It’s no secret that Danica Patrick is perceived as one of the most controversial figures in NASCAR. Although she’s often found herself on the bitter end of the stick among the racing community, she’s had it rough growing up. More so, she had an estranged relationship with her father, T.J. Patrick Jr.
However, there have been multiple instances of friction between the two. One of the most famous ones is Patrick firing her dad from the roles of crew chief, coach, mechanic, and contract negotiator. He did don multiple hats, but his sole purpose was to push Patrick to the best of her abilities. And perhaps this wasn’t received well by the former Stewart Haas Racing driver.
Although the two have made peace with each other as time has gone by, T.J. Patrick Jr. had to do some soul-searching to repair his ties with her daughter.
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Danica Patrick felt the pressure to excel in her pursuit of becoming a racecar driver
Do you think Danica Patrick’s father’s tough love was justified?
Yes, it made her stronger
Maybe, but it could have been balanced better
Unlike the other drivers who came from a renowned NASCAR family or had a big sponsor, Danica Patrick came from a humble household. Therefore, when she decided to embark on her journey to race cars for a living, her dad wanted her to go all in. In the process, he pushed her to the very edge, where the relationship between the two soured.
Coming clean on his story and upbringing of Danica Patrick in the initial days of racing, T.J. opined, “So I was very hard on her. I mean, she claims it was too hard at times, but then again I’d like to ask, would you have made it if I wasn’t? I mean you look at Tiger Wood’s dad; he was the same way with him. So I wanted her to be the best that she could be, and I didn’t want her to slack off a bit.” T.J. Patrick said on Kenny Conversations.
He did accept that it took a lot of effort and self-realization on his part to repair those ties that were broken with her daughter. “About three or four years ago, I did that. I had come to Jesus meeting with myself. Did she hold it against me? At times yes, but I had to come to Jesus. I’m like, it just came to me and I’m like, yeah maybe I was too hard. So I called her up and said hey. I mean you’re trying to get me Barbara Walters here, trying to get me to cry.”
via Getty
Danica Patrick was particularly unhappy that she had moved to Europe all alone. She was just 16, had just dropped out of high school, and was aiming to make a name for herself overseas. Being a female American race car driver, she faced a lot of hurdles, and that experience molded her personality.
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A tough few years of racing in Europe changed Danica forever
Danica Patrick spent three years in the United Kingdom, where she raced in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford. The American manufacturer Ford funded this expedition, but they terminated the program, citing that the funds allocated to her were being misused and she wasn’t receiving the right technical support she needed.
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Shedding a light on her initial struggles, T.J. also shared, “You know she wasn’t treated great over there. But I think she grew up faster, and she became a better racer for it. People don’t realize Europe is way more cutthroat here than American racing. Those people either make it or they don’t. When she came back, she had a shell around her. You couldn’t get into her because she was so jaded.”
Danica Patrick has also made amends on her part and has moved on from the trauma of the early days of struggle. Therapy and the company of her two dogs have certainly eased her life these days. She continues to strive forward with her passion for motorsports as an F1 presenter for Sky Sports.
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