Kenny Wallace Approves of Danica Patrick’s Controversial “Easier for Men to Win” Outcry

Danica Patrick‘s transition from IndyCar to NASCAR in the late 2000s shaped our understanding of racing’s gender dynamics. Known for her candid opinions, Patrick often talked about the challenges women face in motorsport. During her Pretty Intense podcast in 2021, she addressed assumptions about the physicality of stock cars. To this day, her comments about stock car driving, and broader gender challenges in racing, are still a talking point, and Kenny Wallace nods in agreement.

When Patrick interviewed seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson for Episode 77, she said, “When I joined NASCAR, people were like, ‘How are you going to handle that big car physically?’ and I’m like, ‘Actually, it’s easier than people think.’” She didn’t make a big deal about it then but said open-wheel racing was tougher than NASCAR. It was this nuanced take that set up her later, more controversial claim that men have a fundamental advantage in racing which Kenny Wallace has publicly endorsed.

Kenny Wallace weighs in on NASCAR’s readiness for female drivers

The Herm and Schrader Show’s Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader talked about women in NASCAR, sparked by Hailie Deegan’s entry and her father’s comments about NASCAR’s readiness for female drivers. Wallace cited Deegan’s father, saying, “I don’t think NASCAR is ready for a successful girl race car driver.” To which, Schrader said NASCAR is ready to celebrate any driver who excels, male or female. “NASCAR is ready for whoever the next successful driver is,” Schrader said.

Wallace, however, took the conversation further by bringing up Danica Patrick. As well as her acknowledgment of the physical and mental toll racing takes, he pointed out how women are inherently more challenged to succeed in the sport. “Danica Patrick would agree with you,” Wallace said. “When she pretty much quit racing, she came out with a really controversial [statement] but everybody agreed with her… ‘It’s easier for a man to win in racing because it’s tough. It’s hard.’”

In an attempt to elaborate on Patrick’s retrospective insights into motorsports’ grueling nature, Wallace said drivers often emerge from their cars physically depleted, “There are races that we’ve been young. And we come out of that car like a noodle, a wet noodle.” 

Schrader, while disagreeing with the notion of inherent bias in NASCAR, offered a statistical perspective. He noted that the pool of aspiring drivers is overwhelmingly male which naturally affects the representation of women at the sport’s highest levels. “If we narrow it down to just the female drivers,” he said, “the statistical chances are just not near the same.” Despite their differing perspectives, Wallace and Schrader agreed that any driver who can consistently perform at a high level should be celebrated.

Danica Patrick and the strength vs. endurance debate

Danica Patrick is an inspiration in motorsport, not just for her race wins, but for her outspoken views about the challenges women face. Patrick’s career has long been a space for discussions about gender in racing since she was the first woman to win an IndyCar race. Patrick addressed claims made by Carmen Jorda, a former Renault F1 development driver, that women should compete in Formula E instead of Formula 1. According to Patrick, endurance is the key to racing success, not peak strength.

“The natural stature of a man versus a woman is probably what’s deceiving,” Patrick said. “Men are naturally—stature-wise, strength, muscle mass—they are stronger. But in racing, we’re not dealing with peak strength; we’re dealing with endurance.” With the right setup and relaxation behind the wheel, women can achieve the required levels to succeed. Patrick feels that racing is stamina over strength and that despite inherent differences in strength between men and women, stamina can be trained. It is important to note that Patrick is talking about peak strength here. As she clarified, “The level of strength that you need is achievable across the board.” Peak strengths between genders might differ, according to Patrick, but the level needed to succeed is not the ‘peak’ and isn’t based on gender.

Wallace’s comments ring true. Although Patrick’s remarks about it being ‘easier for men to win’ drew praise and criticism, they point to a bigger truth that racing takes skill but also an understanding of one’s physical and mental limits. Despite facing scrutiny that male drivers rarely face, Patrick’s ability to balance these elements made her a standout in both IndyCar and NASCAR. She was the first female driver to secure the pole position in a Cup Series Race, and she did it in style. During Daytona 500 qualifying in 2013, she clocked 196.434 mph, the fastest single-car Daytona 500 pole speed in the last 30 years.

Patrick has also achieved the highest finish for a female in a Cup Series race with a P6 finish in Atlanta in 2014, tied with Janet Guthrie (Bristol, 1977) who achieved the same. While there is a clear disparity amongst the results that male and female drivers produce, Patrick’s point does stand as relevant context in the grander debate. After all, if any female driver should comment on the recipe for success, it should probably be one of the most successful ones in NASCAR’s premier series.