NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
  • Peg It on GarageMonkey
CUP: Patrick Fine With Image
Girl Power: Danica Patrick comfortable using her looks, sex appeal to attract attention...
Jeff Owens  | http://www.scenedaily.com  |  Posted February 08, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Danica Patrick appeared in her 10th Super Bowl ad this year. (Image: Go Daddy Productions)
Google Danica Patrick and you may quickly wonder whether she’s a race-car driver or a supermodel.

Look closely and you’ll discover that she is a bit of both.

But it may take a while to reach that conclusion.

The first several photos that pop up feature Patrick in a variety of sexy poses.

There’s the bikini-clad Danica bent over the door of a hot rod, and sprawled across the hood like she’s stretched out on a bearskin rug.

There’s Danica peeling off her IndyCar uniform, revealing her white bikini top, or showing off the small American flag/checkered flag tattoo on the small of her back.

There’s Danica in high heels, Danica in an evening gown, Danica on the red carpet in short, short skirts and even Danica in a T-shirt and jeans, looking like the All-American girl next door.

There’s Danica on the cover of magazines like FHM, Maxim and Shape. And Danica featured in the ever popular Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
Danica Patrick speaks with the media during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on January 24, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo: Getty Images)

She’s in every outfit and pose you can imagine, looking more like Gisele Bundchen than Jeff Gordon.

Scrolling through the photos, it takes a while before you see Danica in a race-car driver’s firesuit – or actually wearing one, anyway – or Danica with her racing helmet, or with an actual race car. There are far more photos of the pretty, sexy Danica than of her inside a race car or actually driving around a track.

While Patrick is one of the most popular athletes in the world because of her talent behind the wheel, it’s her looks and sex appeal that make her a red-hot celebrity and a household name.

That popularity and sex appeal, and the enormous marketing prowess that comes with it, will be on full display this year as Patrick embarks on her first full season of NASCAR racing.

Patrick, 29, will be one of the biggest stories of 2012 as she runs the full Nationwide Series schedule for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports and 10 Sprint Cup races for Tony Stewart’s Stewart-Haas Racing.

The media spotlight will follow her everywhere she goes and she will be of utmost interest to the majority of NASCAR fans – male and female alike.

Why such intrigue surrounding a driver who has just one IndyCar victory and just one top-five finish in 25 NASCAR starts?


Page 1 of 2
Prev
12
Next
jeff_owens's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Owens

SceneDaily.com

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2013

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.