What could be better than Danica Patrick in “The Q&A”?
How about Danica Patrick talking about pedicures in “The Q&A”?
Here’s the uncut version of my conversation with the IndyCar star:
Jenni Carlson: Fess up — how sick were you of the all the no-wins talk before this season?
Danica Patrick: On a scale of one to 10, I was an 11. But what am I going to do about it? It’s not like I could push a button and make it happen, so I definitely had to ride that out. You just have to know what you can do. You have to believe in your own abilities. Then, the rest of it is just talk.
JC: You got kind of emotional after you scored that first win earlier this season in Japan.
DP: It was necessarily just from winning a race; that’s the sort of thing I expect to do. But I don’t want to cry. You don’t see guys going to victory lane and crying, but I don’t think many people have had to deal with the sort of questions, the repetitive questions. The emotion was really tied to how long that haul was to get there and not just for the win but because of what the win meant and what led up to it.
JC: Do you feel like you’ve faced more scrutiny because of your gender?
DP: You know, the microscope is a little bit bigger. You do well, people notice, and when you don’t do well, people notice. I was always so flattered that people kept asking me when I was going to win. I was frustrated, don’t get me wrong, but the bright side I saw to it was that the still believed I could or they wouldn’t be asking.
JC: Who are the people you think about in those moments after getting that checkered flag on your first win?
DP: The most common denominator in everything has always been my family, so you think about them and you think about how long the haul was. Then you think about your team and how much faith they’ve had in you. I remember seeing Mike (Andretti) afterwards, and he looked like he had a little tear in his eye. I know that’s something he really wanted to happen. He believed in his team, and he believed in me, and he thought, “You put those two together, and we will make some history. We will get to victory lane.” To see that follow through, to see that come true, it was a rewarding feeling.
JC: Tell me about your role models, those people who you looked up to along the way.
DP: I didn’t really have idols or anything like that. I had people that I learned from, but I think always subconsciously I knew I was different. I always wanted to be the first Danica, not the next whoever else. I never really wanted to be like anybody else. I wanted to achieve a lot as some people had, but I just never really had a mold for what I wanted.
JC: It’s interesting because a lot of people now point to you as a role model.
DP: It’s very flattering. The first thought that comes to my head is, “Want to be better than me. You need to want to be the best. You need to want to be better than everyone else.” Sometimes, kids have been like, “I want to be like you.” I’m like, “You want to be better than me, don’t you?” As much as I don’t want to be outdone, I want people to believe they can be the best. That’s how you’re going to follow through with it. That’s how you’re going to get there. When I say to these kids, “Dream big,” I really mean that. I even ask my friends … “If you could do anything in your life, what would you do? Then, try to do it.”
JC: Are you any more mindful of little girls when it comes to being a role model?
DP: They’re so impressionable. They’re so raw. They’ll sit next to you, and they’ll be like, “You’re pretty.” They’re like, “You’re short.” They’re just so innocent and real, and so if you are unable to sign something for them or don’t take the time, they’re going to remember that possibly their favorite driver didn’t have time for them. If I’m really busy, I’ll only sign for the kids.
JC: I was looking at your website. The first photo is you, racing helmet, blue dress, black nails. I gotta ask — are you a girlie girl?
DP: (Laughs.) I’m really pretty feminine. I enjoy being a girl. I like to go get my nails done. I like to go shopping and dress up. I do enjoy all that. My favorite part of a photo shoot is hair and makeup. I think that’s a fun part about me and probably an unexpected part. In the race car, I’m very tough and moody, and I don’t wear makeup and I don’t care, and my hair’s all over the place. It’s just not what matters. But when I go away from the car … I’m still that same tough person, but I look out for my friends and I’m always having the newest fashions. That side of me is pretty different.
JC: Gotta tell you, best part of the pedicure is the foot massage.
DP: I like when they scrub my feet. I work them to death. They need a little bit of tough love.
JC: Being a celeb, you get a leg up on the sales at the stores and the deals, right?
DP: You would think that, but not so much.
JC: No?
DP: Pretty much every outfit except for one or two things that I’ve worn on TV have been from my own closet, bought at full-price. I know what looks good on me, and I’m very picky with my clothes.
JC: We need to get someone to work with you, though, on that discount celebrity thing, don’t we?
DP: I’m lucky enough that I do get sent certain things. But normally … I’m on the road. For me to get a box of clothes the week before is impossible. I have to stockpile dresses. My husband is like, “How many dresses do you need?” I need ‘em when I need ‘em. When you want one, you can’t find one.
JC: Last question — you said earlier that you ask your friends, “If you could do anything, what would you do?” So let me ask you, if you could do anything, what would you do?
DP: At the moment, win races, win championships, be dominant. I would love to be in that position. I’d love to be doing what Scott Dixon’s doing right now. But in the long-term, I’d love to have some sort of a clothing line and go to fashion week all over the world and have a hand in designing. And I’d love to own a winery. That would be a lot of fun.
JC: You are a girlie girl.
DP: Yeah, well, like I said, you’ve gotta dream big, right?