The 2013 Daytona 500 marked a crucial day in Danica Patrick’s career, when preparation met opportunity on NASCAR’s biggest stage. Having transitioned from IndyCar to pursue stock car racing full-time, Patrick had already dipped her toes into the Cup Series in 2012 with 10 part-time starts in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing entry. Still, the season-opening Daytona 500 represented her actual appearance as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, and she wasted no time in announcing herself.
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Patrick delivered a lap of 196.434 mph in qualifying that placed her on the pole and into the record books. With that single lap, she became the only female driver to ever win a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series. The achievement carried historic weight and placed her at the center of the sport’s spotlight heading into the Great American Race. What followed, however, introduced an awkward footnote to an otherwise climactic moment.
American actor and filmmaker James Franco served as the Grand Marshal for the 55th running of the 2013 Daytona 500. His role included participating in pre-race ceremonies while promoting his film Oz the Great and Powerful, ending in the traditional command to start engines. However, in an attempt to single out Patrick, Franco altered the customary phrasing and delivered the line,
“Drivers — and Danica! — Start your engines!”
The wording landed poorly. Rather than sounding inclusive, the remark suggested a separation, as if Patrick stood apart from the rest of the field rather than among it. The implication, intentional or not, appeared to throw doubt on her status as a driver. Franco may have intended to say, “Gentlemen, and Danica, start your engines,” but the moment passed with the command already echoing across the speedway.
Patrick did not offer a visible or vocal response at the time, choosing not to react publicly. Even so, the moment became a talking point. Sports media across the country dissected the command, labeling it a misstep and, in some corners, a not-so-subtle editorial comment that placed unnecessary emphasis on her gender rather than her accomplishment.
Despite the distraction, Patrick refused to let the moment overshadow the task at hand. She focused on the race itself, rolling off from the pole position and delivering a composed performance over 500 miles. When the checkered flag fell, she crossed the line in P8 place.
Over the next five seasons, the SHR driver made 180 additional starts at the sport’s highest level before retiring in 2018. During that stretch, she added six more top-10 finishes, further engraving her place in a discipline that had rarely offered women sustained opportunity.
