2 Years Before $1.4 Billion Sale, Danica Patrick’s Ex-Sponsors Christened Her Famous Win With a Wordplay on Famed Presidential Plane

In 2008 Japan, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar race. Right after, she was propelled to international celebrity status in the motorsport world. During that era, one of her sponsors even ran a special livery on one of their aircraft to pay tribute to her victory.

AirTran Airways used to be one of Danica’s highly loyal associate sponsors. After Danica won her first IndyCar race in Japan back in 2008, AirTran ran a special livery on one of its Boeing 717 planes that read “AirTranica Won”.

The naming was in reference to the famed United States presidential Boeing 747, “Air Force One.” The livery also included a colored picture of Danica on the side of the aircraft.

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Later in 2010, the American airline giant, Southwest Airlines, bought AirTran Airways for $1.42 Billion. That essentially cut off Danica’s long-time sponsor forever.

But by then, Danica had become the talk of the town for the sponsorship world. Other new sponsors clamored all over her, skyrocketing her fortunes over time.

Danica Patrick had two private accountants as she made big money in her racing career

Being one of the most prominent females in the motorsport scene, Danica Patrick managed to accumulate a massive fortune off her career. The Ballpark figure landed somewhere around, $60 to $80 million.

In order to manage her fortunes, she was compelled to hire two certified public accountants. Most of her cash flow came from sponsorship deals, such as the one with Coke, Nationwide, and Hot Wheels.

It’s a well-known story with once prominent athletes losing all their money after retirement mostly due to negligence and mismanagement. Danica made sure such a thing does not happen to her, hence the two CPAs.

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The fact that she was the first and only woman to have won a race in IndyCar made her grab significant headlines around the world. Danica was also one of the most popular drivers in IndyCar.