Danica Patrick keeps making history.

Patrick, who has made headlines since Speedweeks began while fielding questions about her relationship with fellow Cup rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr., has made headlines again — for doing something on the track.

She became the first woman to win the pole position for the Daytona 500 — and a Sprint Cup event — on Sunday when the rookie posted a lap of 196.434 mph.

'Pride. I'm proud of all the hard work that goes into making a pole car,' Patrick said. 'I'm happy for them (the team). It was a fast Chevy. ... If you're anywhere but the front row, it's hard to see on race day. ... This just speaks volumes about Stewart-Haas Racing. I thought we were going to be 1-2-3 for a while.'

The previous best starting position for a female in the Daytona 500 was 18th by Janet Guthrie.

Guthrie also held the record for the top starting spot by a female in a Cup race. Guthrie qualified ninth in 1977 at Talladega Superspeedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. There have been only two previous poles for women in NASCAR history. Patrick, who won the Nationwide Series pole position at Daytona last year, and Shawna Robinson in a Nationwide race in Atlanta in 1994.
When she emerged from her car Sunday, she said: 'I've only done Cup qualifying here once before (last year) ... this has been very straightforward, very predictable and consistent,&.