Danica Patrick will start in the front row in the Daytona 500 race on Feb. 24. (Vitodens/Creative Commons)

Patrick became the first woman to win the pole position for the Daytona 500, considered NASCAR's most prestigious race, posting a lap of 196.434 mph on Sunday. Through accomplishing the feat, Patrick also became the first woman to win a pole at any NASCAR top-division race.

"I've heard stories about a kid, a boy or a girl, saying, 'But mommy, daddy. That's a girl that's out there racing.' And then they can have that conversation to say that, 'You can do anything you want to do, and gender doesn't matter.' Your passion is what matters. And that's cool," Patrick told CNN's Don Lemon on Sunday.

The 30-year-old, competing in her first full year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, is also the first rookie to win the Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. She will start on the front row alongside Jeff Gordon in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24. Gordon, a three-time champion at Daytona, congratulated Patrick on her accomplishment.

"This is great from the sport and the rest of us will benefit from it," he said. "I'm proud to sit on the front row with her."

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