Danica Patrick knows the ins and outs of the Indianapolis 500 better than most.
And after eight career starts and being part of NBC’s last three Indy 500 broadcasts, she understands the mentality of a driver headed into the biggest race on the IndyCar Series schedule — and one of the biggest in the world — and how to convey that to the masses.
In those eight starts, Patrick became the first woman to lead laps in the Indy 500 on her way to becoming the race’s Rookie of the Year with a fourth-place finish in 2005. Her career-best finish was third in 2009 — also a record for a woman.
