Danica Patrick targets win from historic Daytona pole

Danica Patrick will make history on Sunday when she starts the Daytona 500 in Florida from pole position.

The 30-year-old is the first woman to take pole in a Nascar Sprint Cup race – the elite level of stock car racing in the United States.

“I’m going to do everything I can to keep the car as up front as possible,” said Patrick ahead of Sunday’s race.

Patrick was the first female to win an IndyCar Series, external race in 2008 and now aims to repeat the feat in Nascar.

“I don’t think about being a woman when I’m out there on the track,” Patrick added. “I’m really just focused on driving and working with the team.

“I’ve been lucky enough to make history, be the first woman to do many things. I really just hope that I don’t stop doing that. We have a lot more history to make.”

Patrick took pole for the Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet team at the Daytona Speedway with a qualifying time of 45.817 seconds and a top qualifying speed of 196.434mph – the fastest qualifying effort at Daytona since 1990.