Patrick wins pole

In about 24 hours, Danica Patrick went from her biggest crash to her biggest moment in a stock car. The former IndyCar star won the pole Friday for the season-opening Nationwide Series race at Daytona, becoming the first woman to secure the top qualifying spot in NASCAR’s second-tier series since Shawna Robinson at Atlanta on March 12, 1994. It came a day after she wrecked on the final lap of a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. Patrick won just once in 115 IndyCar starts. She moved to NASCAR full time this season, and is scheduled to drive 10 Sprint Cup races for Stewart-Haas Racing and run every Nationwide race for JR Motorsports. She will make her Sprint Cup debut in the Daytona 500 on Sunday. – Associated Press