From race driver to entrepreneur: Danica Patrick chased her dreams

Danica Patrick, the former NASCAR driver turned entrepreneur, spoke at the Women's Leadership Breakfast hosted by the United Way of the Big Bend Thursday morning. 

The event, held at the University Center Club, brought in the largest crowd yet in the fifth year of the event. 

Patrick kickstarted her racing career with a go-kart that her parents bought her when she was 10. Years later, she won several regional and national titles, then moved to Europe to compete in road racing. 

Patrick later returned to the States and raced in the Indianapolis 500 where she became the first woman to lead laps and finish in the top five. 

"It's really about the commitment, the sacrifice and the magic of really wanting something," Patrick said. 

How Formula 1 can improve:Danica Patrick says Formula 1 needs to make women feel welcome

In 2013 she made the switch to the NASCAR Cup Series. During her five years competing in this male-dominated world, she made history by setting the fastest qualifying time in the Daytona 500, in which she finished 8th.

"Do you know what your loftiest dream would be," Patrick rhetorically asked the audience. "When you do, ... it's going to anchor your reality."

Danica Patrick: Away from racing, into wine

By 2018, Patrick stepped out of the driver's seat and into the business world. She purchased a vineyard called Somnium, which in Latin means dream, in 2009, located in Napa Valley, California. This led to her creating a rosé wine under her personal label in 2021. 

That's not the only business Patrick focuses on — she also hosts a podcast titled "Danica Patrick Pretty Intense Podcast," inspired by her book "Pretty Intense," where she features doctors, scientists, musicians, actors and anyone that catches her curiosity. 

"I literally just get curious about somebody and then ask to interview them," Patrick said. 

She finished by answering a couple of audience questions, including if she struggles to go the speed limit while driving: "The only way I can ensure I won't get a ticket is to let someone else drive," Patrick said. 

Reach photojournalist Alicia Devine at adevine@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @alicia_c_devine. Check out her photos on Instagram @adevinephotography.

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