ENTERTAINMENT & POLITICS | CULTURAL COMMENTARY

“A Car Is a 4,000-Pound Weapon”: Danica Patrick Ignites Firestorm by Defending ICE Agents in Minneapolis Shooting

By [Your Name/Publication Name] Politics & Culture Desk

Published January 9, 2026

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Danica Patrick spent her career breaking barriers at 200 miles per hour, earning a reputation as a fearless competitor in IndyCar and NASCAR who never shied away from a wreck. Since retiring from racing, however, Patrick has pivoted into a new lane: a podcaster and cultural commentator who is increasingly unafraid to challenge mainstream narratives and voice controversial, often contrarian, political opinions.

On Friday, Patrick swerved directly into the center of a heated national debate. In a video posted to her social media channels, the former racing superstar delivered a cold, analytical, and unapologetic defense of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis this week, sharply criticizing the city’s Mayor and rejecting the “victim” narrative sweeping the internet.

While celebrities like Melissa Gorga have tearfully condemned the agents, Patrick took a hardline “Law and Order” stance, using her unique expertise in automotive physics to argue that the shooting was justified.

The Incident and the “Pretty Intense” Take

The firestorm centers on a Wednesday incident in Minneapolis where an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman. The Department of Homeland Security stated the woman attempted to run over agents with her SUV. However, viral video footage appears to show the vehicle reversing and attempting to flee before an agent fires three shots into the windshield. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey subsequently told ICE to “get out” of his city.

Patrick, known for her “Pretty Intense” podcast where she often hosts free-thinkers and skeptics, did not mince words. Wearing a baseball cap and looking directly into the camera, she dismantled the outrage with the precision of a driver analyzing a crash.

“I’m seeing everyone lose their minds over this Minneapolis video,” Patrick began, her tone calm but stern. “And I’m seeing a lot of people who have never sat behind the wheel of a high-performance machine—or any car in a high-pressure situation—try to tell law enforcement how to do their job. Let’s get real for a second.”

“I Know What a Car Can Do”

Patrick leveraged her decades of professional driving experience to reframe the narrative. While others saw a woman fleeing, Patrick saw a deadly threat.

“I spent my life in cars. I know what a car can do,” Patrick stated. “People think a gun is the only weapon in that video. Wrong. That SUV is a 4,000-pound missile. If you put that thing in reverse when there are human beings standing around you, you aren’t ‘fleeing.’ You are engaging a weapon. Period.”

She continued, addressing the criticism that the agents should have stepped aside. “Physics doesn’t care about your feelings. If that car clips an agent, pulls them under, or spins… they are dead. You don’t get to use a deadly weapon to escape federal custody and then claim you’re the victim when the other side shoots back. It’s tragedy, yes, but it’s a tragedy caused by the driver’s decision to hit the gas.”

Blasting the Mayor and “Chaos”

Patrick reserved her harshest criticism for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Upon hearing Frey’s demand for ICE to leave the city, Patrick accused the Mayor of enabling lawlessness.

“For a Mayor to stand up and tell federal law enforcement to ‘get out’ because they defended themselves? That is insanity,” Patrick said, shaking her head. “That is how you get chaos. That is how you get a society where rules don’t matter. You might not like ICE, you might not like the politics, but if you erode the respect for the badge, you don’t have a city left. You have anarchy.”

She added a sentiment that resonated with her more conservative following: “We need to stop making heroes out of people who resist arrest and endanger officers. It’s a hard truth, but someone has to say it.”

The Internet Reacts: “Based” or “Heartless”?

The reaction to Patrick’s video was instantaneously polarized. Her comments quickly trended on X (formerly Twitter), drawing a distinct line in the sand between her supporters and critics.

Supporters praised her for bringing “common sense” and “physics” into an emotional debate. “Finally, someone who actually knows about cars speaks up,” one top comment read. “Danica is 100% right. A car is a lethal weapon. She’s brave for saying what everyone is thinking but is too scared to say.”

However, the backlash was equally fierce. Critics accused Patrick of being cold, privileged, and lacking empathy for a woman who was killed while panicked.

“Danica Patrick comparing a terrified woman in a minivan to a race car driver on a track is the most out-of-touch take I’ve ever heard,” wrote a prominent progressive commentator. “She reduced a human life to a physics equation. This is heartless.”

Another critic noted her shift in public persona: “Danica used to be America’s Sweetheart. Now she’s just another podcast host grifting for the ‘anti-woke’ crowd. Stay in your lane, Danica.”

A New Lane for Danica

This latest controversy cements Danica Patrick’s transformation from a sports icon to a polarizing cultural voice. Unlike other athletes who shy away from political blowback, Patrick seems to embrace the friction. By using her platform to defend the ICE agents and challenge the prevailing narrative of the Minneapolis shooting, she has proven that she is just as comfortable navigating a media firestorm as she was navigating the turns at Daytona. Whether her fans agree with her or not, one thing is certain: Danica Patrick is no longer just driving the car; she’s driving the conversation.