NASCAR

Here's racing star Josef Newgarden giving Danica Patrick's racing career the respect it deserves ... praising Danica as a trailblazer, who opened the door up for generations of women racers.

All while standing next to his solar hot girlfriend.

First things first ... we got Newgarden -- the 2017 IndyCar series champ -- and asked what Patrick's legacy to the sport would be, and he couldn't have been more gracious.

"Danica's been great for our sport, I think to me someone who was a leader for not just female race car drivers, but female engineers and female fans of the sport."

Second things second ... Josef did all this praising while standing next to his GF, Ashley Welch, and we gotta say GOOD LORD she's fine.

Doing a nice thing doesn't ALWAYS pay off ... just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., who says he crashed his Jeep while helping a guy who got stuck in the snow.

We got the NASCAR legend out in NYC and wanted to know if world-class drivers like him ever get into fender benders in the real world.

"I ran into a pine tree with my Jeep in the wintertime," Dale says ... "going through the snow."

And, how the hell did that happen?

"I just pulled a guy out of a ditch and drove him down the road about 2 miles ... and then I hit a tree."

Chase Elliott's day job is driving a race car 200 freakin' MPH ... but he tells TMZ Sports that ain't nothin' compared to his gig this weekend ... judging the Hooters pageant!!

We talked to the NASCAR star days before this weekend's 22nd Annual Hooters International Pageant in Charlotte, NC -- featuring 80 of the hottest Hooters girls from around the world -- which Elliott is judging.

So, how does meticulously grading dozens of hot chicks compare to driving a race car at ridiculously high speeds?

"I feel like it has to top it, for sure. The challenge of judging that many beautiful ladies is pretty difficult."

FYI -- Chase isn't the only athlete getting in on the fun. UFC star Ovince Saint Preux (who we also talked to), NFL player Mario Addison and NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney are also judging.

While you wait for this year's contest ... enjoy some photos from last year's pageant.

NASCAR champ Martin Truex Jr. says his White House visit Monday to meet President Trump was "amazing" ... calling it a huge honor he would NEVER consider passing up.

It's a MUCH different opinion than some NBA and NFL players -- but Truex tells TMZ Sports he considers NASCAR to be "very patriotic" and he's proud to be an American.

Truex was invited to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after winning the 2017 Cup Series title -- and on his way out, he RAVED about the experience.

"Oh my God, it was amazing. The president was an unbelievable host. He showed us everything that he didn't have to show, so it was really cool."

We mentioned the controversy with other athletes boycotting Trump's White House -- and Truex said the thought of turning down Trump never crossed his mind.

"I mean, I think it's a huge honor. Huge honor for me and my team and for them to invite us was amazing, so I would never pass it up."

Jared Leto's new album promotion got a serious fuel injection when he hooked up with NASCAR ... and Momma, he's going fast!!!

The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman made a pit stop in Fort Worth, TX on Wednesday during his cross-country hitchhike to pump up the band's new album, "America." Jared bummed a ride with NASCAR Xfinity Series star Tyler Reddick to Texas Motor Speedway ... after the obligatory burnout, of course.

Danica Patrick might be hinting at some long-term relationship goals with her boyfriend, Aaron Rodgers, 'cause she apparently loves getting older ... with her man by her side.

Danica rang in her 36th birthday Sunday with the Packers QB front and center for a group photo. The party looked pretty fun -- it was unicorn-themed ... for the ladies, anyway.

The soon-to-be retired race car driver shared a few photos of the shindig from over the weekend, in which all of her girlfriends were wearing unicorn hats and were sipping what looked like champagne. The guys went hat-free, but were also all smiles in celebration.

She captioned her photos ... "I love getting older!!!!!!!!!!! Super grateful for all the love around me in my life! People, work, opportunities, dreams.....full heart space." She went on ... "Don't forget to dream big for the things you want in your life."

Sounds to us like Danica's pretty happy with Aaron, who she's been dating since at least December. And with a stud like that in her life, why wouldn't she be stoked to cross off another year?

Congrats!

CARS! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CARS!!!

... 'Cause Caitlyn Jenner and NASCAR stud Kurt Busch spent some time checking out each other's hot rides in front of Nobu in Malibu Monday night and we've got the video!!

Caitlyn arrived in her $176k tricked out purple Porsche 911 GT3 RS (NICE!) ... and Kurt showed up in his $500,000 Ford GT supercar (REALLY NICE!).

Both Caitlyn and Kurt are car fanatics -- and were both impressed with each other's whips.

We're told Jenner and Busch know each other through mutual friends and Kurt has invited Caitlyn to some of his events.

The bigger question ... who would win in a race?

Caitlyn's Porsche can go from 0 to 60 in 3.1 SECONDS!

Kurt's Ford GT? 2.9 SECONDS!!!!!!

Can't come out of retirement if you never officially retired, right? That's what NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon's telling TMZ Sports.

Gordon hasn't competed in NASCAR since 2016 season -- but there have been rumors of a comeback ... so when we got him out at LAX we had to know if there was any truth to the chatter.

"Anything's possible," Gordon told us ... "I'm not retired. I'm just doing something different."

That "something different" includes running a racing team and broadcasting duties for FOX -- but Gordon definitely hasn't ruled out a return to the track.

Things are heating up FAST for Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick -- the couple just shot down to Mexico for a romantic beach vacation ... just days after the Daytona 500.

The two were spotted cozying up together at a fancy resort in a Mexican beach town -- cuddling, kissing ... you know, doing all the things couples do on beach vacations.

Aaron and Danica have only been dating for about 2 months -- but things seem pretty serious. They've been spotted around Arizona together and he flew out to Florida this past weekend to watch Danica's final NASCAR race.

Danica Patrick went into her final NASCAR race ever with a good luck smooch from Aaron Rodgers ... and while the event might be her personal finale, this pic might be a debut.

TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of the new couple giving each other a kiss ahead of Danica's last NASCAR race of her career -- the 2018 Daytona 500. After this, she's retiring.

Eyewitnesses tell us Aaron and Danica puckered up right after the National Anthem ended, before she got into her car at the starting line.

As we reported ... Danica and Aaron went public with their relationship after we posted photos of them out to dinner with some friends in Arizona. They were also recently seen at their first coupley event a couple weeks ago in Cali. Now, this appears to be their first public kiss caught on camera.

Here's a little of breakdown of what dating Aaron Rodgers means for Danica Patrick on and off the track -- courtesy of Danica's NASCAR bud, Kevin Harvick.

1) Harvick says the A-Rod mojo does NOT make Danica a better racer.

2) Harvick says being Rodgers' bae probably DOES make Danica a bigger superstar ... which, given the fact that she's retiring soon, is definitely a good thing.

FYI, Danica went public with their relationship last month -- the day after TMZ Sports got the first pic of them together -- but they've kept it on the low ever since.

Kyle Busch says other drivers "piss themselves" all the time during races ... but despite his best efforts, he can't join NASCAR's #1 club.

We got Kyle and his smokin' hot wife, Samantha, out at Craig's ... and the conversation quickly turned to racing's dirty little secret -- peeing in the cockpit!

Busch told TMZ Sports he's "tried like hell" to pull the trigger -- races are 3 HOURS long -- but he can't bring himself to go full R. Kelly on the track.

But KB says some guys got no problem taking a leak mid-race ... and even claims one of his teammates broke the seal BEFORE his race started!

Danica Patrick says she's taken out an "insurance policy" on her biological clock ... putting her eggs on ice to guarantee herself a shot at motherhood.

"A couple years ago, I did an (in vitro fertilization) treatment to freeze my eggs because I'm getting older and I drive race cars," Danica said on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

FYI, Patrick is 35 ... and plans to retire from racing after the Indy 500 in May.

But Danica didn't wanna take any chances while her career was still full throttle ... so she made the choice to extract a couple dozen mini-Danicas during her relationship with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

She says the treatment sucked -- but was ultimately successful.

Danica Patrick has officially confirmed what TMZ already knew ... she's dating Aaron Rodgers!

After we posted a photo of the two out at dinner in Arizona, Danica spoke with the Associated Press and announced the new supercouple.

"Yes, Aaron and I are dating."

Patrick says the two met at the ESPYs back in 2012 -- and have apparently stayed friendly.

Danica says she's a longtime Chicago Bears fan -- but has always rooted for Aaron individually. She now says, "I am probably going to cheer for the whole team."

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick seem to be rounding out the first lap of their rumored romance -- 'cause now they're dining together out in the open ... as seen here.

The Packers QB and NASCAR driver were spotted grabbing a bite Saturday night at The Mission Mexican restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, accompanied by a small group of people.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Aaron and Danica sat next to each other, but didn't show off any kind of PDA while there. We're also told other patrons recognized them, but left them alone.

Rumors have been swirling about the reported couple, who apparently got together shortly after the holidays. Word around town is ... things are moving fast with Aaron after Danica split from her BF of 5 years, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., late last year.

Looks like they have plenty of time on their hands to cozy up -- Aaron's season is over after the Packers didn't make the playoffs, and Danica's set to retire soon. Kismet!

Wanna know the difference between IndyCar and NASCAR?

Indycar studs Alex Rossi and Conor Daly broke it down for us ... telling TMZ Sports there are 2 fundamental differences beyond the types of cars they race.

1) NASCAR drivers make more money and 2) they get more chicks (because of #1).

But things are looking up for Conor and Alex -- 'cause they're one of the teams on the new season of "The Amazing Race"!

And they didn't get eliminated on the first show ... which is more than some people in our office can say!