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6 Years After Retiring, Danica Patrick Hops Behind the Wheel and Fans Can’t Get Enough

Published 04/29/2024, 12:13 PM CDT

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Danica Patrick was never the greatest racer of all time but she broke several barriers. Breaking into a male-dominated sport is already as tough as it gets but winning an IndyCar race? Now that’s epic. It’s no surprise that she ended up becoming one of the most popular faces in motorsports around the world. Fans got to see that side of Patrick yet again as 6 years after she announced her retirement, the former NASCAR and IndyCar racer took to the track again.

Danica Patrick makes her triumphant return behind the wheel

She was back in her popular green firesuit as she sat behind the wheel at the Apex Motor Club track in Maricopa, Arizona. It has been a while since Patrick wheeled a race car but one can be sure that it must have felt like home. The former Cup Series driver did not make much of an impact in NASCAR but her Indy exploits, especially that 2008 win in Japan, sure earned her a lot of fans. And after the new update, it did not take long for them to fawn over the racing icon.

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“It took 6 years to want to do this again,” Danica wrote in an Instagram post. “And it felt like it was yesterday and had a blast. Thanks to @jasonplotke for making it happen at your awesome race track here in AZ. @apexmotorclubaz 🙌🏼.”

These days, whenever a race fan sees a green fire suit, Danica Patrick is one of the first racers they think of. If you lived in that era, you’d know why so it was no wonder that fans flocked to her comments section to talk about how iconic she looked.

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No one has forgotten the legendary green firesuit

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One of the biggest personalities that commented is Patrick’s good friend Kenny Wallace. The two Cup Series racers have a good relationship as was made evident when Patrick sat down for an episode of ‘Kenny Conversation’. Wallace always is publicly supportive of people he considers friends and Danica Patrick was sure to get some praises as well. He commented,“😁💯🕺”.

There were no videos of Patrick actually running the car but fans were in awe of how good she looked, even after so many years, in that famous green firesuit. “That suit… Suits you!!! Looking awesome as always,” one user commented. “Danica, you look gorgeous in your drivers suit! It’s where you belong,” said another.

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But it was not just about how she looked. Seeing her in her race outfit was nostalgic for several fans who perhaps grew up watching and supporting her. One user commented, “We miss you!!!!” while another wrote, “All the feels 🔥🚀❤️💫”

While there’s no chance of Danica Patrick coming back to race in NASCAR today, it was nice to see her lace up her boots once again and go for a run. Will there be more such race track cameos? One can only hope.

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Written by:

Nilavro Ghosh

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Nilavro Ghosh is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports, where he is known for his creative yet easy-to-read writing style. Before taking up his role as a sports journalist at ES, Nilavro has written for some of the top publishing houses, like The Telegraph. While most journalists stop at covering live events and taking the news to the readers, Nilavro goes the extra mile to give fans a platform for them to express their thoughts through his 'race reaction' pieces.
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Edited by:

Shreya Singh