Five Years After Retirement, Danica Patrick Unveils Her “10 Race Series”

In the illustrious annals of NASCAR’s Cup Series, Danica Patrick, having taken the wheel in a commendable 191 races over a span of seven years, is a name that resonates profoundly. However, she has since hung up her racing gloves, transitioning seamlessly into the world of broadcasting for over half a decade. Cast our minds back to 2017, and one would recall her sterling debut on Fox’s Cup driver-only broadcast of the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway. There, she shared the limelight with Denny Hamlin, only to subsequently grace both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 before her graceful exit from racing.

Yet the sun hasn’t set on Patrick’s prowess. Her foray into broadcasting has been nothing short of a masterclass. In a recent tête-à-tête with Matt Baker on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, she unveiled a glimpse into her post-racing odyssey, shedding light on the nuances of her off-track endeavors and her burgeoning fondness for them.

The erstwhile NASCAR luminary, Danica Patrick, reverently refers to her broadcasting journey as a “good retired map“

Having taken her leave from racing over half a decade ago, the August Ms. Patrick, at 41, has seamlessly transitioned from racing tarmac to the world of broadcasting. The preceding years have witnessed her grace platforms like NBC’s Indianapolis 500 and Sky Sports’ Formula 1 races, along with her sterling commentary for select SRX Series on CBS and Cup events on FOX.

Upon being probed about her transition to the broadcasting sphere, she remarked, “It’s good. I’ve been retired for a little over five years, and every year my broadcasting presence has grown just a little bit. It started with just doing the Indy 500, and then it went to a couple of NASCAR races, one F1 race, and now it’s like a bunch of F1 races as well as the Indy 500 and a couple of NASCAR races. So I have myself a little 10-race series in the season now. So, that feels like a really good retired map right now.”

Away from the mic, she remains an entrepreneurial tour de force. She presides over her Californian vineyard, Somnium, and is the proud proprietor of the nascent Voyant candle enterprise, renowned for its wine glass-shaped candles.

While her plate remains full, it’s not a tactic to eschew her racing past. She further elaborated on her deliberate choice not to plunge headfirst into full-time broadcasting.

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According to Patrick, she never truly wanted to become involved with it

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In an aura of self-awareness, the singular female victor of the 2008 Indy Japan race, Danica Patrick, exudes a candor quite worthy of her stature. She admits, paradoxically, that while she undoubtedly acquaints herself with races in anticipation of her broadcasts, her proclivities have never leaned towards the quintessential racing aficionado. However, she acknowledges the demands of her profession and the ensuing commitment.

In a candid conversation with Matt Baker, when asked about envisioning a post-retirement career in broadcasting, Ms. Patrick’s response was unequivocal. She asserted, “No, no! I am not sure that full-time is something that I could do, because it’s like if you’re going to travel the whole schedule to do it all, just like you let them drive. I just enjoy doing so many other things; I have other companies, I have other interests, and truth be told, I do a little bit of vacationing now or a lot of it. So, I really enjoy that.”

However, she also added, “But you know, what I never expected was—one, how far did this has to do the interviews to conduct the interviews and have unique questions, and you have to have a real grip on like so much of what’s going on; it’s a lot of information. And I was never really wanted to get into all that anyway, but it’s so part of the job. And so you have to know a lot of things.”

Foxsports.com intimates that despite these intricacies, Patrick revels in her role. “If I wasn’t excited to do it, I wouldn’t do it. I enjoy doing it. It’s really fun.”

Luminaries like her and Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with other broadcasting stalwarts, underscore a poignant truth: A career in racing doesn’t necessarily hit the brakes post-retirement. In actuality, it metamorphoses, allowing one to remain tethered to the sport, albeit not from the driver’s seat.

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