Danica Patrick Made History at the 2013 Daytona 500

For 60 years, the Daytona 500 has not only been a defining race in the sport of NASCAR, but has also gone on to reach lasting significance in the sports world as a whole. The Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway is the perfect way to kick off the NASCAR season, particularly when you consider all of the energy surrounding it and think about all of the incredible and historic moments associated with the race. One of the many moments that come to mind is Danica Patrick’s historic finish at the 2013 Daytona 500.

Patrick accomplished plenty of firsts during her racing career. She was the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race. She racked up the highest finish by a woman in the Indy 500. On top of that, she was the 2005 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year and a six-time IndyCar Series Most Popular Driver.

With all that in mind, it’s especially fitting to remember her impressive run at the “Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing,” especially since it happened during her first full NASCAR Cup Series season.

2013 Daytona 500

During qualifying for the inaugural NASCAR race, Patrick became the first woman in NASCAR history to clinch pole position. She was an absolute force to be reckoned with that day, as her No. 10 Chevrolet stock car for Stewart-Haas Racing flew at 196.43 MPH around the track, while she clocked in a lap time of 45.81 seconds.

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Patrick became the first woman to ever lead a lap in the Cup Series and stayed within the top 10 for the majority of the race, even reaching as high as third place. After falling back in the final three laps, Patrick went on to rack up an eighth place finish at Daytona as Jimmie Johnson held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win.

Here's a look at the full race results:

1. Jimmie Johnson -- Hendrick Motorsports -- No. 48 Chevrolet
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Hendrick Motorsports -- No. 88 Chevrolet
3. Mark Martin -- Michael Waltrip Racing -- No. 55 Toyota
4. Brad Keselowski -- Penske Racing -- No. 2 Ford
5. Ryan Newman -- Stewart-Haas Racing -- No. 39 Chevrolet
6. Greg Biffle -- Roush Fenway Racing -- No. 16 Ford
7. Regan Smith -- Phoenix Racing -- No. 51 Chevrolet
8. Danica Patrick -- Stewart-Haas Racing -- No. 10 Chevrolet
9. Michael McDowell -- Phil Parsons Racing -- No. 98 Ford
10. J. J. Yeley -- Tommy Baldwin Racing -- No. 36 Chevrolet
11. Clint Bowyer -- Michael Waltrip Racing -- No. 15 Toyota
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- Roush Fenway Racing -- No. 17 Ford
13. Aric Almirola -- Richard Petty Motorsports -- No. 43 Ford
14. Denny Hamlin -- Joe Gibbs Racing -- No. 11 Toyota
15. Bobby Labonte -- JTG Daugherty Racing -- No. 47 Toyota
16. David Reutimann -- BK Racing -- No. 83 Toyota
17. Dave Blaney -- Tommy Baldwin Racing -- No. 7 Chevrolet
18. Marcos Ambrose -- Richard Petty Motorsports -- No. 9 Ford
19. Joey Logano -- Penske Racing -- No. 22 Ford
20. Jeff Gordon -- Hendrick Motorsports -- No. 24 Chevrolet
21. Paul Menard -- Richard Childress Racing -- No. 27 Chevrolet
22. Michael Waltrip -- Swan Racing -- No. 26 Toyota
23. Scott Speed -- Leavine Family Racing -- No. 95 Ford
24. Martin Truex Jr. -- Michael Waltrip Racing -- No. 56 Toyota
25. Travis Kvapil -- BK Racing -- No. 93 Toyota
26. Terry Labonte -- FAS Lane Racing -- No. 32 Ford
27. Trevor Bayne -- Wood Brothers Racing -- No. 21 Ford
28. Kurt Busch -- Furniture Row Racing -- No. 78 Chevrolet
29. Casey Mears -- Germain Racing -- No. 13 Ford
30. Jeff Burton -- Richard Childress Racing -- No. 31 Chevrolet
31. Austin Dillon -- Richard Childress Racing -- No. 33 Chevrolet
32. Jamie McMurray -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing -- No. 1 Chevrolet
33. Carl Edwards -- Roush Fenway Racing -- No. 99 Ford
34. Kyle Busch -- Joe Gibbs Racing -- No. 18 Toyota
35. David Ragan -- Front Row Motorsports -- No. 34 Ford
36. Kasey Kahne -- Hendrick Motorsports -- No. 5 Chevrolet
37. Matt Kenseth -- Joe Gibbs Racing -- No. 20 Toyota
38. David Gilliland -- Front Row Motorsports -- No. 38 Ford
39. Juan Pablo Montoya -- Earnhardt Ganassi Racing -- No. 42 Chevrolet
40. Josh Wise -- Front Row Motorsports -- No. 35 Ford
41. Tony Stewart -- Stewart-Haas Racing -- No. 14 Chevrolet
42. Kevin Harvick -- Richard Childress Racing -- No. 29 Chevrolet
43. Joe Nemechek -- NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing -- No. 87 Toyota

Though Danica’s final NASCAR race would be at the 2018 Daytona 500 — this time driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Premium Motorsports — she would never be able to best her performance at that historic 2013 Daytona 500.

Even though Danica Patrick’s NASCAR career is behind her, we’re sure that the former race car driver frequently looks back on that moment at Daytona Beach with an immense amount of pride.

This post was originally published on January 18, 2019.

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