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Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will drive the pace car for the 2021 Indianapolis 500.
"I am very honored to drive the pace car this year at the Indy 500," Patrick said in a press release. "It is even more special because of the past year we have all endured, and it will be so nice to see fans back in the stands."
Patrick, 39, retired from auto racing after finishing 30th in the 2018 Indianapolis 500. She previously posted six top-10 finishes in open-wheel racing's biggest race, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2009.
The 2009 season was the most successful of her career, as she finished fifth in the final IndyCar standings. Patrick left open-wheel racing after the 2011 season for stock cars.
Since leaving full-time racing, Patrick has made several notable media appearances and will be part of NBC's broadcast team for the 2021 Indianapolis 500.
Jennifer Jo Cobb will make her NASCAR Cup Series debut at the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, on Sunday, April 25.
Cobb races full-time on the Camping World Truck Series, and she has made at least one appearance per year in Xfinity Series races in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010-18. Cobb will be driving for Rick Ware Racing, which announced the news Tuesday.
She will be the first woman to race in the NASCAR Cup Series since Danica Patrick at the 2018 Daytona 500. Patrick began her Cup Series stint in 2012.
Per Chris Estrada of NBC Sports, Cobb will be the 17th woman (but only the third since 1990) to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Per Rick Ware Racing, Cobb will drive the No. 15 Arrowhead Brass Chevrolet, and Fastener Supply will be an associate sponsor.
The veteran has made 216 Camping World Truck Series starts and 31 Xfinity Series starts during her career. She's posted 36 top-20 finishes on the Truck Series, including an 18th-place result at the season-opening NextEra Energy 250 this year.
Cobb has enjoyed some success recently at Talladega, notably leading 16 of 94 laps at the Chevrolet Silverado 250 last October in a Truck Series race.
The relationship between former NASCAR and IndyCar star Danica Patrick and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has reached the finish line.
Cydney Contreras of EOnline.com reports the pair recently split up after having dated for two years.
A representative for Patrick confirmed to E! News the two are "no longer together."
The pair first met at the 2012 ESPYs and began dating in late 2017.
Patrick, a longtime Chicago Bears fan, told Jimmy Kimmel Live she had fully renounced her support of the Bears and was "the biggest Packers fan" since she connected with Rodgers.
Despite having been born in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick lived closer to Soldier Field in Chicago than Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
As she moves on from her relationship with Rodgers, it remains to be seen if she'll try to repair the one she had with the Bears.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a memorable experience leaving Peru right before the country's airport was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (h/t ESPN's Rob Demovsky), Rodgers compared the situation to the end of the movie Argo: "The scene at the end where they're racing to the airport. Nobody was chasing us thankfully or holding us. We didn't have to speak Farsi to get back into the country, but there were some moments where we worried we were not going to get out. It was absolute pandemonium at the airport."
Rodgers was on vacation in Peru with three other people when President Martin Vizcarra announced the country would close its borders at 11:59 p.m. local time on March 16 to help prevent the spread of the virus.
A number of American citizens were unable to leave Peru before the order went into effect, but Rodgers noted his group was able to make it out in part because they had a private plane.
Rodgers acknowledged the group "probably" wouldn't have been able to get out right away if they had to fly on a commercial airplane.
Since returning to the United States, Rodgers said none of the people on the trip have shown symptoms of COVID-19 and he has been following quarantine guidelines.
Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick are now co-homeowners after purchasing a mansion in Malibu for $28 million in November, according to TMZ Sports.
TMZ added that the 4,636-square foot home features four bedrooms and four bathrooms as well as a two-bedroom guesthouse and swimming pool. Rodgers and Patrick had previously rented the property over the summer.
The 37-year-old retired NASCAR racer confirmed her relationship with the 36-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback during an Associated Press interview in Jan. 2018. Patrick went so far as to tell Jimmy Kimmel in July 2018 that dating Rodgers transformed her from a lifelong Chicago Bears fan to "the biggest Packers fan":
More recently, Patrick announced on Christmas Eve that she interviewed Rodgers on the newest episode of her Pretty Intense podcast:
Rodgers will hope he does not have to break in his new home with Patrick just yet as the Packers clinched the NFC North on Monday night and are set to play in the postseason for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Having established himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of his generation, Aaron Rodgers is now looking to branch out into the world of venture capital.
Forbes' Kurt Badenhausen reported the Green Bay Packers star partnered with two others to launch Rx3 Ventures, which has $50 million in its coffers to date.
"The fund expects to make investments in the $1 million to $3 million range going forward with a focus on established consumer brands," Badenhausen wrote.
Rodgers also explained his decision to explore venture capital: "With Rx3, I saw the opportunity to create an investment platform that brings together a group of like-minded influential investors and their respective networks with the backing of institutional resources."
Heisman Trophy winner and ESPN analyst Desmond Howard, New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold and former auto racing star Danica Patrick are among those who have already invested in the fund.
Spotrac estimates Rodgers has earned a little over $204 million from his NFL contracts, a figure that doesn't take into account money from outside endorsements and other investments.
