Advertisement

Danica Patrick finishes behind boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for NASCAR Rookie of the Year

“Battles are tough, especially when you are going against your girlfriend,” Stenhouse says.

By Evan Bleier
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 racer Danica Patrick (10) for team GoDaddy gets ready to take practice, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida on November 15, 2013. (File/UPI/Gary I Rothstein)
1 of 2 | NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Ford EcoBoost 400 racer Danica Patrick (10) for team GoDaddy gets ready to take practice, at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida on November 15, 2013. (File/UPI/Gary I Rothstein) | License Photo

Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. may have had success on the track this year, but winning NASCAR’s Rookie of the Year award certainly isn’t going to help him away from the asphalt.

That’s because the driver Stenhouse beat out for the honor, Danica Patrick, happens to be his girlfriend.

Advertisement

Stenhouse finished 19th in the Cup standings, while Patrick finished 27th. “Battles are tough, especially when you are going against your girlfriend,” Stenhouse said.

He found out quickly that what happens at work should stay at work.

“We’ve had a few run-ins, which resulted in one really quiet ride home,” Stenhouse said. “And I learned real quick that if there’s a question it could be my fault, it’s better to go ahead and just apologize and get it over with. But all in all, we had a lot of fun this year.”

Stenhouse accepted the 2013 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year award on Thursday.

But losing out on the award didn’t slow Patrick down, as she was out on Friday, giving CNBC Los Angeles reporter Jane Wells a ride and an interview.

Advertisement

Here’s Patrick talking last month about her rookie season in NASCAR:

[IndyStar]

Latest Headlines