Danica Patrick Finishes in 17th Place During NASCAR Cup at Sonoma
Despite getting hit seven times on the raceway, Danica Patrick still ended up in 17th place during Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350.
The 35-year-old NASCAR driver wrecked into her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., on the Sonoma raceway this weekend. According to reports, Patrick (No. 10) was nudged on one of the most difficult turns at the racetrack.
The collision led her vehicle to spin out and hit Stenhouse Jr. (No. 17). The incident, which was captured by Fox NASCAR, can be viewed here. Patrick managed to recover and ended up in the17th place, but Stenhouse completed just 30 laps because his car received most of the damage.
Patrick started racing in the United States back in 2002. She is currently in her fith season competing in the NASCAR Monster Energy Series. When she is not on the race track, Patrick is busy with her other projects, including her upcoming book, her own clothing line and her Somnium vineyard, a business she built in 2008 from the ground up.
In an interview, Patrick shared why she became interested in building her own vineyard instead of purchasing the wines she liked. "It's the art of it," Patrick said, adding that the same idea applies to racing.
"Which is actually what I like about racing. I don't necessarily care about driving the car, it's the art of it. Setting a goal and achieving it, the feel of the car, the rhythm of the lap; nailing it. It's just like getting it all right," she continued.
Patrick is not the first one from NASCAR to become involved in the wine-making industry. Team owner Richard Childress is the owner of the famous Childress Vineyards, while FOX sports analyst/ four-time series champion Jeff Gordon has his own line of wines.