Danica Patrick

In 2005, Danica Patrick married Paul Edward Hospenthal, a physical therapist who helped her in recovering from a yoga injury. After seven years of marriage, in January 2013, she filed for divorce.

In 2013, it also came to light that she was dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two-time Nationwide Series Champion.

Danica Patrick was born on March 25, 1982, in Beloit, Wisconsin, to Terry Jose Patrick, Jr., a racer of snowmobiles and midget cars, and his wife, Beverly Ann. She has a younger sister named Brooke.

In 1992, at the age of 10, she began go-karting with her sister, in Wisconsin.

She was raised in nearby Roscoe, Illinois, and became a cheerleader at Hononegah Community High School while studying there. But, she dropped out of high school and attained a GED certification.

At the age of 16, she moved to Milton Keynes, England, in order to advance her racing career. During a three-year period, she competed in Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall, and was placed second in Britain's Formula Ford Festival, the highest finish by an American in the event.

In 1997, she was a guest of Lyn St. James at the 81st Indianapolis 500 where she met John Mecom Jr., a former winning Indy 500 team owner. John subsequently began following her career and arranged for her to take part in the Formula Fords in the U.K.

In 2002, Patrick made a deal with Rahal-Letterman Racing and achieved moderate success in the next two years. She was a consistent finisher on the podium but never won a race during that period.

In 2005, she competed in the Indianapolis 500 and finished fourth, achieving the highest ever finish by a female driver at the Indy 500. The same year, she also won her first pole position and became only the second woman to do so in the IndyCar Series.

In 2008, she was the winner at Twin Ring Motegi in the Indy Japan 300. Overall, she finished the 2008 IndyCar Series season in sixth place, the highest championship finish among American drivers for the season.

In 2009, she impressed everybody at the Indianapolis 500 by finishing at the third position in the event.

In 2011, she competed part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driving for JR Motorsports. She set racing history again, finishing 4th in the Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series Race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In 2005, Danica Patrick became the fourth woman to race in the Indianapolis 500. Her fourth place finish was the highest ever for a female driver and she led 19 laps of the race, becoming the first woman ever to lead the Indy 500.

In 2006, the ‘March of Dimes’ conferred upon her the title of ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ in recognition of her dedication and success.

In 2008, she became the first woman to win an IndyCar race and created history.

In 2013, Patrick won the time trials at the Daytona 500 and became the first woman to win the pole position at the famous NASCAR event..