Danica Patrick Denies Having Muscle Lines Airbrushed In Her Cover Photo

NASCAR driver Danica Patrick is a well-known health and wellness junky, yet apparently some people still doubt she’s as fit as she claims to be.

Patrick took to Instagram on Wednesday to shut down rumors that her picture on the cover of her new book, titled “Pretty Intense,” was heavily edited. Many reportedly suspected her muscle tone was enhanced by airbrushing.

“I wanted to show you the raw image from when I was deciding which one to use for the cover,” Patrick wrote in the post. “Many of you thought it was highly retouched and the main thing they do is even out the skin tone, mostly on the legs. I worked very hard.”

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…….because minimal retouching has been important to me with ALL the pictures, from lifestyle to fitness to food for @prettyintensebydanica …… I wanted to show you the raw image from when I was deciding which one to use for the cover. Many of you thought it was highly retouched and the main thing they do is even out the skin tone, mostly on the legs. I worked very hard. Anyone can be lean and muscular if they want to…..but you have to put in the work and learn how to eat right. It's all possible, believe in yourself.

A post shared by Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) on Jun 7, 2017 at 2:46pm PDT

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver posted the raw image from her photo shoot a few hours after she originally shared the completed book cover.

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?Cover! My book is available for preorder. I have worked my ass off on it. There is 3 parts mental/physical (with 12 week workout program that I wrote and tested)/food (along with 50 recipes written and photographed by me). The more I think about it the more I think that this is just the first phase of what I hope to continue for many books to come. It's all the things I have learned though growth in the mind and body. ??

A post shared by Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) on Jun 7, 2017 at 9:57am PDT

The 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series hasn’t been the easiest season for Patrick thus far, marred by sponsorship issues behind the scenes, and frequent crashes on track.

Thumbnail photo via John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports Images