“I’m a race car driver, and I’m a very competitive one. I need to beat them, belittle them and make them feel small. Trying to run them off the road at 170 mph isn’t sweet and kind.”

These words coming out of the 5’2”, 100-pound Danica show her spunk and fortitude towards her competition. Born Danica Sue Patrick on March 25, 1982, she found her love for speed when she raced go-karts in Wisconsin as a young girl. After winning several World Karting Association championships, she quit school and moved to England to pursue a racecar driving career. On April 20, 2008, Danica would become the first woman driver to win an IndyCar race.

One, of very few women, in a sport still dominated by men, she makes no attempt to hide her beautiful face and figure. Her ads for her sponsor, GoDaddy, show her unzipping her racing suit and doing a take-off of Jennifer Beals’ famous scene in Flashdance.

Some people question if she is being exploited or just being savvy. After all, according to Forbes magazine, she earned $7 million last year, which makes her the highest paid driver in the Izod IndyCar Series. She is easily one of the most recognizable sports figures, even though she has only won one race. Racy photo shoots for men’s magazines and her relationship with GoDaddy have skyrocketed her to fame as one of the most highly sought-after racing stars on the Internet. GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons claims, “The ads are fun, edgy and a little inappropriate.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve been very, very, honest about who I am as a person. If I’m mad, you’re gonna know it. If I’m happy, you’re gonna know it. If I want to wear a swimsuit for a magazine photo shoot, I’m gonna do it. I don’t care what people think. And I’m not changing at all. I don’t know how to be anybody else but myself. Take me for what I am. All the media, the endorsement and the fan attention doesn’t change me as a driver. I want to win races and I want people to know that.”

She is willing to try many different lucrative roles to keep her in the spotlight. Danica just made her acting debut in the February, 2010 episode of CSI: New York, playing a racecar driver suspected of murder. She has also become the voice of a new character in the video racing game Blur. Slated to release on May 25, it is supposed to be part The Fast and The Furious and part Speed Racer. “Danica is fast, she’s focused and she’s smart,” said Parsons of GoDaddy, and we at Strip Las Vegas will keep watching her, excited to see what she’ll do next. SLV

Issue 48 featuring: Cali Logan, Tori Black & Monique Alexander and Lux Kassidy