Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick recently expressed her displeasure on her Instagram Story about the outcome of the match between Italian boxer Angela Carini and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif. After just 46 seconds, Carini withdrew from the match and Khelif was declared the winner. Agrerian had previously failed a gender-eligibility test and been disqualified from competing in the 2023 World Cup. Needless to say, her bid for the Summer Olympics has generated a lot of controversy this year. Angela Carini fell to her knees and broke down in tears. She knew her Olympic debut was over. Shortly after, she said she withdrew from the bout due to the excruciating pain caused by Khelif’s jab.
Danica Patrick was not happy with the outcome of the bout. The 2008 Indy Japan 300 winner posted a clip of the Italian boxer raising his arms to show that he did not want to fight Khelif anymore, and wrote:
“Not right. And that’s coming from a girl who raced against boys.”
Today, Danica Patrick is one of the most successful women in NASCAR. She was the first woman to win the pole position in a NASCAR race. She also achieved the best finishes in the history of American open-wheel racing at the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick won the Rookie of the Year award at both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. ” From 2005 to 2010, she was named the IndyCar Series’ Most Popular Driver. In 2012, she won the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Most Popular Driver award.
Danica Patrick reveals her take on fan sentiment
Needless to say, Patrick has a lot of fans across the country. She has nearly 1 million followers on Instagram alone. The 42-year-old Wisconsin native is also an author, podcast host, and owner of two well-known wine companies and a luxury candle brand called Voyant by Danica. While Patrick has a large following on social media, she is also a motorsports fan herself.
But in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck, Patrick explained that fandom can’t be forced. “Well, I don’t think you can fool the fans,” Patrick told Gluck. “I believe that fans are your fans because they choose to be your fans, not because you offer them free candy or a happy life.
Maybe people choose who to root for because of their past, or their family, or who they rooted for before… For example, if you rooted for Jeff Gordon, now you can root for Chase Elliott just because of that number, this team, and this story,” she added. Regardless of which driver you root for, it’s safe to assume that all fans are excited for NASCAR’s return to Sonoma on August 11th after the Paris Olympics.
