By: Jeff Wackerlin – MRN
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Danica Patrick became the first woman in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to win a pole when she earned the top spot for the Daytona 500.
Patrick wheeled her Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet around the 2.5-mile superspeedway with a lap of 196.434 mph – the fastest Daytona 500 pole speed since 1990 – to top Sunday’s qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway.
The previous best qualifying effort for a female driver in NASCAR’s top division was by Janet Guthrie, who started ninth twice in 1977.
“I have a feeling that’s going to be one of those things in 10, 20 or 30 years I look back on and think something of it, whatever that may be,” Patrick said. “At this point in time, it’s just about going out there and getting what you can from the car, working hard and making the most of my opportunity now.”
Asked what her initial feeling was after Sunday’s historic performance, Patrick had a quick answer.
“Pride,” she said. “I’m proud of all the hard work that goes into making a pole car. It’s not just turning left. It’s so many other things. It’s all the attention to detail these guys put in over the winter. I can’t be more proud of them.”
Danica PatrickPatrick, who begins her rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series, won’t have to worry about racing her way into the biggest race of the year through this week’s qualifying events. Having a spot locked in will eliminate any sleepless nights.
“That’s a really big deal because qualifying for the Daytona 500 is an interesting thing. There’s so much work that goes into this car,” she said. “If you are anywhere but on the front row, it’s hard to see on race day. The race is where it’s really at – to get to the end, have a fast car and be in the right place at the right time.”
The pole-winning run is the latest in a list of records that Patrick has set in NASCAR. In 2011, she scored the best finish (fourth) by a female driver in NASCAR national series history in the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She also finished 10th in the 2012 Nationwide Series standings, the top finish by a female.
“I’m grateful for all those things,” Patrick said. “I feel like, first and foremost, I grew up with good values and good goals. I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl. That was instilled in me from the beginning.
“Thriving in those moments where the pressure’s on has also been a help for me. I’ve been lucky in my career to be with good teams and have good people around me. I don’t think any of it would have been possible without that. For those reasons, I’ve been lucky enough to make history, be the first woman to do many things. I really just hope that I don’t stop doing that. We have a lot more history to make. We are excited to do it.”
Jeff Gordon will join Patrick in an all-Chevrolet front row after turning a lap of 196.292 mph during Sunday’s session.
“It’s great to be a part of history with Danica being on the pole,” Gordon said. “I think we all know how popular she is, what this will do for our sport.”
Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart rounded out the top five.
“I’m really proud today, more than anything,” Stewart said of his three-car team being inside the top five in qualifying. “This was, not only for our organization but all organizations and teams, probably one of the most difficult winters I can remember from my fifteen years of going through off-seasons here; for teams to actually get prepared to come down to Daytona.”
Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, will try to make a second career trip to Victory Lane as the best-qualified Ford driver.
“The Wood Brothers know how to do it, that’s for sure,” Bayne said. “That’s what’s so cool about qualifying here. It shows all the hard work they put into these cars. Once you get in the race and get beat up a little bit, it doesn’t matter quite as much. But qualifying shows all the hard work they put into it.”
Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth completed the first 10 qualifiers.
