NASCAR veteran Tony Stewart has been around Danica Patrick for more than a year now, and he’s learned quite a bit about his unique teammate.
Stewart, a grizzled veteran and one of NASCAR’s most colorful characters, says that Patrick, the sport’s biggest female star, is “one of the guys.”
“She is definitely one of the guys,” Stewart said during a recent video chat for the Coca-Cola Racing Family. “Physically, she is not one of the guys, but mentally and her demeanor, not only with the crew but with Ryan and I as teammates, ... There are times and settings where she has that girly side of her, but there are a lot of times when there is this little cute girl sitting there and you are having a conversation and you’re like, did she just say that?
“It’s hard to embarrass me but she is one of the few people who in the course of a conversation can embarrass me by something she says.”
MORE: Danica ready for Talladega | NASCAR's most beloved drivers | Power Rankings | 2014 sked
Stewart, who is the co-owner of Patrick’s Stewart-Haas Racing team, says she does a good job getting along with her all-male crew.
“She does a really good job,” he said. “... Being a female in a male-dominated sport, she has the ability to come in there and make everybody around her feel comfortable versus her trying to fit in. She makes them feel comfortable being around her. Everybody just relaxes around her.”