Female drivers have always faced a different kind of pressure in motorsports. From Danica Patrick breaking barriers in NASCAR and IndyCar to Shirley Muldowney dominating drag racing decades earlier, women in racing are often judged far beyond just wins and statistics. That’s why debates around the “greatest female driver ever” almost always spark strong reactions. And now, one old remark from Brad Keselowski about Danica Patrick has once again stirred up heated backlash from fans and racing observers alike.

Brad Keselowski’s Danica Patrick claim ignites debate

‘NASCARman’ shared video from the 2005 Indianapolis 500 qualifying session in a recent social media post that took NASCAR fans back in time. During her debut season, Danica Patrick went into qualifying as the favorite to win the pole position in the Indianapolis 500.

However, Patrick had to make a spectacular save on the opening lap of her qualifying attempt due to a huge wiggle entering the corner, which cost her crucial speed and ultimately dropped her to fourth on the grid. Even with the mistake, the moment became another example of just how talented Patrick was during her breakout rookie IndyCar season. She went on to lead laps during the Indianapolis 500 itself and ultimately finished the race in 4th place.

This incident quickly established herself as one of the most recognizable and successful open-wheel drivers in America before later transitioning to NASCAR. According to statistics, Danica Patrick continues to have perhaps the best resume of any female driver in the history of modern American racing. She continues to hold records for the most starts, laps led, and top-10 finishes by a female driver in Cup Series history.

 

Danica Patrick is also the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, the first woman to win a pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series. Moreover, she owns the highest finish ever by a woman in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. That led Brad Keselowski to weigh in publicly on the post.

“IMO @DanicaPatrick was by a large margin the Best female race car driver of all time. It’s an absolute shame she doesn’t get more credit or recognition from the racing community,” Keselowski replied. But while some fans agreed with Keselowski’s assessment, many others strongly pushed back against the claim, reopening one of motorsports’ most polarizing debates surrounding Patrick’s legacy and career accomplishments.

NASCAR fans push back

Not everyone agreed with Brad Keselowski calling Danica Patrick the greatest female driver ever. In fact, the reaction online was immediate and brutally divided.

One fan responded, “Please look up Sara Christian and Janet Guthrie.”

Sara Christian was one of NASCAR’s original female pioneers, competing in the sport’s earliest years during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Meanwhile, Janet Guthrie became a groundbreaking figure in both NASCAR and IndyCar during the 1970s, famously becoming the first woman to qualify for both the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977.

Another fan added, “You’ve never heard of Michele Mouton then.”

That referred to Michèle Mouton, widely considered one of the greatest rally drivers in motorsports history. Mouton won four races in the brutal Group B era of the World Rally Championship and finished runner-up in the 1982 WRC standings against some of the toughest competition the sport has ever seen.

Others pointed toward drag racing royalty instead. “What the hell are Courtney and Brittany Force then Brad?”

Courtney Force and Brittany Force have both dominated NHRA competition. Brittany, especially, has built one of the strongest résumés in drag racing history, becoming a multi-time NHRA Top Fuel champion while routinely setting speed records. She currently has the record for fastest run, at 343.51 mph.

But much of the backlash centered around Patrick’s NASCAR career specifically. “Uhhh Brad….She was atrocious in a stock car and she had the worst ‘not my fault’ attitude of all time,” one user wrote.

The criticism stems largely from Patrick’s Cup Series numbers. Across 191 NASCAR Cup races, she never won and recorded only seven top-10 finishes, with a best championship finish of 24th. Moreover, throughout her NASCAR career, some fans and competitors felt she often struggled to accept blame after incidents, frequently pointing toward other drivers, bad luck, or car issues rather than acknowledging her own mistakes behind the wheel.

Another harsh response read, “if thats your example for the best, women in auto racing are scre—.”

And that really summed up the larger debate. For some fans, Patrick’s popularity and groundbreaking moments outweigh the statistics. For others, pure results still place several female racers ahead of her legacy-wise. Either way, Keselowski’s comment reopened a conversation motorsports fans seemingly never get tired of having.

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