Danica Patrick was named the “most disliked” driver in IndyCar history.
A new poll, conducted by IndyCar’s official Reddit page, announced that Patrick, who retired from full-time racing in 2018, was named the most detested driver in the history of the sport.
She didn’t have much competition. Patrick won – or, rather, lost – the poll in decisive fashion earlier this year.
Danica Patrick (13) is introduced before the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 27, 2018.Jenna Watson/IndyStar.
Patrick had a polarizing career.
She raced in IndyCar for a while, before making the move into NASCAR. She broke through a lot of barriers.
However, she also made a lot of enemies.
IndyCar fans react to the title on Sunday
IndyCar fans are arguing that she “earned” the title.
“She earned that title. If people turned on her it is because she placed herself above all of us who pay her wages. She was never a bright bulb, and those who say she had confidence were wrong. She had arrogance which equates to ignorance,” one fan wrote.
“I was beyond thrilled when the decision was his aid to remove her as a commentator for F1,” one added.
“Danica Patrick is to Nascar and Indy car racing what Johnny Manziel was to the NFL. Both were full of themselves while being horrible at their sports. Johnny was a good college player, but choked in the big boy league of the NFL. He will always be remembered for flashing money when he got drafted, and then never lived up to the hype. Danica Patrick was just never a good driver,” another shared.
“What was so historic about her jumping to NASCAR? She certainly wasn’t the first woman driver and never won a race,” one shared.
“Stop calling her a racing star! She was slow, she would never have made it past go karts if her name was Daniel Patrick. She was not successful in Indycar and represented only the fact that marketing can win the day,” one added.
What do you make of Danica being named the most “disliked” driver in IndyCar history?
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
