Danica Patrick’s eventful week took an unexpected turn away from the racetrack.
Just two days after returning to a major motorsports broadcast for Fox’s coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., the former NASCAR and IndyCar star revealed that she underwent surgery Tuesday to address a painful problem that had been lingering for roughly a year.
The culprit was surprisingly small: a shard of glass lodged in her right foot.
Patrick shared the news through a series of Instagram Stories, beginning with a photo of her heavily bandaged foot as she recovered at home.
“Just a casual Tuesday morning surgery to remove a chunk of glass from a year ago,” Patrick wrote.
GettyCourtesy of Danica Patrick/Instagram
Another photo showed exactly what doctors had removed. Patrick placed the shard alongside a ruler and added a perfectly succinct scorecard for the ordeal.
“Wine glass – 1 Danica – 0.”
GettyCourtesy of Danica Patrick/Instagram
But as Patrick explained in subsequent posts, what began as an old mishap had recently turned into something much more difficult to ignore.
Danica Patrick Explains Why She Finally Needed Surgery
For approximately a year, Patrick had apparently managed to live with the glass still embedded in her foot. Eventually, that stopped being an option.
She revealed that the pain had recently intensified, including during a trip to Ibiza a few weeks earlier.
“Doc said it was hitting my bone,” Patrick wrote. “Danced too hard in Ibiza a few weeks ago and it got more painful everyday.”
GettyCourtesy of Danica Patrick/Instagram
That revelation makes another photo Patrick shared particularly striking.
Patrick posted a shot from Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix, where she was standing in a pair of heels despite what was happening inside her foot.
“I have no idea how I could walk in heels but I absolutely could not walk barefoot,” she wrote.
Less than 48 hours later, she was undergoing a procedure to finally have the glass removed.
Patrick also shared a selfie from her hospital bed afterward, looking relaxed as she joked about one element of the experience.
“The propofol wasn’t so bad,” she wrote.
GettyCourtesy of Danica Patrick/Instagram
Judging by Patrick’s updates, she wasn’t interested in turning the procedure into anything overly dramatic. There was no indication from her posts of a serious complication, and her running commentary about wine glasses and anesthesia showed she was able to find some humor in an injury that had become increasingly painful.
Still, the timing is remarkable.
Patrick had just spent Sunday on her feet and back in the national motorsports spotlight. Two days later, she was in a hospital bed.
Patrick’s Fox Appearance Sparked Strong Reaction From Fans
Patrick’s surgery came shortly after one of her most visible television appearances in recent months.
The 44-year-old was part of Fox’s broadcast team for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, an IndyCar street race held in Washington, D.C., as part of the celebration surrounding America’s 250th anniversary.
Patrick, who retired from full-time racing in 2018, had previously worked on Sky Sports’ Formula 1 coverage before leaving the network earlier this year.
Her return to television Sunday quickly became a talking point.
Patrick drew criticism from some viewers during and after the broadcast, including over comments she made about President Donald Trump and the work that went into making the Washington race a reality.
“Between the vision of (FOX CEO) Eric Shanks and (Penske Corporation President) Bud Denker, with the help of, of course, Secretary [of Transportation Sean] Duffy and President Donald Trump with that executive order, I think it really embodies what it is to live in America, land of the free, and anything is possible,” Patrick said.
“That this race was gone from concept to reality as quickly as it was, and as well as it’s been done, I think that is the perfect embodiment and celebration of 250 years of this country.”
Some viewers criticized Patrick’s commentary on social media, making her Fox appearance a polarizing return to the broadcast booth.
The surgery, of course, had nothing to do with that reaction. Patrick made clear that the glass had been in her foot for about a year, long before Sunday’s event.
What nobody watching the broadcast could have known was that Patrick was navigating something else entirely while standing trackside in heels.
Two days later, the piece of glass that had survived inside her foot for roughly a year was finally out.
And Patrick, naturally, made sure the wine glass got credit for the win.
Danica Patrick Undergoes Surgery Days After Controversial Return to TV