A: I drive around Phoenix, where I live now, in a silver Lamborghini Gallardo. I also have a Mercedes SUV, and I really love that car. Before I got the Mercedes, though, I had the Lamborghini for about a year and a half, so I'd have to go to the grocery store in it. It has no room for groceries, no room for anything. One time I had to pick up my sister at the airport and it was pretty funny. I get there and she had her dog and all her luggage and there was nowhere to put everything. We were kind of hanging on to everything. It was a little embarrassing.

Q: Do you ever eat takeout in the car, drive around with one hand on the wheel, sipping a latte?

A: There's not even a cup holder in the Lamborghini. It's pretty impractical. You'd think they could spring for the cup holder. I drink lots of water, so I always have three or four water bottles rolling around the floor of the car.

Q: Do you talk on the phone while driving?

A: I talk on my cell, but I use the Bluetooth for safety.

Q: What type of driver are you on regular roads?

A: I'm a very anxious driver in regular traffic. I have a lot of anxiety on the road. There are a lot of people who don't know how to drive.

Q: What's your pet peeve about regular drivers?

A: People driving in the left lane who need to stay in the right lane if they're not passing.

Q: Do you ever go above the speed limit?

A: Let's just say I have a very big comfort zone when it comes to speed. I would never try to hurt anyone or myself, but I do it in the right … the responsible way.

Q: Can you change a tire?

A: Yes. I can change a tire on my race car, too, but not the oil. (Patrick competes in a Honda-powered Dallara for Andretti Green Racing.)

Q: Have you ever had a car accident off the track?

A: I've had a couple of little rear-end events here and there, where, you know, I'll look up at a stoplight and someone won't move when I thought they would. But, knock on wood, I haven't had any severe accidents, even competing.

Q: What's your height and weight?

A: I'm 5-foot-1 (some reports say 5-foot-2) and 110 pounds.

Q: Do you see yourself as an athlete?

A: Absolutely I'm an athlete. If anybody took a little time to learn what we do, spent time with drivers to figure out what they do on a daily basis to work out, they'd see it is very physical. Driving in a go-kart will give you a sense of it, even — you come out with bruises. In the Indy cars, we don't have power steering. The forces are such that we could drive upside-down. The cars weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

Q: How do you stay fit for racing?

A: I work out daily. My workout is a balance of building strength — especially upper-body strength — and stamina, endurance. I use free weights, and I do running, yoga and Pilates. - usa today

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