Danica Patrick has reportedly moved on from her soon-to-be ex-husband Paul Hospenthal already as the Associated Press has confirmed she's dating fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
"I have a boyfriend, his name is Richard," Patrick said during an exclusive telephone interview with the Associated Press. "I think I am just finally excited to tell someone about this."
The couple waited until the end of the Charlotte Motor Speedway's media tour to go public with the news. She stated she met Stenhouse two years ago as they were both racers in the Nationwide Series.
Since then, Stenhouse has been sort of a mentor to Patrick, who decided to switch full-time to NASCAR after the 2011 IndyCar season.
"We are dating, and I know there's been a bit of a runaround this week at the media days and poor Ricky got grilled (with questions)," Patrick said to the Associated Press. "It was out of respect to NASCAR, to all the manufacturers, the new cars, the teams, the sponsors, just to allow the news of the day to be about racing and not let anything interfere with that. So, it's Friday now, so that's why we waited until the end of the week to be up front about each other."
Stenhouse also confirmed the news this week.
"Yes we are dating," said Stenhouse to AP. "I don't normally say too much about my private life, always been focused on the track. I didn't want to confirm at media day so that we could keep the focus on the season, the Gen-6 (car), my sponsors and team. That's what it's all about for me."
Patrick announced in November that she and her husband Hospenthal were divorcing after seven years of marriage. She revealed on Jan. 3 that the filing was official since her marriage to the 47-year-old was "irretrievably broken."
Patrick usually has a strict policy to not talk about her personal life to the press, she made a rare exception this time to address the on-going gossip that she was dating a fellow driver.
Stenhouse was asked repeatedly during the week-long media tour if he was in fact dating Patrick. He constantly avoided the question by just saying the two have a "great" relationship before shifting the focus back to racing.
Talk will shift from romance to professional in a few months as the couple will both be competing for Rookie of the Year in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series. Patrick and Stenhouse will both be competing for the Cup for the first time ever this season.
The duo has already confirmed they won't be changing their racing style for one another.
"Obviously, we've been racing together for a couple years now, him and I have always gotten along, we've always had a lot of respect for each other on the track, there's never been an issue out there," Patrick said to AP. "I always say I'll race people how they race me until they do something to make me change my mind. I don't anticipate that changing at all, or us having any issues on the track."
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