Conspiracy theorists have had a field day with Patrick's first, and only, NASCAR Cup Series pole.
Conspiracy theorists questioned Danica Patrick’s pole-winning performance at her first Cup race, given her ballyhooed transition from IndyCar.FOX Sports’ “ghost car” replay that day superimposed runner-up Jeff Gordon’s qualifying lap, and the replay showed where Patrick took a different line at the exit of Turn 2.
Although not as gutsy as her first lap, her average speed increased on each of her final three laps for a four-lap average of 227.566 mph and she barely missed the front row. That was the beginning of Danica Mania, which took off when she led the race in the final stages before finishing fourth. As it turned out, the pole at Daytona was the peak of Patrick’s NASCAR career. She had won a pole in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona in 2012 for JR Motorsports and finished eighth in her first 500, but she did not qualify on the front row at Daytona again in five more attempts at the 500 nor did she win another pole in NASCAR.
Despite a front-line team and a wily veteran crew chief, Tony Gibson, Patrick produced mediocre results on the track. Drivers succeed on the ragged edge in stock cars, but Patrick insisted on cars that were comfortable for her to drive, not the fastest method on ovals. A frustrated but loyal Gibson gave up after two seasons and sponsor GoDaddy left after three.
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