Patrick takes gutsy drive down NASCAR road

[TrainTrac]

With all the NASCAR fans on this site, I'm surprised that this wasn't posted earlier.

Patrick takes gutsy drive down NASCAR road



Its easy to say Danica Patrick will fail in NASCAR, because odds are she will. That is why she deserves credit for trying.



On Tuesday, Patrick, the wonder woman of the Indy Racing League and her sponsors racy spokeswoman, formally announced what has been speculated about ever since she burst on the motor sports scene after finishing fourth in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 she will give NASCAR a try.



Its a bold move considering where Patrick sits now the unquestioned face of a sport who commands the attention of sponsors ranging from a domain name registration website to a private jet service provider. Where she is now, shes making millions, placed atop a high pedestal with no one in sight to knock her off.



That is what makes this move so gutsy.



If she were broke with no other opportunities on the horizon, making the switch would be a no-brainer. But because shes already loaded, Patrick actually has something to lose. Monetarily, shes putting her brand in jeopardy. Career wise, shes going from a top-five driver to toiling in the minor leagues.



Thats right, Patrick isnt going straight to NASCARs premier Sprint Cup Series to compete against Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. No, shell start in the ARCA Series, known best for its copious wrecks and anonymity. From there, shell try to earn a license that will allow her to compete in the Nationwide Series NASCARs Triple-A beginning in February at Daytona.



If theres big money to be made driving in NASCARs minor leagues, Patrick, who has reportedly signed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.s team, will be the only one earning it. Her bonus the one making it worth her while to abandon her comfort zone wont come until she makes it to the Cup Series, assuming she gets there, because the path from the IRL to Cup is littered with the road kill of her contemporaries.



Neither Sam Hornish Jr. nor Dario Franchitti both Indy 500 winners, both better than Patrick could or has managed any success in NASCAR. It took Juan Pablo Montoya, widely considered one of the premier drivers in the world and an Indy 500 winner as well, three seasons before he was competitive in the Cup Series and hes yet to win on an oval.



Success in the Cup Series, if it ever comes, isnt around the corner for Patrick. Shell need at least a year in the minors shes expected to race a part-time Nationwide schedule in 2010 though probably two before shes ready for Cup. When she finally does get there, shes looking at least three seasons before shes even competitive, and thats only if she follows the same learning curve as Montoya.



Of course, this assumes she cares about such things as being competitive, which you have to believe she does. Any woman who gets to where Patrick has in her chosen profession has to want it pretty bad.



Its come up in the past to run NASCAR [but I] didnt want to at all, Patrick said last month. I wasnt really curious. And trust me, there were financial reasons why it would have been a much better idea. So that takes that out of the equation.



Ive always thought that the most important thing for me in my career is that I go with my gut and I go with what I want and not worry about the rest. And so now my curiosity is there and Id like to just try it, and Id like to see how I get on with the cars. I just think the racing looks fun.



From now until she proves herself on the field of play, there will be critics who question her motivation, mostly, of course, because shes a she. In one sense, its not fair. Shes good at what she does regardless of which bathroom she uses. But a big part of what shes become is because she has the bathroom at work all to herself. Dale Earnhardt Jr. faces a similar hurdle. Its not to say they dont deserve their opportunity, but rather that they have to do a little more to prove theyve earned it.



Patrick may never do that. She may never be as good as some people expect her to be in order to match their own expectations. But one thing those same critics cant ever say is that she was afraid to fail.

 

[Bud Williams]

 

[swshawaii]

Personally, I'm not a fan of hers. Too much whining, not enough winning.



Really meant, "Too much whining, about not winning".

 

[Jerry Medlin]

Well, hopefully she will do something that"s worth all the publicity she gets, In NASCAR. There are a lot of way better drivers walking the pits in Indy car and Nascar than she is.THe old saying of Money talks and BS walks is true here. Most races she goes straight to the back and makes up ground as other cars drop out. Yes, she won a race, in Japan wasnt it? Front runners had problems and pit crew got her positions, just like they did the time she led "A" lap at Indy. Not saying she cant do it, but please let her DO IT, before we start saying she is the next Richard Petty.

 

[swshawaii]

Jerry (Pudgedaddy)- TOTALLY agree, could not have said it better.

 

[Les]

Personally, I'm not a fan of hers. Too much whining, not enough winning.

+1

 

[Bud Williams]

I see Nascar tickets to soar when Patrick drives:lol:



I bet we see a Palin 2012 sticker on her car!

 

[swshawaii]

Anything for ratings and attendance, including "eye candy".

As seen on the "Go Daddy" commercials. Tacky, IMO.

 

[Jim parnell]

more curves than a road coarse, me likey.

 

[Shaun Tucker]

Best of luck to her!



Not every girl, or guy for that matter, can do what she does (and look as good doing it)!

 

[Robert Thomas]

jimp



I'm with you, pretty girls are better to look at than pretty boys.

 

[Denis Bourque]

I could become a fan just for her calendar She would be a lot nicer to watch in an interview than Tony......

 

[Bill Barber]

Wish her luck, she will not last two seasons tho.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Bill,



I agree. I do wish her luck but doubt she will have longevity within the sport.



Hope she proves me wrong, but I would be shocked..

 

[Mike Yatkowitz]

I can just see it now, Patrick cutting off Kyle Busch and both of them getting into a fight. She does look good in person, I'd route for her.

 

[swshawaii]

Sorry to all fans. Respectfully, the master of "closing the door", was Earnhardt Sr.

Was notorious for cutting off, turning around, etc. Hence, the nickname "Intimidator".

Rusty Wallace gets the "runner up" award for aggressive driving, IMO.

BTW, Danica is only competing in the Nationwide Series next year.

Franchitti and Hornish tried. Montoya, is holding his own, and like Patrick, more "whining" than winning.

Do wish her luck, would definitely give NASCAR a much needed boost.

 

[Kerry Matthews]

Being an open wheel fan, I think that she needed to WIN in the IRL before she tried NAPCAR, but $$$ talks! There are many more drivers in the IRL paddock that are worthy of a shot than she is. I doubt she'll last a full season! She'll be the Milka Duno of NAPCAR. (In other words, a moving chicane on the track, in way over her head!)

 

[Doctor CAD]

DE was a bad driver. He could not win unless he "moved" the competition out of the way.



Exactly how he died, cutting someone off.





Danica COULD be a good driver, given enough money to run at the top.

 

[Johnny O]

People who switched from open wheel to NASCAR:

Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart were doing alright last I looked.

Juan Pablo Montoya and John Andretti are okay.

Robbie Gordon, Al Unser Jr., and Steve Kinser, not so much.



Call it a 50/50 shot.



I think going from Indy cars to NASCAR isn't as big a jump as coming from F1. Indy cars are heavier and they race primarily on ovals anyway.



If you want to look at ancient history, most people don't know that Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 before he won the Indy 500 and the F1 Championship. A. J. Foyt did well in both, considering that he didn't take NASCAR all that seriously and looked at it more as a fun diversion from Indy cars.

 

[swshawaii]

Jon- Well said. As previously mentioned, Franchitti and Hornish Jr., proven winners. Both attempted to make the Nascar transition, with little or no success. Arguably, Nascar is the most competitive form of auto racing today. If not for Team Hendrick, the sport would be very different today, in terms of competition. Loved F1, CART, IRL, and CanAm, for a time. Today, unless it's a pit mistake or similar, the race is "over" after the first few laps, in "open wheel" racing.