“Crap, that’s history, dude!”

Danica Patrick won her first IndyCar race in Japan.

“I looked like a chick, like a baby woman!” Patrick, 26, laughed in a phone interview with USA TODAY after returning to the United States.

She won’t apologize for the tears.

“I didn’t expect to get emotional, but that’s what was lying underneath and how much blood, sweat, and tears has gone into getting that first win out of the way,” she said. “I was embarrassed with all the photographers there and took the helmet off to cover my face. Then I said, ‘Screw it, this is how I feel, and this is what sports are all about.’

“Crap, that’s history, dude!”

Danica Patrick gives self, IRL a big boost with historic win