Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has argued against the inclusion of transgender atheltes competing in women’s sports.
During an interview with former Wall Street investor Codie Sanchez, Patrick shared her strong opinions on the matter, explaining:
“I was a girl in a guy’s sport. There are some true hormonal physiological reasons why men should not compete in women’s sports. When it comes to strength, when it comes to power, size, those things are really different. Men have at least 10 times the testosterone that women do, which is something that helps build lean muscle mass and gives you size and mass and power, it’s totally unfair.”
Patrick is known for her groundbreaking NASCAR career, where she became the first woman to secure pole position in the Daytona 500. Her journey to prominence started with various karting series and open-wheel racing in Europe before she returned to the U.S. and entered the NASCAR national series in 2010. Over seven years, she competed in nearly 200 NASCAR Cup Series races, retiring from full-time racing in 2018.
Outside her racing achievements, Patrick has recently become vocal about her political beliefs. She commented during a speech at a Donald Trump event in Las Vegas, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
“People didn’t like that. People looked at me like I was some radical right-wing MAGA. MAGA has got this awful connotation to so many people and you know what? All it did was light a fire.
“I will not be judged to live in America, be a proud American, say ‘I love America’, and want to make America great again. I won’t be judged for it. Instead of quieting down, I am gonna get louder!
“I was raised in a middle-class family. My parents love their garden; they still do. But my parents instilled really good values in me. Instilled values to dream really big, to be honest, and to work hard.”
In a separate interview, the former driver commented:
“Here is where I stand with SOME current issues and politics. I am not a liberal. I am somewhere between republican and independent.
“I think our country should be run by someone that knows business and has integrity. I believe we should be able to speak freely.
“I love this country, and I have lived in other places. I believe when people of different opinions speak face to face, we realize we are more similar than different.
“I don’t believe everything anyone says. I have been very torn over the years if I should give a [crap] about politics or just live the life I want as an example. I have been doing the latter. The reaction today is definitely interesting… since all I said was, I love this country.”