Danica Patrick had a stellar career in motorsport, but that hasn’t stopped the cruel trolls from trying to tear her down – and her dad, T.J., has the perfect response

Danica Patrick’s dad, T.J., has reacted to the harsh words aimed at his legendary motorsport daughter.

With a distinguished career in both IndyCar and NASCAR, Patrick made history in 2008 by winning the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female to triumph in an IndyCar event and nabbing the title of the first woman with a pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The racing icon has recently opened up about her personal life, including her relationship status, following spicy revelations, and revisited her previous stance on being considered a sports sex symbol. She also recently slammed Olympic icon Simone Biles.

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Since hanging up her helmet in 2018, the 43-year-old remains a staple in the racing world, dishing out expert commentary for Sky Sports’ F1 broadcasts in the UK and supporting FOX Sports at last month’s Indy500.

Sharing insights into his daughter’s skills and resilience, T.J. highlighted her competitive edge in conversation with racing pundit Kenny Wallace: “I just kind of giggle, but I know and the right people know that if you put her in a race car, she’s going to be almost, if not quicker than any guy in a car.

“I mean, in the right circumstances, she can do it. Just like most drivers that make it to the top level, you don’t make it to the top level by being average.”

He added: “You know, she’s never had an easy pass in her life. Nobody’s let her by. Everybody that races with Danica races harder than they do any other guy.

“So I was very hard on her. I mean, she claims it was too hard at times, but then again I’d like to ask, would you have made it if I wasn’t?

“I mean you look at Tiger Woods’ dad; he was the same way with him. So I wanted her to be the best that she could be, and I didn’t want her to slack off a bit.”

In the fast lane of family talent, Patrick’s sister, Brooke, also showcased her motorsport prowess. T.J. has even suggested that Brooke had an edge over Patrick, saying: “Brooke was faster.

“So we started go-kart racing. Brooke was so tiny that her feet were in the front of the staring rods.

“Brooke was faster by herself, but she didn’t like the bumping and grinding and all that. So she bailed out, and then it was basically Danica, so we started going after it.”

Away from the tracks, Patrick’s personal life has been no secret. Her romance with fellow Cup Series star Ricky Stenhouse Jr. concluded in 2017.

She later opened up about her relationship with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, acknowledging the turmoil they faced.

MEXICO CITY — In the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Connor Zilisch zipped to the pole.

Zilisch will lead the field to the green flag for Saturday’s Chilango 150. It is Zilisch’s fourth pole of the 2025 Xfinity Series season. He paced the Mexico City course in 92.372 seconds, beating Ty Gibbs by 0.102 seconds

Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez and Jesse Love rounded out the top-10 starters.

In practice, Gibbs was quickest with a lap of 92.979 seconds, averaging 93.699 MPH. Zilisch’s fastest lap was about a tenth off of Gibbs’ fastest.

Here is the full lineup and practice results:

Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.

A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.

Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers’ stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.

Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com

Charlie Henderson, owner of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team Henderson Motorsports, has died, the team announced via X.

Henderson’s involvement in NASCAR began in 1982 and his team fieled part-time cars in all of the top three divisions of NASCAR throughout his time as an owner. He entered 24 Cup Series races, 298 Xfinity Series races and 108 Truck Series races.

He won two Truck Series races as an owner with The CW color commentator Parker Kligerman as the driver of his No. 75 Chevrolet Silverado. Kligerman and the team nearly captured a third win at Daytona International Speedway this season before a ride height penalty disqualified them from the race.

Connor Zilisch Hangs On for Xfinity Pole in Mexico City

“We are grateful for the many years of leadership, friendship, and memories that Charlie gave to Henderson Motorsports and the entire NASCAR community,” Henderson Motorsports said in a statement. “We ask that you keep the Henderson family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch‘s primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch‘s Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt’s written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch’s social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.

Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing

With just over 22 minutes left in qualifying, Daniel Suarez went out on track for his first flying lap in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Unfortunately, he never completed it as the car went off in Turn 11, slamming the barrier head-on.

The front of the car was completely destroyed, but Suarez was still able to back out of the barrier and limp back to the pits. He radioed to the team that he “locked the fronts” at corner entry.

Suarez will have to go to a backup car and be forced to come from the rear of the field. And JRM has very little time to get the car ready with the Xfinity race set to get underway in just a few hours.

Watch: Suárez on Xfinity qualifying wreck: ‘Just inconsistent with my brake pedal’

“I don’t want to blame anyone,” said Suarez after being checked and released from the infield care center. “I probably just trusted the car a little bit too much. In practice, I was having a long pedal. The brakes — we weren’t really sure if we were going try and fix it, start in the back or just try to go qualifying. I tried to brake like normal but the pedal just kept going down. Just very sorry for everyone at JR Motorsports. I probably just trusted it a little bit too much. The brakes were, for some reason, not 100%, but my bad. Hopefully, we can build another fast car. I think the car was pretty good.”

Suarez went on to say that he has no worried about the backup car, believing that it will be “just as good” as the primary. Even still, it’s a major setback at his home race after what has been an incredible week for him, constantly surrounded by fans and media.

Suarez is making his first Xfinity start of the year, but he has plenty of experience in these cars. He won the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, and has three race wins. His teammate Connor Zilisch earned pole position for the race, driving the No. 88 JRM Chevrolet.

Daniel Suarez, JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

It’s a weekend of firsts as NASCAR takes its big-league Cup Series to Mexico City for the first time.