Although NASCAR and Formula One sit on opposite ends of the racing spectrum, one debate continues to stir strong opinions: which drivers show more courage behind the wheel? Well, former IndyCar standout and current F1 presenter Danica Patrick answered this with a quirky reply.
Rewind Time: When Danica Patrick Delivered a Jaw-Dropping Answer to Gluck
Danica Patrick has been a trailblazer for millions after she made a mark for herself in 2008. Her victory at the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in 2008 marked the historic first-ever win for a woman driver in the American open-wheel racing scene. She drove for Andretti-Green Racing at that time.
In 2017, Patrick sat down with prominent racing reporter Jeff Gluck for his popular 12-question series of interviews at Martinsville Speedway. Although the brief interview started out with meaningful questions, Gluck relayed former Formula One teammates Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean’s questions.
Earlier that year, during an F1 race, Gluck interviewed the two racers and asked them to come up with bigger questions for the lady racer. Magnussen had the perfect question for Patrick. Relaying it to the 43-year-old, Gluck asked, “Who has bigger balls, NASCAR drivers or F1 drivers?”
She gave a befitting reply, saying, “Collectively, NASCAR, because we have so many more drivers. I mean, that’s 39 sets of balls versus like 22? How many are there (in F1)?” What she was referring to here was the total drivers in the field. The journalist quickly corrected and said, “Twenty, I think.”
She then doubled down and quipped, “Twenty. That’s a lot more balls in NASCAR.” Following the cheeky response, the racer came straight to the point. “But in a simple, diplomatic, honest answer, to get to the top level of anything is difficult. I don’t care who you are. And my balls are called ovaries, so I guess I count, too.”
During her seven-year stint in NASCAR, starting in 2012, the former SHR driver ran nearly 200 races. Although she could only rack up seven top-10s, she managed to up her stocks with a stellar pole-grabbing performance in the 2013 Daytona 500.
Patrick bested Janet Guthrie’s record for the most top-ten finishes by a woman in the Sprint Cup Series in 2015. However, owing to bland performances, the lady ace finally decided to hang up her boots in 2017, but returned for the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 before retiring for good.
She is currently among the Sky Sports Formula One presenting crew, where she shares the screen with British Formula One star Jenson Button.