Behind the Scenes at Danica Patrick’s SI Swimsuit Shoot

UPDATE Here is the SI video on the Danica Patrick photo shoot, as well as video for all the other models.

02/10/09 FanHouse was recently fortunate enough to go behind the scenes with Danica Patrick for her 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue photo shoot in New York. Watch the video to see what Danica had to say about this and more. And don't forget to check out SI.com for an in-depth look at the 2009 Swimsuit Issue.

IRL Press Release

IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick graces the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for a second year in a row. The issue, which went on sale at newsstands today, includes shots of Patrick taken in a New York studio with a silver Shelby Cobra 427.

“This year’s swimsuit photo shoot for Sports Illustrated was a lot of fun," said Patrick, who will be featured on the cover of the May issue of Shape. “Most of the photo shoots I have done in the past have been in studios so I felt comfortable. The photos turned out great."

More than 70 million people are expected to pick up the special issue, which features a shot of Patrick on the upper right corner of the cover, while more than 250 million people are expected to view photo galleries on the magazine’s Web site, including a video and 34 shots of Patrick.

Each of the approximately 6,000 7-Eleven stores in North America will hand out 25 commemorative Danica/IndyCar Series posters with the first 25 purchases of the Swimsuit Issue. A total of 151,500 posters have been printed, each featuring Patrick in a swimsuit along with the '09 IndyCar Series schedule.

“I think SI portrays women in a classy and beautiful way," said Patrick, who last April became the first female to win an IndyCar Series race. “I’m honored they asked me to be part of the swimsuit shoot again."

The 2009 IndyCar Series season opens April 5 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be telecast live at 2 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season begins with a doubleheader race weekend April 4-5 at St. Petersburg.