Danica Patrick Daytona 500 Finish: Completes Best Finish Ever by a Woman in 'The Great American Race,' Finishes Eighth, Jimmie Johnson Wins

Danica Patrick may have turned in the best performance ever by a woman in the Daytona 500 and became the first woman to lead a lap in the Daytona 500, but she still wasn't satisfied. Patrick finished eight in "The Great American Race" and had to watch as Jimmie Johnson held on to win NASCAR's big race. This just days after Patrick became the first woman ever to win a Spring Cup pole.

The race wasn't without its suspense though. With just one lap to go, Patrick was in third place behind Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.. Patrick found herself in position to make history in a big way. Unfortunately her number ten car faded in that last lap and fell back to eight as Johnson and Earnhardt battled for the top spot. Johnson would go on to outlast Earnhardt and win the Daytona 500 for the second time.

Patrick actually led the race three times for a total of five laps and was in the top ten for the majority of the race. Patrick told The Associated Press that it may have been her inexperience that played a part in her struggles in the race's final lap, ''How am I gonna do this?'' Patrick said. ''I didn't know what to do exactly. Maybe that's just my inexperience. Maybe it was not me thinking hard enough. I'm not sure. I was a little bit uncertain how to do that.''

Before Sunday's Daytona 500, Janet Guthrie was the highest finishing woman in the race, finishing in eleventh place in 1980.

The grand marshal of this year's Daytona 500 was actor James Franco, who added a twist to the usual opening line. Franco declared, "Drivers -- and Danica -- start your engines!"

It's clear that Danica Patrick is becoming a fan favorite in NASCAR and bringing the sport's popularity to new heights. Patrick received as many cheers during introductions as a lot of the most popular NASCAR drivers, including ten time "Most Popular Driver" award winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.