You’ve probably seen the headlines or the blurry thumbnails floating around the darker corners of the internet. It’s one of those urban legends of the mid-2000s sports world that just won't seem to die. People search for it constantly, convinced there is some "lost" issue or a secret photoshoot stashed away in a vault somewhere.
But if you are looking for a Danica Patrick Playboy magazine centerfold, I have to be the bearer of some very dry, very factual news: it doesn't exist. She never did it.
Honestly, the confusion is kind of understandable when you look back at how she managed her brand. Danica was the absolute queen of the "crossover" moment. She knew how to play the media like a Stradivarius. One minute she was tearing up the track at the Indy 500, and the next, she was the face of GoDaddy commercials that leaned heavily into the "bikini-clad driver" trope. Because she was so open about using her looks to sell her brand, people just assumed she eventually took the final step into Hugh Hefner’s world.
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The July 2007 Issue Confusion
If you go on eBay right now, you will see listings for the July 2007 Playboy magazine featuring Danica Patrick’s name. This is where 90% of the misinformation starts.
Sellers often list it as "Playboy July 2007 Danica Patrick Amanda Beard." This makes it sound like she’s a featured model. In reality, that issue featured Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard as the cover athlete who actually posed. Danica Patrick appeared in the magazine, but only as part of a short feature or a mention regarding female athletes. She was fully clothed.
She wasn't the "Playmate." She wasn't the cover girl. She was just a hot topic in a magazine that specialized in hot topics.
Why the rumors started
Basically, the mid-2000s were a different era for female athletes. You had "Anna Kournikova mania" and the rise of the "sportsexuality" marketing trend. Danica was at the center of it. She famously posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2008 and 2009.
Those SI shoots were provocative. They featured her in bikinis, draped over classic cars, and looking every bit the supermodel. For a lot of casual fans, the line between Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Playboy was pretty thin. If she was willing to do one, why not the other?
That's the logic people used, anyway. But Danica was always very calculated about her "line."
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"Sex Sells" – Danica’s Own Words
In her final interview as a NASCAR driver in 2018, she sat down with Jamie Little and was refreshingly blunt about her career. She didn't hide from the fact that her image helped her get sponsorships that other drivers—men or women—could only dream of.
"I mean, I'm trying to avoid the saying 'sex sells,' but, um, you know I think you have to use all of your attributes," she told Fox.
She was a business. She knew that being a fast driver was 50% of the battle, and being a recognizable icon was the other 50%. But she also understood the power of "no." She reportedly turned down multiple offers from Playboy over the years. Some rumors suggested the offers were in the seven-figure range.
She chose to stay in the "mainstream" lane. By sticking to Sports Illustrated, FHM, and Maxim (she was on the Maxim Hot 100 list in 2007), she kept her brand safe for massive corporate sponsors like GoDaddy, Nationwide, and Tissot. Going "full Playboy" might have gained her a lot of short-term attention, but it likely would have cost her tens of millions in long-term blue-chip endorsements.
The Sports Illustrated Difference
Let's talk about those 2008 and 2009 Sports Illustrated shoots for a second. They were massive.
- 2008: Shot on Singer Island, Florida. This was her debut.
- 2009: She returned for a second year, which is a big deal in the modeling world.
She later told SI that she "loved it, completely" and even joked that she wished she was a swimsuit model because she enjoyed the artistic side of the shoots so much. But even in those "steamy" behind-the-scenes videos you can find on YouTube, she’s a professional athlete doing a job.
The Legacy of the "Danica Brand"
Some people criticized her for it. They said she was setting back female athletes by "playing into the male gaze." Others, like sports writer Jess Chapman, argued that telling a woman she shouldn't pose is just another form of control.
Danica's take? She was just being herself. She liked getting made up. She liked the photos. And she definitely liked the bank account that came with it.
Today, Danica is retired from the driver's seat, but she’s still everywhere. She’s a commentator for F1 and NASCAR. She has her Pretty Intense podcast. She owns a vineyard called Somnium. She’s moved so far past the "bikini driver" era that the Danica Patrick Playboy magazine search almost feels like a relic of a different century.
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What to do if you're a collector
If you are actually looking for Danica Patrick memorabilia, don't waste your money on "Playboy" listings unless you just want the July 2007 issue for the sake of completion.
Instead, look for:
- The February 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
- Her autobiography, Crossing the Line.
- Any of the 13 different GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial press kits.
The reality is that Danica Patrick changed the way we think about women in sports by being unapologetically multifaceted. She proved you could be a record-breaking driver—the first woman to win an IndyCar race (Japan 300, 2008)—and still be a fashion icon.
She just didn't need a bunny logo to do it.
If you're tracking down her actual media history, stick to the verified Sports Illustrated archives. They hold the real "artistic" side of her career that she’s actually proud of. You can also check out her podcast if you want to see who she's become today—a business mogul who’s way more interested in wellness and mindset than old magazine rumors.