Danica Patrick says "no one would know my name" if not for sister Brooke's dream

Danica Patrick is a revered figure in both the NASCAR and IndyCar paddocks. However, the inspiration for her to begin her racing dream came from within the family, from her sister, Brooke Selman. The former expressed her gratitude to her sister on Instagram.

The 43-year-old made her first big breakthrough in the IndyCar realm and led the Indy 500 on her debut run at the track, stunning the paddock with her impressive performance. Moreover, she went on to become the first female driver to win a race in the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States.

Patrick ventured into the NASCAR realm in 2012 as her fame increased multiple times over the next few years. However, all this would not have been possible without her sister, Selman.

In a recent story, Brooke Selman recalled an incident with Danica Patrick and claimed that she could never handle a car in the way her sister did. She wrote:

"I felt like the car was going to fall apart or the wheels would just explode on every corner. I kept saying afterwards "I could of never done what you do." You just grinned and said "I know." Will always be one of the most intense, crazy experiences of my life."

Subsequently, Patrick responded to her sister's story by sharing how Selman introduced her to racing, as she wrote:

"But if it wasn't for you wanting to race... Non one would know my name."

Danica Patrick's Instagram story on May 5 | Source: Instagram/@danicapatrick

The 43-year-old retired from racing in 2018, as she made her last start at the Indy 500 that year.

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What has Danica Patrick been up to since her retirement from racing?

Danica Patrick at the F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Source: Getty

Since her retirement, Danica Patrick has explored various fields. She has worked as a motorsports pundit for the most part, but has also been actively involved in the world of golf and politics over the past year.

However, Patrick returned to her usual pundit role at the F1 Miami Grand Prix. The former driver was a presenter for Sky Sports F1 and shared a few snaps from her visit to the Miami International Autodrome:

"Back at it in Miami with @skysportsf1!"

Meanwhile, the Miami Grand Prix weekend was a Sprint race weekend. While the Sprint race was won by Lando Norris after a caution propelled him up the grid, his teammate, Oscar Piastri, took the top of the podium in the main race on Sunday.

The Aussie scored his third win of the season, in a similar fashion to IndyCar's Alex Palou bagging his third race victory in Alabama on the same weekend.