For the past three seasons there’s been one race car driver that grabs most of the attention outside of our Canadian drivers at the Honda Indy Toronto - Danica Patrick. At 29 years old and in her seventh season in the IZOD IndyCar series, Patrick is one of the veterans on the circuit and is accustomed to all the attention that she receives by the fans and media. A native of Roscoe, Illinois, Patrick’s career has reached a crossroad, where it appears she should decide to devote her full attention to either IndyCar or NASCAR.
Her decision will have to wait a few months longer, but this weekend will be about what this Go Daddy Girl has in store for Toronto. We had a chance to sit down with her and hear her thoughts on Toronto, the Andretti Autosport team, ovals vs. road courses, and we had to ask what next year might bring.
The Driver: This is a special race being Toronto’s 25th, what do you like most about coming to Toronto? What does competing in this race mean to you?
Danica Patrick: I love Toronto, it’s a great city and I love coming here. It takes away from the city a bit when I stay in the bus at times, but King St. is a great place to go grab dinner.
As for the 25 years, it’s been around a long time! Daytona’s been around only 50 years.
For me, historic stuff doesn’t sink in until you’re done racing and that’s the time you can reflect. When you’re in the moment and racing, it’s just part of the schedule. You’re in the process of making the history, so it’s tough to reflect on it.
It’s obviously a great event. We go to many venues and it’s very exciting the first few years and all of a sudden they’re not there anymore. It could be because they’re not interesting anymore, but the racing in Toronto is great. The venue is great and we’re truly downtown unlike other races.
TD: This is your third time racing at the Honda Indy Toronto and you have done fairly well finishing sixth in back-to-back years. Can you tell us what you like about the track?
DP: The back straightaway is really conducive for passing, so if you keep the car underneath you and look after your tires you can do well. It’s a good hard braking zone and hopefully you get through and nothing bad happens. There are a lot of accidents and you just try to be not a part of them and if you avoid them you can pick up six-to-eight spots and you can move up quite a bit.
TD: Has Marco Andretti’s win in Iowa rejuvenated the team and provided you with some added motivation?
DP: It’s weird, Mike [Conway] won early in the year at Long Beach and the team has won twice so far this year, but overall it has been a really hot and cold season. It’s either we’re on or not. Somebody is either fast and ends up winning or we’re not even close. It’s bizarre, but it might reflect the sheer talent and competition that is in IndyCar right now.
TD: You are just coming off one of the oval-course stretches of the schedule, not to mention the [NASCAR] Nationwide Series event this past week, how long does it take you to adjust to a road-course?
DP: Isn’t that weird that you say the oval stretch of the season and it was only four races! I guess that’s IndyCar right now!
It doesn’t take me long to adjust. When it’s only within a month or two away from the past road-course race it’s not that big of a deal. Generally, it doesn’t take much adjusting – this is what we do and we’re using the same car and it still accelerates and decelerates in turns and you’re just doing it more often on the road-courses.
TD: You have been vocal about wanting more oval tracks on the schedule. On the flip side, Randy Bernard [CEO of the IZOD Indy Car Series] has been preaching that road-courses can provide a broader attractiveness to IndyCar. Do you feel that attendance and viewership would increase with more ovals on the schedule? Is that what IndyCar needs?
DP: I just look at it from a spectator’s standpoint. When I come to a race I want to see racing. When you come to watch an oval race you see it all and it’s exciting. There are accidents, passing, and side-by-side racing – you can see it all happening.
On a road-course, you’re not going to see racing just cars whizzing by. You might see a pass or two and that happens mostly in Toronto on the front and back straights, because they’ve got some good breaking corners that make those passes happen. It’s gotta become a more cultural thing, an event where it’s something special to go to a road-course, something unique must happen. It’s like going to a football game and tailgating or going to a baseball game and you grab a hot dog and a beer and pay $10 and sit in the sun cause that’s what you’re doing that day and you love it. If you want to just go and watch racing, I’m going to tell you that you are not going to see a lot of racing on road-courses.
TD: Are road courses better on TV than live?
DP: Definitely! They are better to watch on TV, because the road courses are more about strategy. Toronto is different, but when we go to mid-Ohio – it’s going to be boring, so you really have to listen to the broadcasters to know what’s going on. If they know what’s going on out there, it’s far more informational than being here. However, if you can get a headset at an event, it’s unbelievable.
On an oval track, you can listen to spotters and there’s a lot of chatter on the radio and it’s really cool. I would advise everyone to get a headset if possible, because there’s so much that goes on that is so insightful. You can get none of that watching at home. You can literally watch me and listen to my spotter and hear the exact same thing that I’m hearing.
TD: You are one of the faces of auto racing around the world and possibly the face of the IZOD IndyCar series, how have you handled it all these years and is it something that you are used to now?
DP: I feel lucky. I truly do. I know it can go away, but the attention tells me I have support from my fans. Even on your worst day, I wonder, how can they cheer for me? I sucked today! But they are just excited to see you and meet you. For most of them, it’s all about having fun and enjoying their experience. That’s something I usually need to remind myself of.
I love the kids so much. We were just doing a commercial for Peak [Antifreeze & Motor Oil] and we were in a local neighbourhood and the street must have found out what was going on. There were 15-30 people just parked outside watching us. The kids were going crazy and cheering for me. The girls would tell me “that’s my favourite outfit you have worn so far. I like your shoes. She’s just normal, she’s just like us.” They are just so cute and adorable and when you need it the most, they can cheer you up.
TD: Would you ever get into the fashion world and design your own line?
DP: I think that’s something I’m really interested in, but that’s down the line. If you’re going to do something, you need to be able to dedicate your time and invest into it. I don’t underestimate any business, so that’s something I think that will come together after I’m done racing. It’s something that does interest me and if the right opportunity andthe right people to work with came along I would definitely look into it. If I wanted to do it right on my terms – it would take time. If you really want to do something well enough, you’re going to do the right things and invest your time into it and everyone is going to believe in the project, because you are so behind it.
TD: You have been involved in Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, commercials, music videos. Are there other projects off the track that you are working on?
DP: I have great partners and we shoot a lot of commercials especially with Go Daddy and other companies like Peak. I’m working with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) right now on a big awareness campaign. I will be leaving here on Monday to New York and we are going to be raising awareness.
TD: There has been much talk about the possible switch full-time to NASCAR next season. What are you going to be basing your decision on?
DP: I’m just going to go with my gut and go with what I want to do and where I will feel happiest. It also comes down to where I feel I will be the most successful. I found out a long-time ago when I lived in England, I’m happiest when I’m doing my best, so it’s about deciding where that place will be.
TD: If you do depart, what would you miss most about IndyCar?
DP: That’s a tricky question to answer. I think that whenever you are invested into something and have been there for a while you find friends that you enjoy spending time with. Whether you leave your school when you are kid or change jobs, there are always people you are going to end up missing, but that’s part of life and you move on.
