DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Enough with the snarky comments about Danica Patrick.

Sure, she gets more attention than her accomplishments warrant because she’s a pretty face competing in a male-dominated sport. Who knows if she’ll ever be a series champion because, quite frankly, it’s a rare breed that climbs to the top of any sport. Maybe she’s destined to be a middle-of-the-pack racer her entire career, someone who can be counted on for solid results and an occasional win.

But, you know what?

She deserves to be here.

That was evident for 199 laps at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, when she started from the pole, led a total of five laps and ran near the front for most of “The Great American Race.”

“At these speeds, she’s very comfortable,” five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. “She held a great wheel. She was smooth and predictable. She was able to take advantage of the runs when she had them.”

Then, the guy who had just won the sport’s biggest race for the second time doled out the ultimate compliment.

“She was just a car on the track,” Johnson said. “I didn’t think about it being Danica. She was just another car on the track that was fast.”

Patrick finally looked like a NASCAR Cup rookie on her last trip around the 2½-mile oval. Suddenly, she was timid and unsure of herself. Running third when the white flag waved, she never gave herself a chance to challenge the two guys in front of her, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. In fact, she appeared to be going in reverse, hung out going down the backstretch as five cars zoomed past her.

She came across the line in eighth, a bit of a letdown to be sure.

“I know I’ll be better next time,” Patrick vowed.