When Tony Stewart endorsed Danica Patrick’s ability to outperform “95 percent of the drivers in the field”

After five seasons behind the wheel of the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing car, Danica Patrick and the team parted ways, an announcement made towards the end of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season. The Wisconsin native later announced her retirement that year.

While they split on a professional level, SHR co-owner Tony Stewart still had his driver's back. On the heels of Patrick leaving the team, the retired three-time Cup Series champion was quoted by USA Today and made it known that the former IndyCar Series driver possessed a ton of talent behind the wheel and would put her up against the best. Stewart wrote:

“It’s up to her what she wants to do. She is a very talented racecar driver. She can do what she wants to do and has the ability to do what 95 percent of the drivers in the field don’t have the ability to do: She can stay in NASCAR, she can go back to IndyCar, she can go to sports car racing. Not all the drivers are talented enough to switch. She’s very versatile.”

The 49-time Cup Series winner went on to say that it was frustrating having Patrick behind the wheel at times because the media was easy to jump on her performances. They might not have always been the best, but Stewart said that doesn't define Patrick's talent, adding:

“One of the most frustrating things about having Danica drive for you is listening to the media talk about how disappointing her results were. I’m like, ‘Your results in a Cup car were what?’ She does an awesome job. When she finishes 20th, the media will say she had a mediocre race. She ran ahead of half of the field. That’s a really good race for her. I think they underestimate the talent she has."

While she never recorded a win nor a top-five finish in the Cup Series, Patrick still broke barriers as a woman in NASCAR. She was the first female to qualify on the pole when she started first in the 2013 Daytona 500. In that same race, Patrick was the first female to lead a green flag lap. She also holds the best finish for a woman in the Xfinity Series with a fourth-place finish in Las Vegas in 2011.

Danica Patrick ventured into politics after racing

Since retiring from full-time NASCAR competition after 2017, Danica Patrick has been up to a lot. Most recently, Patrick has been public about her interest in politics and support for the Republican Party and United States President Donald Trump.

Last week, Patrick attended Trump's inauguration and posed for a photo with celebrities including Theo Von and the Paul brothers. Patrick wrote via Instagram:

"What a crew for the inauguration! So much fun and so much laughing! Thanks @alexbruesewitz!"

Outside of politics, Patrick has also made appearances as a racing broadcaster for FOX Sports and NBC. She's covered both NASCAR races and IndyCar races.