Danica Patrick becomes first woman to win Daytona 500 pole


February 17, 2013 at 4:36p.m.

Danica Patrick becomes first woman to win Daytona 500 pole

Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.

Danica Patrick has won the Daytona 500 pole, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race.

It was the biggest achievement of her four-year NASCAR career.

Patrick went out eighth in the qualifying session Sunday and covered the 2 1/2-mile superspeedway in 45.817 seconds, averaging 196.434 mph.

“Hopefully, there are good things to come,” Patrick said.

She waited about two hours as 37 fellow drivers tried to take her spot. Only four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon even came close to knocking her off.