Considering Danica Patrick always talks about how unlucky she is, you’d think she’d do everything in her power to ensure her final professional race is hex-free.
The soon-to-be retired racer has no such concerns for the 2018 Indianapolis 500, however.
Patrick on Wednesday announced she’ll drive for Ed Carpenter Racing and be sponsored by longtime partner GoDaddy in her one-off return to the Verizon IndyCar Series. Not only is her GoDaddy Chevrolet bright green, but it also will sport No. 13 — a color and number combination that, according to some, are unlucky.
Patrick didn’t attempt to run from the bad mojo, though. In fact, she ran to it.
“For the 2018 Indianapolis 500, Patrick chose her car number herself,” Ed Carpenter Racing said in a press release Wednesday. “Though generally considered unlucky, she selected the No. 13 simply because she liked it.”
Patrick’s decision to go with the No. 13 shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 35-year-old has been throwing caution to the wind ever since she first rocked GoDaddy green.
“Back in the day, the color green was also said to be bad luck in racing,” Patrick said in a statement. “I think it’s cool. I’m a firm believer that superstitions are only real if you believe them.”
(Again, this is someone who referenced luck a lot throughout her NASCAR career, which recently ended in a wreck at the Daytona 500.)
But at the end of the day, Patrick’s turn in the Indy 500 isn’t about numbers, colors, bad juju or where she finishes. And it’s definitely not about whether she kisses Aaron Rodgers before, during or after the race.
It’s about the conclusion of one of the most important careers in motorsport history.
