patrick s achievements all the more impressive. here s abc s paula faris with more about what patrick has to do to make sure she s race ready. reporter: in the 65-year history of nascar, there s never been a female winner. danica patrick in green. reporter: but after winning the pole position, danica patrick is in position to change that. just like anybody else in this moment. i m happy, i m proud. reporter: how did she do it? she credits her team, state of the art car and grueling workouts. biology tells us men s muscles outperform women s in endurance sports and racing is like a three-hour workout. so she says she focuses on her upper body strength, building neck muscles like a line backer to stay upright during the hard turns. controlling the steering wheel is like holding a medicine ball in front of you for two hours. punching the brake pedal on the turns is like pushing down 300 pounds, while battling 150 degree temperatures inside.