Danica Patrick makes history by winning Daytona 500 Pole
By: Nick Goddard
Updated: February 17, 2013
Danica Patrick became the first woman to win the pole for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, and she did it for the biggest race of all, the Daytona 500.
Patrick, who was born in Beloit, is competing as a rookie in NASCAR's top series for Stewart-Haas racing. She made the move to stock cars after several years in the Indy Racing League, where she became the first woman in the history of that series to win a race.
Patrick's speed of 196.434 MPH edged out Jeff Gordon, who will line up on the outside of row 1 in next Sunday's Daytona 500. the remainder of the field will be determined by a pair of qualifying races on Thursday afternoon.
