In her debut IndyCar season, Danica Patrick showed signs she truly belonged in open-wheel racing. Although a rookie, spectators erupted in a thunderous roar as she took the lead in the Indy 500. While she had to settle for P4, it was enough to soothe her heartbreak. “It was a big deal. I was like, ‘I’ll probably have a job for a couple more years.’” And she did.

What followed was a move to Andretti Green Racing and the historic 2008 win in Japan. This win was huge for Michael Andretti, who hinted at a secure future for the driver, “We have all believed in her, and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many.” Yet no one saw it coming when Patrick left the team in 2011. And now, years later, she’s finally addressing how bitter the fallout was.

“I just kind of really wasn’t happy where I was anymore. The team situation was—nobody really knew what was going on, but I was in a profit-sharing situation with Andretti at that time. That was the way my contract was structured, and they were not paying me what I was supposed to get paid. And so then there were legal battles behind the scenes.”Danica Patrick said on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton while reminiscing about arguably one of the best years of her career.

Patrick was on her contract year, and all of a sudden, a switch to NASCAR became possible. While Andretti remained hopeful that her driver would sign an extension, Patrick had a lot on her plate beyond racing. And that would ultimately take a toll on her.

“For the last year and a half that I was with them, it ended up going all the way through arbitration. So that was a stressful and frustrating situation to be taken advantage of.” She also spoke about it with Kenny Wallace a couple of years ago.

She claimed that Andretti Green Racing never shared documents about the profit-sharing deal and didn’t pay her share. Even the sponsors she brought to Andretti from Rahal Racing, she had to pay the team to bring them on board. However, this wasn’t the only time in her career when she had to deal with sponsorship issues.

For some reason, Danica Patrick didn’t have a similar success story in NASCAR. After five full-time seasons driving the No.10 SHR Ford car, the pole win at the Daytona 500 was her biggest achievement. However, in 2017, a sponsorship issue led to her exit from NASCAR. After GoDaddy left the #10 team camp, Nature’s Bakery committed to a long-term deal as a primary sponsor for Danica Patrick, but didn’t hold their end of the bargain. Nature’s Bakery abruptly terminated the contract after the first year, leaving SHR and the driver in a dire situation.

Stewart-Haas Racing filed a lawsuit against Nature’s Bakery after the company terminated its contract to pay $15.2 million a year to sponsor Danica Patrick through 2018. Although the two parties settled their dispute outside the court, Patrick had to face the brunt of this deal. Without the financial backing, she left the team in 2017, and a short stint at the 2018 Daytona 500 proved to be her last race in the series.

After spending multiple years away from IndyCar, the driver will be returning to her roots this weekend. However, she will be in a much different role compared to her previous stint.

Danica Patrick set to return to IndyCar coverage

After ending her NASCAR stint in 2018, Danica Patrick decided to switch to broadcasting and join the Sky Sports Formula 1 booth. After working with Sky for five years, she was let go before the 2026 season. It was a mutual decision, which, according to Patrick, was based on her personal interests and her desire to start her own company.

“I felt like I had taken in a great experience in F1 and was ready to have more time for other projects and interests,” Patrick revealed earlier. “I am building a new company. I am also new to a couple of boards with big plans and very busy improving myself by learning new sports like tennis, golf, and skiing.”

And now, she will be joining the FOX booth at the 2026 Indianapolis 500. It is her first appearance at the race after her exit from the IndyCar Series.

The 2009 podium finisher at the Indy 500 took to her social media to inform her followers about her newest venture.

“Back home again in (windy) Indiana!!!!” she captioned her post. “Vibes were definitely high for what became a one-day qualifying show for the pole after Saturday was rained out. It was a fun day on the track and great catching up with old friends!”

As a presenter, Danica Patrick does not exactly have the best reputation. However, her personal experience as an IndyCar driver should give her a reasonable amount of authority in the booth.”