Danica Patrick made NASCAR history today during Coors Light
Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500, becoming the first female driver to win a
pole at NASCAR’s top level – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
During qualifying for the sport’s marquee event, Patrick
turned a lap of 196.434 mph (45.817 seconds), giving her the first starting
position for next Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1 p.m. on FOX, FOX Deportes, Motor
Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio). It was the fastest Daytona
500 pole-winning speed since 1990.
Patrick shattered the previous record for top starting spot
by a female NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Janet Guthrie previously held the
mark, twice starting ninth in 1977. She started ninth at Talladega
Superspeedway on Aug. 7, 1977 and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 28, 1977.
The previous best starting position for a female in the
Daytona 500 was 18th by Janet Guthrie in 1980.
This is Patrick’s second NASCAR pole, also winning the Coors
Light Pole for the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona last
season. The only other female to win a NASCAR national series pole was Shawna
Robinson in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1994.
Already a NASCAR record holder, Patrick set the mark of best
finish by a female driver in NASCAR national series history when she finished
fourth in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011.
She finished 10th in the final 2012 NASCAR Nationwide points standings, the top
finish by a female in NASCAR national series history.
Patrick, who is running for the 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the
Year Award, is the first rookie to win the Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie
Johnson in 2002.
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