. I mean, we just spent so much time together. Like when we were. She was the one who wanted to race go karts. Not really. No. I just said I would do it, too. So then she was 8, and I was 10. And then it just led to us traveling around the country for the next seven years in a truck or a van, spending umpteen hours together. And so, you know, we spent a lot of time together, and. And we have a lot of the same interests. I think that. I think we've also. I think what really shifted into making us really close Good Sisters was when she got her first job in Indianapolis at the hospital. She got her doctorate in physical therapy. So she started working, and she started having her own money and her own confidence and her own thing. And when that happened, it was just like a switch flipped. And she went from being possibly sometimes a little bit negative or, you know, not happy to just. And she would probably say the same thing. If she was sitting here with me and I was commenting on it, she'd agree that that was just a really big shift. She had her own thing, you know, and I think that I had my own thing for a long time already. And she. She. She developed her own thing. And I think that when we build our own confidence within ourselves, we are able to. When we. When we. When we see ourselves in a really positive way, we can then see the best in other people easier. And. And so it just really. It just really made her into a wonderful woman. And we've always gotten along, But I'd say that's when it became like a true friendship where it wasn't like, bickery sisters. We'll still have our moment. She's actually doing a very good job. I've always been like this. Very, very, very honest, like, straightforward, can't hold it back. Thoughts?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

It's like, that's you. It's got a lot of downsides, but it's got some upsides, I guess. And, you know, she's also. She's learning how to do that, so she's learning to find her voice and be honest about stuff when it bothers her. And so every now and again, we'll have these moments where she'll be like, danica, this really made me mad when you did this, and it hurt my feelings. And, you know, and. And so I'm like, okay. And the thing is, is that I've always delivered that kind of thing. I've always been able to. I always say the thing. But the truth is, is I can handle the thing, too. That's. That's what's hard for people to understand, is it's that it. Not that the people that are harshly honest or. Or. Or. Or say things that are hurtful or offensive or just super honest or cutting deep. It's not like they're. It's not like I or we. I guess I'm collectively using we. I don't think that it's that we are just mean. I think it's that that's literally where we. How we like to. To deal with life is. Just say it. Be honest. And so once she started to generate her own voice, too, along the way, it's really made it a lot easier to keep the energy between us super clean, too.

[Kenny Wallace]

Two things. I find that when people are dead honest with each other, they're a little mad at, like, the first time it happens, but then they become really tight because now we know where each other stands, and now we get along, and it's like, yeah, I. I totally agree with that. And one other thing about that is that when you were talking so nice of your sister right there, I like to have people around that add to my positive energy. I don't want people around that I have to fix all the time because I'm happy. And you said you're happy, so Danica's happy, Kenny's happy. Now let's surround ourselves with people that are happy, too. It gets exhausting fixing negative people and.

[Danica Patrick]

Picking them up and. Yeah, it does. It does. And the thing is, until you're some enlightened Buddha where you have no nothing, which I'm not one of them, you know, you can definitely lift people up. And there's, you know, I'm sure that, you know, when I see you, you automatically, like, lift my energy and lift my spirits up. That's right. Love seeing you. Love talking to you right now. But in person's even better. But there are people that do that. But at some point in time, enough always is enough, and people can. People can get to you. And there's only so much. So much in the. So much in the bucket.

[Kenny Wallace]

Right? Okay, so one more conversation before we go into your racing career. So I remember Danica when she was the race car driver and she was feisty. As my mama would say, dynamite comes in small packages. And you, you, you're. I. I find it. You're like my mama. She's gonna tell you what she thinks, but that's really not the conversation here. All of a sudden, when you left racing, I felt like just following you. You became into you. You got into mind and body wellness. You started. I. I kind of got a nickname. I was doing my studying on you. I got all these notes and. And I kind of. After I was doing. It's kind of like Danica the Explorer. When did this mind and body. What made you go. I think it's great. What made you go that route?

[Danica Patrick]

I thought, you know, it's funny because anytime I talk to somebody, like in an interview or after racing, they go, wow, you've really gotten into this. Like, you're really deep. Is this new and the truth.

[Kenny Wallace]

I like it.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah. Thank you. It's not. But where was this time and space and need for it in a quick three to seven minute interview here and there along the way when we're referring to something that just kind of happened on track, you know, there's like, you know, there really wasn't a lot of space for it. Now it has had time to develop into a bigger thing for me and more awareness and more, just more knowledge and more embodiment of the things that I've always, was always curious about. But, but it's always been there. Like I, I refer to the story of calling a psychic when I was 18 for my birthday because I wanted to.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh boy.

[Danica Patrick]

I've just always been into that kind of stuff. I, I've been into the, into the, the universe and spirituality. Religion's always been something interesting for me. I'm like a general skeptic, so, and maybe I don't know if skeptics the full right word. It's more that I'm super curious. So, so I think sometimes my inquisition to somebody can feel like that, like a Spanish Inquisition. When really it's just my form of empathy of understand. Like I just, I just very much want to understand all the way like down to the depths of your soul what's going on and, or the depths of the universe what's going on or the depth of this reality and what's going on. Is this a simulation? Is it not? You know, these are, these are questions that as my dad would say, you're never going to get an answer. And I'm like, yeah, but you definitely are never going to get an answer unless you try. And so I think that, you know, as I learn more and more it, I feel like I get more and for more information from it about what's going on through different pathways.

[Kenny Wallace]

I, I, hey, listen, I'm right there with you. I'll sit there and I'll go, okay, what's beyond beyond? So that they say, okay, there's outer space. Yeah, but hold on, what's, what's beyond out? What's.

[Danica Patrick]

Because it never ends.

[Kenny Wallace]

So okay, let's say we're a, let's say this is us. But what's out there?

[Danica Patrick]

I know, right? That is something at the end. What's the end? The end is the what? The end is going.

[Kenny Wallace]

Your dad's right though. So true. Are you like your, are you like your dad or are you like your mama?

[Danica Patrick]

I'd say I'm much more like my dad.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

My Dad's deep, too. My dad's a thinker. My dad's definitely a thinker. He, you know, I get my creativity from him, I think. My ambition, my. But. But generally, like, my dreaming, I think, is the biggest and best thing that came from him. His, like, throughout our whole lives, he's just, like, always and always come up with new ideas for a company or a. You know, a way to make the go kart faster. Just like, he's so creative. I mean, for a long time, my sister and I and my mom would get. My dad would go pick out an outfit for us for Christmas. Like, we'd have matching outfits every year. And dad always did such a good job. And then one year, it was over because it was like vests and a hat, and I was like, no, that's it. You. You've reached the end of your. Of your. Of your. Of your sadism, you know, term. It's done. But. But yeah, I think that's some stuff I really get from my dad. I do get some stuff from my mom, too, but. But. But I'm mostly like my dad.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, well, it's. That's a good thing. My mom. When I grew up, as a child, my mom had this little statue sitting on our coffee table, and it was the thinker, and it was a statue, and it was like. Like a Roman guy. And he sat here like this. So I understand there's a little bit more to, you know, when you say the thinker, it's just thinking logically, you know, and trying to make good decisions. All right, it's showtime now. I just dreamed that up. I am going to introduce you, and when I'm done, we'll talk about it. Okay? So what I did is. And listen, I. I do this with all the greats. I did it with Tony Stewart, did it with Harvick. You know, these are 200, by the way. I'm 60 years old. Okay, here we go. Started racing at age 10, winning three World Carding Association Grand National Championships in the mid-90s. Now, you feel free to butt in. If I get anything wrong, I want to come back and talk about this next one. You went to the United Kingdom to race. And then I have a question. What was that like? We're going to come back to that. I'm introducing you right now. You won the 2008 Indie Japan 300, the only win ever by a lady in IndyCar Series history. First lady to win pole position in a NASCAR Cup Series race. And by the way, it was the. The biggest Race of all the Daytona 500, this one's pretty cool. NASCAR Most starts, laps led and top tens by a lady. This one's also incredible. Highest finishing lady in the Indy 500, third. And what a race. You were racing for the win. And the Daytona 500 finishing eighth. One of only 14 racers, man or lady. For forget you're a lady. One of only 14 racers in history, man or lady, to lead laps in the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. Now we can go on and on and on, but I think those are the. Those are the granddaddy of them all. When I say all that, do. Do you remember that life and. And tell me a little bit about that?

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, I think the first thing that happens when a bio of sorts or accomplishments has been read is that my first thought thoughts are I wish I'd have done more. I don't know if that's a common answer or not, but that's definitely something that crosses my mind. But then. But I like the way you finished. That's probably one of my favorite stats is having led Indy and Daytona and to be one of so few that have done that. Yeah, I mean it was. I had a really fun career. I'm so glad that I got to do IndyCar and NASCAR and. And I was saying to someone not long ago that it's just kind of funny to be someone that's done something that no one else in the world's ever done before. It's just kind of. It's just kind of funny. It's just kind of weird. It's really cool.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's a big deal. And listen, we're going to get to more of that. I want to break some of your accomplishments down individually. Let's go back to when you first started racing. I don't know why that caught my eye. Where are you from? Are you from Illinois? You're from Beloit, Wisconsin or Illinois?

[Danica Patrick]

I was born in Beloit, Wisconsin because it was the closest hospital. But from. Grew up in Illinois.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's what I thought. Okay, so you left Illinois, middle of America and you went to the United Kingdom or uk. What. What was that about? That. That'd be an incredible experience at such a young age.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, I mean it was to race. It was. So basically at 14 we were contacted by or we were contact. I 14 years old, Indy 500. I went to this turn two suite of this family. It was called. They were the Mecum family. They used to have an IndyCar back in the day and a family from Texas and there was Some British guy up there, and I was asking questions about racing, and all I remember he said was that I could learn more there in one year than five years in the States. And I was like, wow, that seems like a good deal. And so that was when I was 14. And then two years later when I was 16. This family had been following my career, and they said, we'd like to talk to you about, you know, racing maybe in England or moving forward or representing you. And so my dad and I drove down to Indy. It was during the month of May, and we met with them and ended up driving home. And what they wanted to do is take me to England to see if I was good and see if I could do it and see if I could develop into a, you know, professional driver someday. And so I went over and tested a car, and I guess it was good enough that I went back and did what. What would be called a winter series. So that's when I left. That was junior year of high school then. And so I was there, like, the first and last month of the first semester. So I was gone for the middle two months, and that was the last school I did. I pretty much only, like, went through sophomore year. Really?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

Junior year. I was only there for half of the first half of the year, so. And then I would. I. They offered me this opportunity to go to England and race, and my parents just said, I. I mean, it's a hard decision, but it would be even harder to not have the opportunity. And so I pulled out of school halfway through my junior year and moved to England and ended up living there for three years.

[Kenny Wallace]

Wow. So, you know, I. I always.

[Danica Patrick]

Ed.

[Kenny Wallace]

What's that?

[Danica Patrick]

Got my ged. My good enough diploma.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's badass. Okay. I've never heard that. I gotta write that down. Good enough, so. But.

[Danica Patrick]

Good enough.

[Kenny Wallace]

But I always say. They said. They said Dale Earnhardt senior, like, was gone in the 10th grade or 8th grade. And I. I'm like, look, hold on, Listen. One of the. For men, My wife says this. She says, sometimes men don't know what they want to do till they're 32 years old. So my response to her, I said, but listen, when you. We go to school, so we can do what we need to do, because we're supposedly getting knowledge to do what we want to do, but if you know what you want to do, by all means, you know, go do it.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, I went to my own college over there.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes. That's what you did. Yeah, I. I don't. I guess What I'm saying is, I don't buy into that. You must go to school and you know, you had an opportunity.

[Danica Patrick]

I, I'm not a super firm believer in the institution itself anyway.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, especially college. I mean, what a financial drain for so many. But high school and grade school, even just when you look at the curriculum and look at what they learn, it's like, how much, how much of that stuff do you use, Kenny? Yeah, how much of that stuff do I use? Like, like none. I mean, the best thing that it's for is like you need to know. Yes. Reading, writing, basic math. Right. Like, how often do algebra.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Never.

[Danica Patrick]

Right. Okay. So if you need to, if you need, if you want to go be an architect, you'll learn that in your specialized degree.

[Kenny Wallace]

Go to a school for that.

[Danica Patrick]

Exactly, exactly. But you don't need to know it for your regular life. And so I think there's so much about the curriculum that's off anyway. And then when you fast forward to college and how much debt is created within the schools and it's just like, it's just, it's crazy.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. So what you're saying is the UK is where you graduated.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Kind of than life even. One more thing about that. Were you there by yourself?

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Was it wild being by yourself? Could you do what you wanted to do?

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, it was exciting at first. Like think about being 16 years old. You're an ocean away from your parents. You're, you know. I couldn't drive yet, though. You had to be 17 to drive. So I still get driven around a bit. But, uh, but it was, it was, it was very cool. The first year I lived with two girls and when I first got there, I was sleeping on the couch and then there was two rooms and three of us. And so one of the girls that was there full time had a whole room. And then the other girl that left on the weekends was in a tiny room. And when, I mean tiny room, I mean a shoebox of a friggin room. Like it was so small. And that's the room I ended up getting because she just, she, since she was only there during the week, she's like pulled, did the pull out bed. And then the next year I lived with a family, which was no fun. And then the last year I lived by myself.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay. I've always been intrigued about that because I, I had heard, you know, 15. 15 years ago that Danica went there by, you know, by herself.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

All right, let's, let's break some of these massive accomplishments down. I want to go back to that IndyCar win at. That was Motigi. I've been there when NASCAR went there. What a. What a different racetrack. Really. Uphill into turn one, downhill down the back straightaway. I'm sure you could run that in your sleep right now. You.

[Danica Patrick]

We mostly race on the oval. Only time we raced on the road course was at the end the last year because we had to get. We had to go on the road course because that was just after that huge tsunami, like got like hit the nuclear plant and that like went in like there was like a nuclear. Was it a. Thought it was a tsunami or maybe it was a nuclear explosion. I can't. I thought it was tsunami for some reason. Maybe. Maybe it was just the nuclear explosion. But anyway, so. But there was. Yeah, it must have been the tsunami because there's something of an earthquake, but there was so many tremors going on that we had them throughout the entire stay, so. And it ended up moving the race from the oval to the road course. The last.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, I didn't know that.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's why we're. That's why we're having a conversation. I'll be darn. So this isn't a historical moment. I've seen the pictures. You know, it's. It's big to win a race. But now you're. You're like the Statue of Liberty. You're a lady. You do the first. Nobody's ever done it. Take me through that. You know, you don't got to go detail. But that whole global. You win, you're in victory lane. You get back to America. Tell me all about that. That win.

[Danica Patrick]

Well, I always loved going to Japan. I did. It was like the time change put me right into my favorite time of day, which is morning. Everybody was up so early. And I remember every morning I'd just go run around the track because they leveled off the top of the mountain for people don't know. And they built a racetrack there. So there's the oval and the road course. So I would just go out and run all the way around, all of it and come back. And so, you know, when you're up at 4 or 5am you don't have anything to do till like 9. You know, you got to like. So I just. And it was every year until the last year. We were there during April, which was cherry blossom season, and it was just like the most beautiful time. And it was so pretty to. They had cherry blossoms all the way around the track. And so, so first off, I just always like going there. It was just like, it felt really good. And, and then the year that I won there was rain, so it was delayed a day. And so we raised kind of mid morning the next day day. And I remember that night in the hotel room there was track feed to your hotel room tv which is pretty much more interesting than anything other than sumo wrestling because I didn't understand a word anything anybody else was saying. But the sumo, you know, you can understand that.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

So watching the track feed and you.

[Kenny Wallace]

Watch, you are fun.

[Danica Patrick]

You're watching these ladies, these, these, these lovely ladies with T towels and buckets sopping up the weepers on the track and like ringing them into buckets. Yeah, I know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh my gosh. I didn't know that's where that was going to go. That's incredible.

[Danica Patrick]

Sweeping water at the shore back into the ocean, man, it's just really, really, really pointless. But, but there was some weepers was part of the problem why it took so long to dry the track. So that's why we raced the next day. And, and it was, you know, it was one of those races where Brian Herta had told me maybe a year or two before, he's like, one of these days you're just gonna be doing the same thing that you normally do and you're gonna win. And so sure enough, that day I was just doing the same thing that I normally do. And, and there was, there was a caution and there must have been somewhere around 50 to go. Ish. And me and Elio and a few others ended up pitting to play the play the fuel game. Fuel strategy game. And so I just started early. Like Kyle Moyer was my, was my, my engineer and, or my, my crew chief or. No, I get them all mixed up now because of an IndyCar and NASCAR strategist. Strategist. He's my strategist and Kyle's kind of a legend and he just, you know, was giving me a number, a target from pretty early on and I was just pretty diligent and I'm pretty good at that. And, and so when it came to the end of the race, there was still some laps left. But when I saw Elio, I got by him as quick as I could because I thought if a yellow comes out and there's only a couple of laps left, like I don't want to be of safe. You know, I didn't, I don't want to have waited till the last lap just to be safe. Like I want to Pass him to be safe. So I passed him and I. And I. I think I. I'm sure I pulled away. I think I won by like 5 seconds or something like that. So I had done a really good job of saving fuel and, and, and it all worked out. And I just remember feeling really relieved, mostly like I was excited, but I was mostly relieved because I felt like, I mean, shoot, I almost won my first year, actually, that. So that would have been 2008. My first year was 2005. And in 2005 at Motegi, I qualified on the front row. I finished fourth, and then I almost won the Indy 500 the next race. So I was pretty sure that that was race number three and four. I think that that was the way it went. So, like, I almost won in my fourth IndyCar race. So it felt so overdue for so long that it took so many years to. To finally get there. And I'm sad that it didn't happen more often, but. But. But grateful for it.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, that is a. That's a Kenny conversation, too, with Danica, you know, about looking back. I never won a cup race. You know, run second three times. That. That's another story. And we can dive deeper into that another year. So you brought it up. When I watched the Indy 500 and you were leading, battling for the win. You're legit. Forget being a lady, because everybody wants to remind you, you know, you're a lady. But that wasn't a great Indy 500. Take me through that as you're battling to win the Indy 500. Dicing back and forth. Tell me about that race.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, my first one. So, I mean, man, I remember. I mean, rookie orientation. I was the fastest. Like, you know, I think I was fastest. I was fastest many days. Enough days that I got the big check at the end of the day and I had to go to the media center and we were like. We had like, words of the day that I had to get in during my interviews, and we had a good time. And I think I was fastest on carb day. Maybe almost got the pole, but I almost spun in turn one. So my effort was still enough to put me forth to start the race. But I started the race off and I stalled in the pits and so that I was running top 5 somewhere ish. And I stalled, so that put me to the back. And I was so inexperienced that. And it was back in the day when we had sequential gearboxes, so I wasn't sure where I was at exactly. And I didn't Want to have them start it and accidentally not be fully in neutral. So. So I had the clutch in, but you can't start the car with the clutch in. And I didn't even know that then. So I was like, oh, my God. So I saw all the way to the back, made my way through, and I feel like I was somewhere around 8ish and coming for a restart and just like, looped it. Just got on the gas and just whoom. And as I spun around, I don't know if I. I don't know if there was some checking up. I mean, I'd have to literally watch it to see, like, what the. What the. What the train was doing. But. But I spun either way and someone came across, cleared my front nose off, but it, like, spun me straight to head to the pit lane. So I, like, got on pit road, pit in, and pulled into the pits, changed my nose, pitted while it was close, so it was a penalty. So then topped off on the way back through because I had to do another drive through. And that was what put me in the position to go to the end of the race. But that, you know, that meant that I was stretching tires, stretching fuel, and so I was. I inherited the lead through a caution because everyone came in to get tires and fuel later in the race. And then I led for a while. It was very easy. It felt very comfortable. It was so quiet, man, the lead is so quiet. And then I was saving, I think. I think. I don't remember if I got passed. Then I got passed on track, obviously. And then there was another caution that came out. And the. On the restart, I remember I came up on the. Came on the radio and I was like, man, everyone say a prayer here. And they're like, we've been doing it all day. So restart came and I got a great run, and I passed Dan Weldon for the back for the lead. And my favorite clip ever is this, like, 30 second clip from a fan in turns one and two. And it's just like a. It's just a fan video. And it's. You know, you can hear the cars start coming towards turns one and two, and it sounds like, you know, rocket ships coming, coming at him. And all the fans start going, she did it, she did it, she did it. Like, everyone's going crazy, and they're, like, erupting like, crazy, like, cheering so loud. To the point where after the race, people asked me if I heard the fans. Like, did you hear the fans? That's how loud they were.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

And so so anyway, took the lead back and back. Then we had eight fuel slots, so eight was for caution, so would cut cylinders and save a lot of fuel. But then you had seven fuel saving positions. And so I started off in one, and, you know, quickly, two, three, four, and just kept going down. I kept. It was like, pulling away, kind of holding steady. I don't think it was until I got to, like, fuel slot five, maybe or six that I actually started, like, Dan started catching me, and I just wasn't able to hold a low enough line with, like, my tires were 50 laps old, and I just. I just could not hold it low enough so he could get his wing just underneath me enough to get. Get air. And. And then he got by. And. And then they were like, just say, fuel, save fuel. So it felt like emergency mode of saving fuel to make it to the end. So once I lost the lead, then it was just really a matter of doing saving as much as possible. And so I ended up fourth. And, yeah, there was maybe a little more fuel left in that tank than they thought, but, you know, it. But that was. That was how it went.

[Kenny Wallace]

Wow. And, you know, that was a little bit ago, and people's brains are more powerful than we think because you just took me through. I caught what. What I. As a race car driver, you. You said you, you know, early, like the day before, whatever you got loose somewhere. What is it? And this is a. This is a question I want to know, because I've never drove an Indy car. When you get loose in one of those, like, you know, our stock cars, we do this. What is it like getting loose in an Indy car?

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, it's just. You just. You just have such less time to save it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Like the death wiggle.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, it's not. It's not. Even though, let's say in qualifying when I about spun out in turns one in turn one, I probably got more respect for saving it than if I would have just qualified on the poll.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I get it. I understand. Okay. Wow. Those. Now is your. I'm looking at you right now. Are you deep in the thought about those times right now?

[Danica Patrick]

I mean.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I mean, I. I'm looking at you right now. You're living that in your brain right now. That's awesome. Well, you. You did a lot. You know, you did a lot. And. And I know pretty much what you're thinking. So when I won my first Xfinity race, it was like, oh, we did it. Now I got to do it again. So some reason we're Just never good enough. And you got to do it again. Got to do it again. But, Danica, you did it. I mean, you are one badass lady. So let's clear our mind because I was right there with you.

[Danica Patrick]

Take me back and keep me in Fuel slot four.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, yeah, that should be a movie. You know, Fuel slot four, the start of childhood. Get to the end of the movie and you're leading Indy 500. Oh, by the way, this is, this is real. Let's move forward a little bit and, and now we're in the part of Kenny conversation where we're 45 minutes into this deal and I, I want to highlight these things in your life. As I said, we. We can't go hours. So you, you start this NASCAR adventure. You know, you. You come to NASCAR. So the first thing is you had success in IndyCar. Why did you make the decision to come NASCAR?

[Danica Patrick]

I was just kind of. I was kind of sick of the direction the IndyCar was going. It was going more and more road course racing, and I really enjoyed the ovals. When I started, it was three road courses, and it kind of went to five and then seven or eight and ended up being pretty close to half the schedule. So I just, you know, I just didn't enjoy that as much. And, and also I didn't enjoy the situation that I was in with my team. I, I think the, the first time, the only time I've ever talked about this was on the Jocko podcast and it was. I was in a. My contract with Andretti was a profit sharing contract or was a. Was a. Basically over a certain amount of money, we split how much more what was on the car. And so, yeah, a profit sharing situation. And they just never really produced like, viable documentation and, or paid me what I should. And so I sued them and ended up going through mediation all the way to arbitration. And yeah, I just was not like happy in that situation anymore. Just didn't like the team anymore. Didn't. Didn't enjoy like the direction of the races. So I was just ready for a change and I felt like NASCAR really. And I remember going to the. I remember going to Phoenix and just kind of like messing around and hopping in a. Hopping in a stock car, like climbing in a window while I was driver. And everybody was like, real excited about it. And I was like, oh, maybe they'd like me here. And, and I remember the first test that I did. So the, the way I started was slow. I didn't just jump into NASCAR. I did part time, NASCAR part time IndyCar or. No, part time NASCAR full time IndyCar still for two years. And so in 2010 and 11, I did some Nationwide racing. What was Nationwide then? And I think I did 10 or so races and, and I remember testing for the very first time down in Orlando with Tony Yuri Jr. And Pops. And I just remember taking off out of pit lane and going, oh my God, this is so fun. I'm home. Like, I, I just, I don't know, it just like felt so natural and I just really liked him and really had a lot of fun. And so that's how I started was just nice and easy. I mean, I just finished fifth in the championship in, in 2009 and had my best, you know, best championship run, Ran in the top five, qualified in the top five, like every weekend. It was my best year. And so I, I was definitely making a gamble to leave, but that's why I didn't just go full on NASCAR.

[Kenny Wallace]

I want to, I want to go back 10 seconds ago and then come back. So the, the racer in me signing all my contracts in nascar. That profit sharing deal. That's interesting. I'm going to say it and you tell me if I'm right or wrong. So the more money you made, the more, the better you did, the more money you made. They wanted part of it. Is that right?

[Danica Patrick]

More about the sponsorship on the car.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, got it.

[Danica Patrick]

So, yeah, no, that was back in those days. I had like Motorola, Argent, Meyer, one America. I had a bunch of them. I mean, I think our primary was like a 7 million dollar primary in IndyCar, which is a big primary. So. And I, and I made, I think it was 40 above 9 million. So. And I knew Argent was a big one because Argent came from, came from Ray Hall. And so when, when Argent and Meyer came from Ray Hall, I didn't get paid at the end of that contract either because they're like, you stole the sponsors. And so I not only didn't get paid, I had to pay. I had to also pay the team some money. So I like heavily paid for those sponsors to be able to be on the car. And then they still cheated me out.

[Kenny Wallace]

Of money because first of all, those sponsors were there because of you, but whatever.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, I mean even Argent wrote a, wrote a like letter saying the only reason why we went to this team was because of Danica. But they put the sticker on other cars and then they stood up there on the stand and said like, oh, they were very fascinated with Dario and Ashley Judd and they wanted to. It's like they were just so full of.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I love that. Yes. That sounds like that's right there. Yes. And you got to call it out. Sometimes when it's so ridiculous, like things in the world today, sometimes you got to go, look, stop. This is not wrestling, okay? If I was drunk, I'd believe it more, but I'm not drunk, so I get that. All right, back. Back to nascar. You caught that, right? I'm not gonna play along. Okay, back to nascar. Now, I want to ask a rough question, but I think it's okay because it's what I would say. You, you came from IndyCar, which for better term is wine and cheese, you know, and we love wine and we love cheese, but more sophistication. People are very clean shaven. Then you come to nascar. Now you're dealing with this, hey, girl, get on over here. What? Did you feel any of that? Now this is a fun question, but a little rough around the edges. When you came from IndyCar and you came to NASCAR, was NASCAR kind of rednecky?

[Danica Patrick]

Or.

[Kenny Wallace]

Or was it.

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, yeah, of course. Like, I remember doing seat fittings with Tony Uri Jr. And, and I was. He's like, something about, you know, where do you want to go to lunch? And I was like, oh, I think there's a Panera. And he called it pan Pandera. He couldn't.

[Kenny Wallace]

Panera's like good food, you know, it's. There's no grease.

[Danica Patrick]

And you know, you'd go into the hauler and gak would be on Great American Country. You'd be watching, like, shows about hunting in the morning because that's what they play before music videos. And, and you know, there'd be hot dogs on a roll wheel outside and some foods out on the. You know, it was definitely a little bit more casual.

[Kenny Wallace]

And it, that's put, that's putting it nicely. This reminds me of when I watched Saturday Night Live and, and Jeff Gordon. It's like, okay, that was the day. I don't know if you watched it, but that's the day when we knew what the world thought about NASCAR at that time. Had all the rednecks, you know, it was. Yeah, but I mean, it, it's. It's just country. And like you said, the hot dogs outside the holler, you know, you grab you one and finger food, you got dirt on your finger, you grab the food, you eat it and you do it again. And yeah, that's fun.

[Danica Patrick]

The only time I do that's at Burning Man. Now, you know, everything's covered in dirt there.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, so it's here. It's at the very bottom. Burning Man. Wow. I think I want to go. That looks like a Kenny Wallace trip. 100%.

[Danica Patrick]

I think that you would have a blast. I think you would be like, the energy would transfer through you and you just like, you'd add to the vibe too.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I think I'd run around naked.

[Danica Patrick]

So I would you very much if you wanted to. The first day, I'll tell us. I went to the last two years. And the first year when I went, it was like the second day I was there and I. It was quite a white out. It was very, like, windy because it's in the salt flats, so the wind kicks up and it's just white out. So people have goggles. That's a big reason why I have goggles there. And so I put the goggles on, got on my bike. Everybody rides a bike everywhere because it's very spread out and there's 80,000 people there. So it's huge. And I get riding on my bike and I turn around the corner and I'm like heading into, like the thick of things. And here comes at me, a naked parade. And it is 98 men.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my.

[Danica Patrick]

And a lot of penises. Yeah, a lot of them. I was like, wow, they're all so different. Mind blowing.

[Kenny Wallace]

It was what I was gonna say. Did any stand out?

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, definitely. Definitely.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my God. I think I'm red.

[Danica Patrick]

Definite variety.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my gosh. That's awesome.

[Danica Patrick]

So you'd be fine. And actually, not only that, but the very first day when I got there, it was like probably 7 or 8 o'clock at night, just like rolling in and there was a dude, buck naked with a backpack on, like, walking around inside of our camp. And I was like, okay, that's how we're doing it here.

[Kenny Wallace]

What? So I was gonna ask you about Burning man at the end, but you brought it up. What is Burning Man? What is it? What does it represent? How did it come about?

[Danica Patrick]

It was like, it started about 30 or so years ago and they had, I think. I don't know exactly the history, but it's. It's like there was. They. They built this sort of like, man, essentially, and they just have a bonfire and burn it. And it just like kind of like. And then it ended up moving locations for more space and it just became this like, cultural, like, different reality for a week where people essentially are. It's interesting. It seems like there's a. It's a Place with no rules. But it's in fact the rules that make it so free. And there are 10 very, very strict rules there, but they're all things about like inclusiveness and non judgment and cleaning up after yourself and like leave no trace and all kinds of very respectful, respectful rules. And, and so people follow the rules very well. And so it's because of those rules that everyone is so free to be themselves.

[Kenny Wallace]

Free, free spirit. Okay, so back then, back to nascar. When you came to NASCAR and listen, I'm not going to exaggerate, the world stopped. It. It was like, wow. I mean, the view, the ratings, it was, it was big. It was, it was bigger than big. When you came to nascar, did you feel that? Did you feel that all eyes were on you?

[Danica Patrick]

A little. I think maybe in my Nationwide days it was a little bit just. I remember I was doing so poorly. Like, I feel like it was. I finished like 20th and they still wanted to talk to me after the race. And I remember like running away. Like, I don't, like, how can you possibly want to talk to me? I just did so poorly. And then the next week was Phoenix and I think I had another bad day. And I realized after that one, because it was also like the home Godaddy race that I was. I was like, wow, I better like keep my together because this is not helping me in any way. And I better clean the, like, clear the energy from the weekend before, before the next one so that it just doesn't continue to like spiral in the wrong direction. So I just remember, like, the fact that I was getting attention for that kind of stuff was like. But I also thought, well, it's because I'm new and I'm just starting and they're trying to talk to me about what it's like to now be in nascar. But, But I was always so fortunate in my career. I always generally had a lot of attention. So I. It didn't feel like leaps and bounds different, but it was, it was more you.

[Kenny Wallace]

You. You knew what you were doing. You knew how to handle it. You knew how to breathe. I get it.

[Danica Patrick]

I can learn how to breathe.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, Right, Right. I'm gonna. This is an audible. This means I was not going to ask this question, but listening to you now, I know you're with Sky Sports right now, you're doing some Formula one, but Denny Hamlin, I've watched you chew his ass out, which was awesome. It was just good, good for you because you were standing your ground too. It was just, you know, a guy Two guys fighting, except you were a girl and you're chewing his ass out. So now when you see Denny Hamlin, I know you're not oblivious. Denny Hamlin has said, okay, I like this. I'm a bad guy now, and I like it. I'm gonna talk a bunch of crap. And now he's winning more. He just won Bristol. He just won.

[Danica Patrick]

When you're really being himself.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, go ahead. You're awesome. Take it. Tell me about what you think Denny Hamlin's doing right now.

[Danica Patrick]

I think he's a total ass on the track. Like, total. Like, he's pissed off so many people. Not as many as, like, Joey Logano, let's say. But hold on.

[Kenny Wallace]

Who's worse, Danny or Joey?

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, but good question. They. They both have some enemies, but I think Joey has more. But, you know, and I had issues with both of them. Also don't like Truex, so I was not too disappointed to see what happened.

[Kenny Wallace]

What did. What did. So I wasn't gonna go there. What did Truex do that pissed you off so bad?

[Danica Patrick]

Well, I just thought he was like. I just end up feeling like, on track, he was just such a. When he didn't need to be, he would just, like, drive way too close when he was lapping me, like. Like, get me loose. It's just stupid stuff like that where he just seemed very disrespectful and unnecessarily aggressive. So you can't. So for me, you can't separate the two. Like, you can't separate, you know, the person on track from the person off track. You know, they. They're all. They're all you. You know, like, for Joey, I actually got along with Joey off track just fine, but on track, he was just such a pain in the ass. And. And. And so I can't. I can't say, oh, you're a nice guy, but then this is. No, you're not. Like, you can't be in one place and expect me to not think you're somewhat of a.

[Kenny Wallace]

Right. So, you know. Yeah. Well, yeah, but now. Now. So these are all the questions I wanted to ask you, but I wanted to show you respect. And now I like you even more.

[Danica Patrick]

He's also like, I don't have to. Like, I don't see everyone every weekend. You know, I don't have to worry about. This is my truth. This was my experience. This is also most of my opinions. And everybody's gonna have different opinions. You know, I saw after the race, you know, Kyle Larson, who I Love so much and is such a good friend. And he was like, you know. You know, Martin's, like, probably the most respected guy in the garage, and it's like, okay, that's their experience. Experience. I'm not saying that's wrong. You can't say mine's wrong either.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, this is awesome, because these are things I wrote down and went, nope, don't write that down.

[Danica Patrick]

But I know how it feels, because when I interview people, I'm like, there's certain things that you, like, kind of want to ask about, but you don't want to be suit. You don't want to appear as though you're, like, setting someone up to be controversial. But. But that's. No, it's all right. I'm going there with you, Kenny.

[Kenny Wallace]

Conversation is about a celebration of the person not to throw at the wall. Yeah, but are you a tomboy?

[Danica Patrick]

No.

[Kenny Wallace]

No. You're all girl.

[Danica Patrick]

Only a tomboy in the sense that I'm super, like, competitive, aggressive. Like, the other day, I'm playing golf, and, like, I hit a shot out of the sand 100 yards onto the green, and, like, I just, like, got out of the sand pit and walked and threw the. Put the club back in. And they're like, smile. They're like, tiger woods would have been happy with that shot.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

It's just like, this disease of discontentment when competing that probably comes off as being a masculine or tomboy. But I'm not a tomboy. Like, no, no, no, no. I'm like, girly girl outside of the car. Like, I'm the one that's, you know, like, I'll wear, like, cute pajamas, even, you know, match them or, you know, I'm one of those girls that, you know, like, I don't do anything not ladylike in front of guys.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, this is.

[Danica Patrick]

Other than try and kick their ass, but only for the sake of being successful.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes. That's why I say, when we win, we win. But then all of a sudden, it's, oh, I got to win again, because that would. You know, that's only one. Now I got to have two. Yeah. Father John, you keep hearing me say that, everyone. So a Father John said, kenny, what are you gonna do? I said, I'm gonna be a race car driver. He said, be careful, Kenny. Competition will kill you. And, boy, that was early in my life. To this day, that still sticks in my head because, you know, I often think about back in the Roman chariot days and how barbaric they were. And, you know, they just chop each Other's heads off, you know, to rule the world and. Yeah, yeah. So back to Denny, Ben. So you're saying right now Denny playing the bad guy is appropriate?

[Danica Patrick]

Well, look like you know, anybody on the inside. I feel like a lot of people that are going to listen are. Know the sport pretty well and know the personalities pretty well. And Denny's one of the most seasoned that's been in the series for a long time. And you know, Denny, Denny can be a. Denny can be a handful off track, you know, like, that's been exposed in different situations. Like, I'm so happy to see him happy now and engaged to Jordan and the family and everything. But, like, he hasn't been the most perfect human being and I would think he'd admit that. And on track he can. I think he. I think he's more fair than a lot. But, but. And I've always actually had a pretty decent time on track with him other than these moments where it just feels like he, you know, just pushes too hard, you know, and doesn't leave room for error. And, and so I think that. I don't think he's. He's not as bad as some, but he's definitely. I mean, he's aggressive. He's aggressive. I think he waits for his moment a little later. I don't think he's the kind of driver that's like, he's not doing it from the beginning just to do it. I think he does wait a little bit. He's a little bit more of the end of the race for a reason kind of guy. But, but he'll, he'll lay offender, so.

[Kenny Wallace]

He'S, he's strategic is what you're saying.

[Danica Patrick]

So. Yeah, yeah, I can't totally Debbie down his entire, like, strategy, but yeah, you know, my very aggressive experience with him at Daytona felt a little out of place, which is why I was so mad.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

Because he took me out in practice. Like, he's so close to me, spun me like on, basically on the end of the back straight away in practice.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

And you know, that kind of stuff was totally unnecessary, necessary.

[Kenny Wallace]

I, I've had a conversation with Haley Deegan last year, and then about a month ago, I, I talked to Haley's dad, Brian, and what an incredible man. You know, he basically created the X Games. And he, he said to me, kind of like you did early in this conversation, he says, why did, why do you think Haley's having such a tough time? And I, I never said she was having a tough time. I was just marveling at her, doing what she's doing. And I immediately answered him with no pause. I said, she's a girl. There's a lot of male chauvinists out there. She's been wrecked way more than she's wrecked anybody.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

So with that, I want you to comment on what I told Brian. Do you feel like it? And listen, I'm talking about you and her. It's collectively. I feel like you were hit in the left. Like, I'd be watching a racing like, oh, my God, they just wrecked her. I mean, I mean, this happened back.

[Danica Patrick]

In my Nationwide days, like, going down the back straight away at Fontana, and the car just, they, this is me. And they just went, turn me into the wall.

[Kenny Wallace]

So Brian asked a great question, Brian Deegan. He said it wasn't my place, but I almost went to NASCAR and said, why aren't you doing anything about this? So we would clearly see a guy wreck you or a Haley, and, and there was nothing said about, I mean, numerous of times. Did you.

[Danica Patrick]

I love when people comment on me on social media and they're like, oh, all she did was wreck. It's like, well, number one, I actually had the longest streak of running at the finish in IndyCar. His, like, I, I don't remember where it ended up, but it was something like maybe 50 or so in a row where I was under my own power at the checkered flag. That was a record. I don't know if it still stands. I have no idea. But, like, I didn't crash an IndyCar very often in NASCAR. I crashed a lot more because I got crashed a lot more.

[Kenny Wallace]

I agree with that.

[Danica Patrick]

Crashed more. But I also was collected in crashes more because there's just a lot more crashing, you know, especially super speedways and stuff like that, like, and the crashes because everyone's running closer. In IndyCar, you can't run that close. It's just, you can't. And in stock cars, you can. So when one spins, it collects six really easily. So a lot of times there's just nowhere to go. So, you know, there's generally just a lot more crashing in NASCAR more than anything. I, I, I, I do think people are, I don't think, Yeah, I don't think people want to be by a girl. And you know why? Because I didn't want to get beat by a girl. Yeah, I absolutely know how it feels because I didn't see myself that way. So I, I, like, saw myself as like, a winner and like a guy and really competitive and really good and I didn't want to get beat by a girl. I know. Call me, like, a hypocrite or chauvinistic or whatever, like. But I. I didn't want to get beat by a girl, so I know.

[Kenny Wallace]

How they feel, because you are the girl. You're. You're. You know, Madonna said, I'm a badass. I'm number one. And. And I understood because I grew up in that environment, you know, where, look, we're the best. There's nobody better than me. Stop. Stop challenging me. So you are Danica Patrick. You are the leader of the pack, and how dare another girl try to challenge me?

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, and I think that I. I don't know why. I guess I. I think no girl was ever really very competitive against me, so I just had the idea that I was the one. Like, it was. I don't know. Like, I.

[Kenny Wallace]

Because what you just said is the way all racers think I'm the greatest. Why are you racing me?

[Danica Patrick]

I knew I was. I know I'm not the greatest. I know that. Like, that's very. I'm not. I'm honest about that, but I felt like I was by far the best girl, and so. Well, you are, mostly because I just never really raced against them a little bit in go karting, but I. I just always won and always beat them, and so. Or it wasn't even close. And so I guess anytime there was a moment where I felt like where someone or a girl was passing me or beating me in a scenario, it just felt like so. It was so rare that it made me think, like, holy crap, what's going on? So maybe that's how they feel all the time, because I was competitive a lot.

[Kenny Wallace]

Man, you're. You're good at what you do because you've led me right into it. I want to say this, okay, because I can ask this question a hundred different ways. 100 guys show up at a racetrack, and you find one that is the best. You can't even get 100 girls.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, this is what I. This. This literally. Did you. Did you. Is this your example? Or do you. Are you. Are you saying my example.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's your example. Yeah, I. I'm taking your word. Right. Okay. So you. You created a firestorm. Stupid. I mean, you. You're right. They're dumb. You said it's. You said racing is not normal for the feminine mind. I understood what you said.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Then all the Formula One people. In my opinion. Yeah, it was F1 people. They attacked you. How. How dare she say a woman Cannot be a man. Now listen, my wife, Kim, she doesn't want to be a guy. She doesn't want to race. I, I understood what you said.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

So talk to me about that. Firestorm.

[Danica Patrick]

Thank you. And thanks for defending me. You always. And you defend me a lot. I don't think that you do it just because you're going to defend me no matter what. I think you're willing to say it, you know, and I appreciate that and I hope that, you know, if I'm ever wrong, feel free to call that out too. But what I meant was that I remember talking to my. I was like, with a bunch of girlfriends and I described, like, aggression and like, how I feel even just on the regular road, if a car tries to push their way in or do anything on the regular road, like, I go into, like, crazy aggressive. Oh, hell no, that's not happening. And I'll, I'll make a spot where there wasn't a spot because they were being a jerk just to, like, make a point. Care 0 for the fenders of my car whatsoever. Like, and I'm just on the regular road.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

So I'm, you know, my line is, I'm like, they always lift, you know, like, they don't want to crash. And so this is like all my friends, I was kind of explaining this dynamic and they're like, yeah, we don't think like that. Like, like, they're all like, yeah, we. No, that's not normal. Like, to think in that level of aggression of like stealing that spot or pushing your way in or, you know, whatever that thing is that has to, you have to do to make a point. So it was through that and a couple other scenarios where I was like, it's just like, the way my mind works is not a natural way for a woman's mind to work who is normally, normally it's more caretaking, neurotic, like, careful, like, not wanting confrontation, not wanting, not. Not wanting to be aggressive and almost even not wanting to be competitive. Like, I have some friends that. A couple of friends where there's just like, not a competitive bone in their body. They don't, they don't want to be in that scenario. They don't want to, like, they do yoga because it's just like non competitive, you know, and, and so they just, they don't even like, like competition. And I think competition is such a masculine thing. I think guys love to compete at everything. And generally speaking, and these are all generalities, there's always fringe in everything, but it's More like I'm a fringe. Right? Like, I'm not saying it's not possible. A girl can't think like this and do this. But what's interesting is along the way, every now and again, I'll hear from someone. They're like, have you heard of this girl? I'm like, no. And they're like, she's got that thing. Like, she's got that thing like you do. She's like, really? You know, it's identifiable when someone is different and when they're like, they're. They have that level of confidence and aggression that it takes to, like, really believe that they can do it. And I just think it's less. Less of a. Less of a female brain and more of a male brain.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, yeah. And. And I. I agree with that 100% because, you know, I really. I heard about it. I was in the middle of my race season last year, and when I studied into it more, what really drove it home for me is, is you saying, look, racing world is full of guys, and it takes. It takes 100 guys to line up and like, oh, there's. There's Kyle Larson. He's the one. Now there's 99 guys that don't make it, and girls. I mean, it's like, oh, my God, there's a girl. So you have less chances to find the one. And that's what you were saying. Yes, I get it. Okay, good stuff. We're coming to the point where I want to highlight everything you're doing right now. Just kind of a quick synopsis. That's a. That's a fancy word, I think. Yeah. Look at me go. Okay, so you are what I call worldly. You don't say in one spot. You're. You're everywhere, all around the world. I mean, I'm excited that I'm going to Italy in January. We're going to seek out all the.

[Danica Patrick]

That's going to be amazing.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I'm jacked up about that. Okay, so I got about five of them, and we won't be long winded on all of them. Okay. The Pretty Intense podcast, it's a pretty big deal. You put a lot of effort into it. How did that start? Because you're vigilant. You do it. You interview the most. The people I've never heard of in my life. Tell me about Pretty Intense Podcast.

[Danica Patrick]

Well, this kind of came about in 2019. I retired in 18, and it was like, beginning in 19. And podcasts were really, really hitting at that point. Just starting to really get Rolling. And the idea came up for it, and it was like, you just have to ask questions. And I was like, oh, I always have questions. I have so many questions. And so I was like, I can do that. So that was it. That was the start of it. And I just. You know, we just. We had. I have quite a variety of people, but it all ends up boiling down to being stuff about, like, health and wellness. So whether it's about mental health, physical health, spiritual health, you know, or knowledge, which is power, it's all about. It's all about that stuff.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, it's good stuff. Your winery, Somnium Danica, you. You have your. You have a wine.

[Danica Patrick]

Danica Rosam's mine, and Danica Ros? Is mine.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay. I didn't know that. Thank you. That's awesome, man. My brother Rusty, he will drink some wine, like Chardonnay, just white. He loves it. Tell me about the wine life. It. I guess it's got to be relaxing out there. It's beautiful.

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, I just fell in love with it. I went to Napa Valley in 2006 and was standing on this top of the prop, on top of this beautiful property, and at 10. At 10am with a glass of white wine and just swirling it, thinking, man, it would be so cool to have something like this someday. And then a little over two years later, I bought a property and started the process. So that became somnium, and we finally started selling my 2014 vintage in 2017, because it was a piece of land that was just dirt, so it had to start from nothing. And then in 2020, I got involved with three other people to create from France, from Provence, where it's like the home of. And so that got going. But the partners that were involved, it wasn't me who necessarily started that. I kind of got brought in late, and then it ended up being my name because it was best for advertising anyway. The group kind of like going. They added another wine with somebody else, and they. Then they started a company with that. And then eight months after that, they went public with it, which meant they weren't selling my wine, so they sold me the company for a dollar.

[Kenny Wallace]

So they were nice.

[Danica Patrick]

Well, they goddamn should have been, because. Because I put in a lot of effort for a couple of years, and they didn't do what they said they were gonna do. So. So I took over Danica Rose, and it's now in house, and so I'm pretty excited. That's one of those that could, like. That could be as big as. As Big as anything. We just have to find the right distribute, distributor, distribution point and. But it's a great wine. But they're all great wines, I thought. And I started it because I just like drinking it. People always like, why'd you start a wine company? I'm like, because I like drinking it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Honest. I've been out to, you know, obviously, we've raced it at Sears Point, whatever you want to call it. A lot of different names for racetracks, sometimes when sponsors come in, but, you know, gone to Sonoma, you know, and had a dinner in the cave with the one light bulb that. That the whole wine industry is kind of a vibe, don't you think?

[Danica Patrick]

Oh, it's so peaceful, and it's, like connecting, and I feel like it's like getting back to nature a little bit more. You're talking about farming, you're talking about weather, and it's a very, like, hands on, intricate process. You know, there's ways to do it hands off with bulk wine and big, big, big block wine situations. But for the most part, a lot of it's very, very hands on. Very. It's like, it takes a lot of love and a lot of attention. So that's the kind of wine I make.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And I just want to say one more thing about it. I just find it absolutely amazing, intriguing. When you see a wine that has been in a barrel for years and now we're going to drink it, I'm like, oh, my gosh.

[Danica Patrick]

Funny. Actually, it is kind of ironic.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, it's unbelievable. It's. It's like opening up a time capsule.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's the way my. My brain thinks, you know? Okay, let me see. One, two, three. Three more to go here. Sky Sports tv. I see you on the grid for the Formula one races. Tell me about going. What's it like working for TV? Because I did it for 15 ever. But, you know, Danica, I just want to say this. This is that audible that I talk about sometimes doing. This is therapy for me, too. The whole time I did tv. Yeah, right. The whole time I did tv. It's like I didn't want to do it because I'm a. There's always this joke in the TV compound. People would say, hey, Kenny, you're really good at tv. I'm like, damn it, I'm a race car driver. I don't want to be good at tv. And that was kind of a devil's curse for me. I ended up quitting just because I hated the commercial airport. I hated being in the hotel room by myself.

[Danica Patrick]

Long weekends. It's longer weekends when you're doing television than a driver.

[Kenny Wallace]

Hate it. And I. And I literally quit. I mean, just quit making good money. Now I see you doing it, and I don't expect you to go where I just went. I just wanted to tell you my truth. It was good for me.

[Danica Patrick]

Yeah, you're very good at tv. It was always fun to watch you.

[Kenny Wallace]

So what is it like doing Formula one tv, though? I mean, do you gotta. You gotta walk the line or can you be you? I mean, I watch you.

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, more than anything. At first, I just didn't know that much. Like, I mean, I just. I'm not the kind of driver that, like, follows everything that's going on, even when I'm in it. Yeah, I don't know every crew chief's name and everything about the car. And, you know, I know about being a driver for sure, and I'm happy to share opinions. That's not something I'm afraid of. But. But. So I just really, like, had to learn the sport, so now I actually really enjoy it. I really enjoy watching it even a little bit of is it. Is to keep up with it, of course, because starting in May will be Miami, and then I'm doing seven races again this year, so I need to be up on everything. But I also find it really nice because there's only, like, 20 cars and.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, right.

[Danica Patrick]

You can kind of get the gist of, like, everybody's race. But, you know, in nascar, it's like, you know, you had a tough job to keep track of. Not just like 40 cars in one series, but keeping track of what everybody's doing everywhere. And there's just so many things going on. So I feel like. I feel like it's. It's fun, but it is way. It is way more work, way more time consuming because the drivers are there, you're there surrounding everything the driver's doing. So the driver just shows up for this practice, the qualifying, the race, and, I mean, they have a little bit more to do than that, of course. But. But for television, you're there, like, hours before they're on track, and you're there for a couple hours off after track, after they're off track. And so. And then, you know, you're not. The, like, sleeping arrangements isn't the same as just, like, go to your bus in the compound in F1, you're going to a hotel, so you get on the team bus, and it might take an hour in traffic to get back to the hotel and, you know, you get back on the bus at 8 o'clock in the morning the next day to do it again. So it's. They're really long days. But. But I do like them. It is fun. It is interesting. And, And I'm like, I like it more all the time because I'm. I feel like I really know what's going on now.

[Kenny Wallace]

I created a firestorm about two weeks ago and. And I want you to help me because I said, max Verstappen, he comes by me and about 10 seconds later, another car comes by. And then about four seconds later, another car comes by and at Surfers paradise, it was packed. Standing room only. Every time a Formula one car came by.

[Danica Patrick]

Are we talking about the race in Australia that they just had?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

Okay.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay. But. Okay, so what I'm saying is in Formula one, they don't race very much. There's not a lot of battling in my mind. Okay, now over here's nascar. They're beating the hell out each other. They're side by side. Yeah, but, but Formula one is way more exciting in this world view. What, what, what do I got wrong? What, what don't I know?

[Danica Patrick]

I mean, I think that a little bit of it is. It's very glamorous. You know, you drive for Ferrari, you know, like, I think there's some glamour element to it. I think that it's. I think there's something to be said about the races being over with in under two hours. I think that. I think it's easy to keep. Like, I can sit down and watch the whole race and not feel like I just lost half the day.

[Kenny Wallace]

Right.

[Danica Patrick]

You know, I think personally NASCAR races are way too long. I can understand if there's some that are long, but like, man, it's so hard to sit there for four or five hours and want, like, you know, there's pre race and man, it's like. But you're there for three to four hours for sure, for the race. And it's like, that's a lot of commitment and a lot of attention span. So I think there's some benefit in it being shorter races. They're almost a little like. I know they have, you know, their sprint races, but even the races are almost like sprint races when they're trying to decide, like, you know, one, two stops maybe, you know, how are they going to strategize it. It's like you're going so hard. The. It's not even common to have cautions in F1. So there's also a lot of explanation of strategy of where the cars are going to end up. Bases, like, based on, like, undercut, overcut. So it's. I think they kind of cram it all into to it. I think the cars are sexy, they sound good. They, you know, they look cool running. You know, they look good on track. They. Yeah, I think. I think glamour. I think shorter races. I think I also think there's some good personalities. You know, I think they're in a really good phase with their drivers, driver lineup in. In Formula one. And we see this in all. All sports. Sometimes there's just a wave of personalities in a sport that lift it up. And I think F1's in that phase right now. I think drive to survive played a big role in not only understanding more about racing, but also understanding more about the drivers and. And choosing someone to cheer for. I mean, shoot, there was people, like. People cheer for, like, team principals now. Right? Like, they.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, right.

[Danica Patrick]

Like, do they do that? They don't really do that in any other racing, I feel like, because you don't really know them that well, so. So I think there's quite a few reasons why it's popular and it's global. You know, it's a lot of different. A lot of different people with their eyes on it.

[Kenny Wallace]

I really am intrigued by it and I really want to go. If I am to go to a Formula one race, and I don't care how difficult it is to get there. Do you have any idea which one? What is the one that everybody brags on? What is the one I should go to? Have you heard?

[Danica Patrick]

I can only speak to the ones that I've been to, but the one I would say that sticks out the most, that I think would be cool. I mean, Singapore is pretty cool. I like, that was a fun one last year. And then I think Austin's a great one. I mean, you can go around and see a lot of the track. The racing can be pretty good there. Great turn one. You know, you're Texas, so, you know, town's a little ways away, but it's, you know, great food. So it's like a great. It's a great weekend. So I think Texas is a pretty good one too. Austin.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Danica Patrick]

So I. Again, I can only speak. I'm. This year, I'm adding on Barcelona and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. So I'm gonna.

[Kenny Wallace]

Abu Dhabi, man, they got some good lighting there. That baby. I love it. Okay, thank you so much.

[Danica Patrick]

I really appreciate it for this. Kenny. I love you so much. You're just the best. I. I think that your. Your spirit is one of those needed spirits in the world.

[Kenny Wallace]

You damn right. Hey, listen, a lot of people that I admire, my family grabbed my phone behind my back, went to Danica Patrick, Ric Flair, Jeff Gordon, and you wished me a happy birthday. And it was on my video. My birthday video. I turned 60 last year, so I see you now. Thank you for my birthday video. That was pretty cool. Danica. All right, everybody, listen, we got more in the pipeline. Until next time, the Kenny Wallace Kenny conversation just keeps on rolling. Thank you all very much, and see you later. Danica.

[Danica Patrick]

Bye, Kenny.

[Kenny Wallace]

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