Patrick became the first woman in NASCAR’s premier division to win a pole and the 11th consecutive first-time pole-sitter for the Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway.
Prior to Speedweeks, Stewart-Haas Racing hedged its bets by purchasing the owners points from the No. 49 team to secure Patrick’s position in the 2013 Daytona 500.
But as Patrick proved on Sunday, the odds were in her favor.
“I was a little bit nervous,” Patrick said. “It’s all about just getting the shifts right and being smooth and, more than anything, you’re trying to hug the line as much as possible, trying to not steer too much. Sometimes the car wants to track up and move up the track a little bit and you've got to pull it down, but you also don’t want to hit the apron. So it’s not like you go out there and lock your arms, and it just stays there."
