It is no secret that Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are dating but for the most part the two have done a good job of keeping their personal lives off of the television set.
In a new piece for the Players Tribune, Patrick opens up about her relationship with Stenhouse Jr saying that the two do not have a lot in common and have a lot of “misunderstandings.”
Here are a few of the interesting lines for Patrick’s piece.
“He’s Ford. I’m Chevy. It’s the Montagues and the Capulets. He’s grits. I’m granola. We’re the opposite in almost every way.”
Patrick went on from there in her piece titled: “Relationship Status: Normal-ish”.
“The truth is that there are more misunderstandings than understandings between Ricky and I, because our only mentality is to go flat-out. Hard, hard, hard. I want to take care of him out there just like I would a teammate, but at the same time, I want to beat him because I respect him so damn much as a driver.”
“In NASCAR, we have a lot more bad weekends than good ones. That’s just the nature of the sport. If you can’t get over it, you’re going to be miserable or eventually out of a job. Despite the stress of what we do for a living, Ricky and I often ask ourselves, ‘What would a normal couple do in this situation?’ My position as a woman in racing has always been anything but normal. Some people will ask, why date another driver? Why add that layer of scrutiny? How does that work? My answer is simple: Everyone deserves to be happy.”
“More than anything, being happy makes me a better race car driver. I learned that when I was 18. I was racing in England, living all alone, trying to stomach full English breakfasts and stay in touch with my family way before the iPhone. It was lonely. I was miserable. … During the 2000 Formula Ford Festival, my mom came to visit and the entire vibe changed. I smiled and waved at everybody — the race marshals, track employees, volunteers. I just felt this good energy and rolled with it. I was actually having fun. I kicked ass that weekend. That’s when it dawned on me that I race better when I’m happy. And Ricky makes me happy, even if he pisses me off on the track every now and then.”
