|
2010 -- Finished
43rd in NASCAR series points. ... Made series
debut for JR Motorsports in season opener at
Daytona, starting 15th and finishing 35th. …
Best start and finish of season at Homestead-Miami,
fifth and 19th, respectively. … Led first laps
of her NASCAR career, also Homestead. …
Completed 87 percent of laps attempted, with three
DNFs (did not finish).
2010
IRL Race Schedule & Results and
Standings
2010
NASCAR Nationwide Race
Stats
2010
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards
Schedule
News
2010
Snippets
Danica Possible
12-race NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule
The announcement of Danica Patrick's 2010 NASCAR
Nationwide Series schedule of events has brought
ARCA continued media exposure. Patrick, who
announced that she will compete in up to 12 NASCAR
Nationwide Series races with JR Motorsports
yesterday, has entered the February 6 ARCA Racing
Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards Lucas Oil
Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.
Her participation in ARCA's season opening event
continues to be referenced in the subsequent media
released by the popular IZOD INDYCar Series star as
she attempts to make the transition to stock cars
racing.
According to Meltwater News, ARCA benefitted
with exposure through references in more than 350
media outlets after Patrick's Nationwide Series
schedule announcement on Thursday, January 28.
Meltwater News, formerly known as Magenta News, is
an international media monitoring service.
In December, when Patrick participated in the
ARCA open test at Daytona International Speedway in
preparation for her upcoming competitive debut,
Meltwater News reported that ARCA received
thousands and thousands of media exposures
worldwide, with an estimated media value of over $7
million.
The 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX
and Menards kicks off with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist
200 at Daytona Int'l Speedway on Saturday, February
6, 2010. The race is live on SPEED beginning at
4:30 p.m. Eastern.
Source: www.arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=9245
Danica Patrick Crashes Late,
Kyle Busch Wins Nationwide Series Race
Danica Patrick was kept from her best career finish
in the Nationwide Series by what her crew chief
described as a "blatant" retaliatory collision late
in the CampingWorld.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway
on Saturday.
As Kyle Busch crossed the finish line for his
record 12th victory of the season, Patrick's
mangled No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet sat in the
garage. Busch finished 1.034 seconds ahead of Brad
Keselowski, who extended his points lead to 384
points with the second-place finish. Kevin Harvick,
Carl Edwards and Joey Logano rounded out the top
five.
Patrick, who finished 30th, hinted her collision
with James Buescher that collected two other cars
with eight laps left may not have been by chance.
She had raced as high as 10th and was in 13th at
the time of the wreck, primed to finish on the lead
lap for the first time and best her highest career
finish through her first seven starts, 24th, in the
Nationwide Series.
"It looked like he turned me," said Patrick, who
will also race the final five Nationwide races now
that the IZOD IndyCar Series season is over. "You
know, I guess that's the way it goes. As I've been
saying, the fun thing about these things is that
that I've got fenders. I guess I'm learning how to
use them."
Tony Eury Jr., Patrick's crew chief, said there
was no doubt that Buescher's actions were
intentional.
"It was pretty blatant," Eury said. "It's a
shame you've got talent coming into the Nationwide
Series like this who pulls a stunt like that so
early in his career. Just like I told her, you just
have to chalk it up and one day he'll have a good
day."
Patrick took responsibility for bumping
Buescher's No. 11 Toyota the lap before the
accident. Buescher said he didn't appreciate the
way Patrick had raced him, although he denied he
wrecked Patrick on purpose.
"I was pinned between (Patrick) and the wall for
a couple seconds, touching both at the same time,"
Buescher said. "There's just not enough room when
you're squeezing somebody that hard."
Buescher said he'd talk to Patrick, but didn't
think there was a need to hash things out.
Patrick, whose career was made in open-wheel
racing, said earlier in the weekend that her first
target in NASCAR would be a top-15 finish. Even
though she came a few laps short Saturday, Eury
said Patrick has made strides.
"We are happy with everything she's done," Eury
said. "She showed a lot of people she's learning.
I'm really proud of her."
After only two cautions over the first 102 laps,
there were four cautions -- three for accidents --
the rest of the way on the two-mile oval. The
race's final restart came with four laps left and
Busch, who led the final 23 laps and 38 total on
the day, wasn't challenged.
Busch won despite serving a drive-through
penalty for speeding on pit lane just past the
midway point of the race.
"Maybe I need to do it more often," Busch said.
"I don't like doing it that late in the race.
Obviously it makes it a little bit harder and you
never know what can happen, especially since we saw
those late cautions."
Source: motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/09/danica-patrick-crashes-late-kyle-busch-wins-nationwide-series-r/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%7C176563
Danica Patrick Calls
2010 Season a 'Humbling Experience'
Far away from the red carpet, bright lights,
television cameras and massive crowds of fans,
Danica Patrick emerged from the office in her
Andretti Autosport transporter Friday at
Homestead-Miami Speedway dressed casually in jeans
and a white polo shirt.
Smiling and engaging, she candidly and calmly
analyzed what has been a character-builder of a
race season juggling between her full time job
competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and her
part-time foray into NASCAR.
People are more accustomed to seeing America's
most famous race car driver in sexy television
commercials for her sponsor, GoDaddy.com, smiling
on Hollywood red carpets or posing for provocative
photo spreads.
But Patrick is one of the most thoughtful,
genuine and honest athletes you'll ever meet. For
all the confidence and self-assurance she exudes,
she also has an air of vulnerability and is
admittedly a work in progress.
Patrick has struggled this year in IndyCar,
where she's ranked 11th -- her worst since
finishing 17th in the final standings in her rookie
year -- and has only two top-fives in 16 races.
Likewise in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where she
has yet to post a top-20 finish in seven
starts.
Everyone else seems to have an opinion on her
efforts as the most successful female IndyCar
driver in history. As she finishes up the IndyCar
season here Saturday and prepares to finish out the
NASCAR schedule, here's what she has to say in this
FanHouse Exclusive about what she calls a "humbling
experience" in the "hardest year" of her
career.
On the past year where she has struggled in both
her IndyCar job and in seven sporadic NASCAR
Nationwide Series starts: "It's hard. I think I
knew this would be the hardest year I've ever had
just because of all the NASCAR stuff. I didn't
expect IndyCar to be such a tough year, but I knew
there would be a lot of humbling experiences and
that has definitely happened. But even when you
know it's going to be the hardest year, it still
sucks and it's still miserable and that's just the
way it goes. I knew it was going to be tough.''
On her NASCAR showing driving the No. 7
GoDaddy.com car for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR
Motorsports team: "I thought I was going to do
better in NASCAR than I've done. A couple times
when I could have had top-10 finishes at Daytona
and Vegas, I got crashed. It would be nice to have
had a better result by now. And then on the IndyCar
side of stuff, it's been a little surprising. It's
been rough year. Things haven't gone our way. It's
been really hard. So for both reasons it's been
tough.''
On the IndyCar side: "I've had the best races of
my career too, at Texas and Toronto. At Texas, we
were fast in the beginning and we hung up there and
ran in the top-five all night. It was the best oval
race I've had managing the car, being there at the
end and getting in and out of the pits well. And
Toronto was good because we started off a little
tough but then all of sudden, we were like P2. We
made a few passes. passed a couple on the outside
at the start, held Justin Wilson off at the end and
I was able to lay down my two fastest laps when I
needed them. It wasn't my best overall road course
result, but it was my best weekend at a road
course. It has been a very up and down year."
"I think I knew this would be the hardest year
I've ever had just because of all the NASCAR stuff.
I didn't expect IndyCar to be such a tough year,
but I knew there would be a lot of humbling
experiences and that has definitely happened."
- Danica Patrick
On the biggest lesson of the season: "I feel
like I've done so much wrong. I think the biggest
thing in general is trying to be proud of the
things I do right even though you have a bad
weekend. That's probably the most important thing,
to stay positive and happy about what I did right
that weekend even if I finish 24th.''
On the reception she's received competing in
NASCAR: "I feel like the media has been very nice
to me during the whole process, very kind with
focusing on the positive things I've done and very
patient and tolerant. I just feel bad when the fans
are like, 'get out there and win' and I'm like, 'I
probably don't have any chance of winning today.
I'm sorry. I just don't. I'm not at that point.' I
feel bad for the fans that I'm not there yet even
though they're all excited for it. When I have a
really terrible weekend, I feel really bad, I don't
want them to not like me, because I'm not there
yet, you know. I feel like they are ready, they are
excited, they want something different, something
new. I do my best to relate to everybody and be
real so they can get to know me as a person and
decide whether they like me or not. They've been
really great.''
On whether she has been able to enjoy herself
this season: It's all new experiences, it's
interesting, it's fun. Do I have fun when I'm not
doing well? No. Nobody does. But If I broke the
weekend down by more than just how I did, then
yeah, there were fun moments in there. But in
general, the point of my job is to finish well and
when you don't, it's not as much fun.''
On whether she feels she must decide between
IndyCar or NASCAR: "Do people expect me to make a
decision? Yes. If I feel like, all right, let's
pick one or the other, I can make that decision as
soon as I want. I know I'm going to do the same
thing next year for sure. But after that, it's up
to myself and all the other professionals I deal
with that are knowledgeable and help me make
decisions. I think there are both of those options,
to pick one series or to continue to race in both.
Ultimately it's my decision. But I feel like if I
wanted to just keep doing this like I am, it's
something you could carve into a contract and do
it. I'm lucky I have the opportunity to do both,
that Mike (Andretti) said I could do both and I'm
lucky Junior Motorsports is willing to put up with
a part-time schedule.''
On her expectations moving forward: "If I had
done a full season in Nationwide, then you hope to
do better the next year. But I haven't even done a
half season in Nationwide. It was the same in
IndyCar on the road courses. When you only do three
road courses a year, how can you expect to be as
good as guys that did it every week for seasons. I
don't expect to light the world on fire next year
either. But I hope to show progress and promise and
that's all I hope for.''
Source: motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/10/01/danica-patrick-calls-2010-a-humbling-experience/#cntnt
Danica Patrick's Long Day
Ends With Best Finish (7/10/10)
One ESPN television interview and three questions
into an impromptu second pit road media
question-and-answer session, Danica Patrick glanced
over right shoulder and subtly motioned for
water.
It wasn't a demanding wave, but more of a
pass-me-the-water-while-I-listen gesture.
Hardly missing a beat, her public relations
representative, standing between Patrick and her
car, unscrewed the white cap from a small Aquafina
bottle and passed it to the queen of open wheel
racing and now stock car crossover. Two gulps
later, she was on to the next question.
Such was the pace of Patrick's Friday in NASCAR
country at Chicagoland Speedway -- just her fifth
venture into the unknown, yet attractive world of
racing with fenders. A long day, certainly, as
NASCAR had packed Nationwide practice, qualifying
and the race into a one-day show.
The extended day would prove to be her best, as
the neon green, black-and-orange No. 7 crossed the
finish line in 24th place, two laps behind winner
Kyle Busch, under Chicagoland's lights. The finish
topped her previous best, a 30th-place finish at
New Hampshire.
10:30 a.m. Friday morning
Patrick has just returned to garage stall No.
25, and the speeds she's recording in practice
aren't promising.
"I'm all the f--- over," Patrick says over the
in-car radio back to her crew. "I can keep going,
but I couldn't even go through the corner."
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. knows that's not going
to help, so he's told Danica to take the Chevrolet
off the track.
This will be an extended break for adjustments
by her crew, so Patrick hops from the cockpit of
the car and immediately takes up conversation with
engineer Robert Replogle from Hendrick Motorsports.
She makes gestures up, down and side-to-side with
her hands, trying to explain how the car is
handling.
Within ten minutes, the window net is back up
and Patrick is being guided out of the garage
stall. One left turn, one right and another left
puts the No. 7 back on the sun-drenched and warming
track pavement.
Danica's demeanor calms after another run in
race setup, but the car is still far from
comfortable -- and far from fast. Time, though, is
running out and the JR Motorsports team wants to
try one run in qualifying trim.
Fresh, cool water is pumped in the engine while
tape is applied to the nose -- all in an effort to
get the most speed possible for one lap. The
attempt will also get Patrick a little more
comfortable when she has to qualify for real in a
few hours.
The changes make their expected difference, and
Patrick turns easily her fastest lap of the day. A
30.963-second trip around the 1.5-mile oval leaves
her 19th-best on the final Nationwide Series speed
chart -- a nice jump from the low 30s where she had
been hovering.
"Thanks for getting me out for a qualifying run,
guys," Patrick says over the radio on the way back
to the garage. "I know its sweaty hot."
Meeting with the media
Patrick, despite never having success in NASCAR,
is one of two drivers from the Nationwide Series to
sit front and center inside the media center.
This week, she gets asked more questions than
several Sprint Cup drivers -- and part of that may
be from her willingness to lay out and explain what
she's feeling instead of averting a question with
broad terms.
Sometimes, as here in Chicago, her answers
raised eyebrows for how candid they were.
One questioner wonders how Patrick, running a
part-time Nationwide schedule with her full-time
IndyCar duties, is able to do off-the-track
homework to prepare for the brief practices
associated with a NASCAR weekend.
Patrick mentions a racing simulation that
several drivers have used to help learn the
intricacies of a race track virtually. Patrick has
tried it, she says, and "spun out on the
straightaways" quite a few times. She wasn't a
fan.
"I'm learning with people watching, which is
hard," Patrick said. "But at least I've got people
watching."
Green flag
Patrick was the first Nationwide qualifier in
the thick, humid, midwest heat, turning a lap time
just slightly slower than her best in practice. It
wasn't great, but it got her a 28th-place starting
spot for the evening's event.
With the green flag, Patrick moves up slightly
and hovers around 25th for much of the race.
Spotter T.J. Majors guides her when other cars
close in, and also critiques most of her laps.
Majors' instruction ranges from what line to
drive through the corner to how to handle traffic
to how hard to attack a corner. Eury Jr.'s biggest
advice? Patrick needs to be more aggressive
entering pit road under green flag conditions.
"Man, it is amazing how they can see when you
have a good corner," Patrick said. "You can barely
see when a car is twitching out there, let alone
when you have a good corner. But those guys have an
eye for it."
Some of the instruction has to seem obvious for
those who have observed NASCAR for a good amount of
time, and it's a wonder a tone of frustration never
seems to come across the radio from Eury Jr. or any
other crew member. But it doesn't, and they just
keep teaching with Patrick's typical in-race
response -- a simple "copy."
After a flurry of late cautions and a flat tire
on Patrick's No. 7, she ends up as the only driver
two laps down to the leader during the final
restart. Both Eury and Majors tell her to just take
it cautiously during the green-white-checkered
finish that often leads to carnage.
The predictions hold, and as the white flag
flies multiple cars crunch up plenty of sheet metal
in a frontstretch crash. Patrick had heeded the
advice and slides by the wreck on the outside
unscathed.
Soon, the 5-foot-2-inch driver is back on pit
road to answer the questions -- and grab a little
hydration.
"The last part of the race felt good to me,"
Patrick said. "We brought it home."
Source: motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/07/10/danica-patricks-long-day-ends-with-best-finish
Patrick’s Strong Run
Ruined At Vegas
Danica Patrick learned another lesson about
stock-car racing Saturday after being involved in a
crash that took her out of the Sam’s Town 300
at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Danica Patrick was involved in a crash on lap 85
of the 200-lap Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway Saturday.
Patrick’s closing speed on new tires was so
great when she drove upon the damaged car of
Michael McDowell that it led to a miscommunication
and crash between the two drivers.
McDowell took blame for the accident, which
occurred on lap 85 of the 200-lap race. McDowell
said he thought he had given Patrick an indication
that she should take the outside lane. When he
veered to the inside, he said, it was too late
because she was still to the inside of him.
“Tape all over the left rear bumper [of
McDowell] is probably a bad sign and it turned
out to be one,” said Patrick, who finished
36th in her third NASCAR start. “He just
turned all the way down. It wasn’t even like a
thump. It was a clash. I’m not sure what him
or anybody was looking at or if they were
looking.
“I heard you had to be a little careful out
here. There’s a lot of rookies, and I’m
one, too. But you’ve got to hold your
line.”
The 27-year-old IndyCar Series star won’t
return to NASCAR racing until June in New Hampshire
as she begins to concentrate on her full-time
open-wheel schedule. She started the race Saturday
37th but worked her way into the mid-20s before
pitting and then racing among the leaders while on
a different pit cycle.
After pitting, she was back up to full speed
before getting into McDowell, who said drivers with
faster cars typically go to the top but said the
wreck was still his fault.
“I felt like I was on a roll, and it’s
always fun to come out of the pits when you’re
on a different cycle than everyone else because you
have fresh tires and they don’t,” Patrick
said. “Unfortunately, the fresh tires caught
me out a little bit because I caught the car so
fast.”
McDowell understood why Patrick was angry.
“She has every right to be upset,”
said McDowell, who was several laps down because of
a tire puncture earlier in the event. “I came
out with a tore-up race car that is bare bond from
top to bottom and she just came out on new
tires.
“I ran the bottom of the straightaway to
basically signal to her I was going to run the
bottom and the closing rate was so much
[that] by the time she got there, for some
reason, she took the inside. It’s completely
my fault. Not the spotter’s fault. … I
apologize and I hope that Junior Nation and Danica
Mania don’t attack me because I’m a big
fan.”
Despite the crash, the race might have been the
best for Patrick of her three NASCAR starts. It
took her time to get comfortable in the car, and
then she learned from her qualifying experience
Saturday morning.
“This morning was crap – we
didn’t practice qualifying and I had only
practiced it one time,” she said. “I
didn’t know how hard you could push the tires,
so I held the team back in that area to be able to
start further up the grid, but I sure as hell know
for next time I need to push a little
harder.”
But once the race started, she slowly was able
to pass cars in front of her. At one point, Kevin
Harvick pointed her to follow him on the high
line.
“It would have been nice to have a decent
finish,” Patrick said. “I was feeling
better and better all the time. I wouldn’t
have wasted any time on the bottom going slower and
slower and slower after Kevin Harvick was pointing
me up high after he went by me.
“Learning from that, which was so damn cool
of him, I would have been better but we never got a
chance to see that.”
Harvick said Patrick's willingness to ask
questions prompted him to help her.
"She's been very open with us since she's come,
and we've had a lot of conversations before she
ever even made a lap on the race track," Harvick
said. "She's always asked questions. She's always
wanting to know what she needed to do. … She
needed to be running the top of the race track at
that particular time.
"People who ask for help, I'll give anybody help
if they ask. She's been very receptive on what she
needs to do, and she's been very open asking
questions, so I don't have a problem helping."
While Patrick’s three NASCAR races resulted
in a crash and 35th-place finish at Daytona, a
31st-place finish while struggling at Auto Club
Speedway in California and then the disappointing
end to what was a better day on the 1.5-mile Las
Vegas track.
“Fontana was a big challenge,” Patrick
said. “It was a real humbling weekend. I guess
that it’s probably good that I went there
because I’ve got to go there again so I might
as well figure it out.
“I definitely was having a lot of fun here
at a track that was slicker. [Crew chief]
Tony [Eury] Jr. did a great job of bringing
a great car that gave me confidence from the first
run.”
Source: nascar.speedtv.com/article/nns-patricks-strong-run-ruined-at-vegas/
Danica Will Make
NASCAR Debut at Daytona on Saturday
After a top-10 taste of stock car racing over the
weekend, Danica Patrick has decided to accelerate
her learning curve and will enter Saturday's NASCAR
Nationwide Series season-opener at Daytona
International Speedway.
Patrick announced her decision Monday, two days
after finishing sixth at Daytona in an 80-lap race
in the ARCA Series, which is an entry-level,
training series for many drivers. The Nationwide
Series is NASCAR's version of Triple-A baseball and
a significant step up.
"Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my
goal during this entire two-month preparation
process,'' Patrick said, "but we wanted to make
sure it was the right thing to do.
"The ARCA race was a blast and I'm not ready for
my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want
more racing."
There is no doubt that her participation in the
Drive4COPD 300 will be a different experience for
Patrick, who was originally scheduled to begin a
slate of 12 Nationwide Series races at California
Speedway on Feb. 20.
This race will feature a large complement of
marquee Sprint Cup Series drivers, who get big
sponsorship deals to compete in this particular
event on the famed Daytona high banks. And that
will include her JR Motorsports team co-owner Dale
Earnhardt Jr, who will run a second car for the
team.
"I think Danica proved to everyone that she can
compete in stock cars at a high level and right now
seat time is extremely important,'' JR Motorsports
co-owner Kelley Earnhardt, Dale's sister, said.
"She has worked extremely hard during the past
two months for this opportunity. Her dedication and
work ethic is infectious.''
Patrick has insisted all along that her decision
to compete in the Daytona Nationwide Series race
would depend largely on how comfortable she felt in
the ARCA race.
She certainly turned heads with her debut,
rallying from 24th place with 19 laps to go to
cross the finish line sixth. Contact with another
car sent her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet spinning
across the track and on a wild ride through the
infield grass. But Patrick collected the car and
rejoined the field, setting the stage for the
dramatic late-race comeback. She ran as high as
fifth earlier in the race.
Patrick insisted after the race that she hadn't
even thought about the Nationwide race at that
point; however, her crew chief, Tony Eury Jr.,
indicated the car had already been prepared, as if
she would be driving.
Patrick, who will still compete full time in the
IZOD IndyCar Series, will be guaranteed a starting
position in the first three Nationwide Series
events because the team acquired points from the
CJM Racing team's No. 11 entry, that finished 15th
in owner points in 2009.
Source: motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/02/08/danica-will-make-nascar-debut-at-daytona-on-saturday/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fmotorsports.fanhouse.com%2F2010%2F02%2F08%2Fdanica-will-make-nascar-debut-at-daytona-on-saturday%2F
Give
Danica Chance to 'Rock the World'
Why shouldn't she?
That's the conclusion I've come to after months
of ad nauseam speculation and story-chasing over
the racing future of Danica Patrick.
Why not give stock cars a try? She's got the
financial backing of a high-profile sponsor in
GoDaddy.com and the race support of one of the top
teams, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports and its
umbrella Hendrick Motorports operation.
Patrick's Andretti Autosport Indycar team has
given its blessing. Her new venture has piqued
interest, earned top-of-the-fold headlines for
months and will undoubtedly raise the profile of
whatever ARCA Series or NASCAR event she suits up
for.
You've got to go while the going's good. And any
other driver served a similar situation would do
it, too. The opinions just wouldn't be as harsh or
plenty.
No doubt this will be the most difficult racing
challenge the 27-year old Patrick has faced. But
give her credit for having the, uh ... gumption to
put herself out there.
The easier thing to do would have been simply to
enjoy her ride as the face of the IZOD IndyCar
Series driving for one of its top-tier teams in her
legitimate quest to become the first woman to win
the Indianapolis 500 or win the season
championship.
Her five seasons in major league open-wheel
racing, which include a 2008 victory at Motegi,
Japan, have landed her plenty of fame and glory and
earned her a comfortable living.
Instead, Patrick is taking the tougher
route.
She may not yet know the ins and outs of
handling a stock car or running in the draft, but
she does hold a trump card: she's used to
overcoming obstacles and opinion in a way none of
her competitors have ever had to.
Having said that, Patrick is hardly doing
herself any favors with a limited schedule,
negligible testing and big gaps between races. Seat
time will be crucial in her getting a feel for the
cars and she will have precious little of it.
Other open-wheelers who have made the switch to
stock cars -- or tried to -- have cautioned against
going about it on a part-time basis in addition to
her full time IndyCar job.
Perhaps this will provide a more dramatic
opportunity to again prove naysayers wrong. The
commitment she shows will ultimately prove whether
this is merely a paycheck-collecting venture or an
honest effort to diversify and succeed.
The real question for Patrick isn't so much
whether she should give stock cars a try, but how
will she handle this new reality when it comes to
competition, the press and her image.
Patrick has backed off comments she made in May
before her "free agent" status began, when she said
she'd prefer to bypass the developmental series and
go straight to the big league Sprint Cup Series.
She has visited NASCAR shops and solicited the
advice of well-respected team owners and drivers.
And, it appears, she has taken the advice to
heart.
Far from debuting in the Cup Series, Patrick is
set to run what's typically a free-for-all, the
ARCA Series season-opener that kicks off Daytona
Speedweeks on Feb. 7. It will be full sensory
overload getting her first race laps on a
superspeedway in a field largely consisting of
other drivers-in-training.
The move to ARCA to then to her real gig in the
Nationwide Series means a transition from
1,500-pound, sophisticated IndyCars to 3,000-pound
lumbering stock cars for the 5-foot-3, 100-pound
Patrick.
She seems a lot more realistic in her
expectations this week than she did six months
ago.
"I'm sure it's going to be a steep learning
curve and what that slope looks like is yet to be
determined,'' Patrick conceded. "It probably won't
even get determined, maybe until the first six
months.
"I'm going to start by giving them all respect
and if they don't play fair out there, we'll
address it as needed.''
-- Danica Patrick "Hopefully it will be good
from the git-go. I'm set up as well as I could be
for success in that I have the right support and
the right team. So we have the best chance.''
The one sure bet in this whole endeavor is that
Patrick will be under unprecedented scrutiny.
For the most part, the NASCAR press corps
doesn't quite know what to make of her. She's a
hybrid -- a cross between Jeff Gordon's savvy and
Tony Stewart's sass. These reporters won't be
giving her the free pass she sometimes gets in the
open-wheel world.
Her competitors won't, either. However, most
NASCAR drivers have publicly welcomed her even if
they warn of the uphill battle she faces. They seem
to think adding Patrick to the mix will only
increase the popularity of NASCAR.
At the least, it should help tracks sell tickets
and add another compelling element to the
television broadcasts.
Patrick does not lack personality. And just as
any other passionate race car driver has had her
share of confrontations with competitors --
Danica's have just generated more attention. When
that came up this week, she held her ground.
"I'm going to start by giving them all
respect,'' Patrick explained of her approach. "and
if they don't play fair out there, we'll address it
as needed.
"In IndyCar when I started, I started off by not
really even talking to anyone because I was just
quiet, and just observing. I have so much respect
for all these drivers that I'm not going to come in
and try and pretend I'm something that I haven't
yet proven to be.
"So I'm going to play it cool, play fair and
have fun.''
While part of Patrick's allure is her necessary
toughness, her "brand" has also been built by
capitalizing on her feminine side -- posing in
swimsuits for Sports Illustrated and starring in
edgy commercials for her sponsor GoDaddy.com.
Patrick is image-conscious, but so is NASCAR,
and it will be interesting to see how her
super-sexy commercials play in what is a more
traditionally family-oriented genre. This is new
ground for both entities. It didn't sound like
there was any change in strategy on her behalf.
GoDaddy.com Chairman Bob Parsons promised Tuesday,
"you won't be disappointed" in teasing to Patrick's
two new Super Bowl commercials that will air after
her ARCA race debut.
Maybe the most under-reported aspect of this
whole saga and its merciful conclusion, is that in
three major news conferences during the past two
weeks to announce both her IndyCar contract and
NASCAR plans -- Patrick's gender came up as a topic
only twice.
The person that initially raised it was her new
team owner, a former late model racer herself,
Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who promised that
together they would "rock the world" and hopefully
inspire other young women.
The other time was the last question during a
45-minute teleconference with the national media.
It's a far cry from Patrick's IndyCar debut five
years ago when gender was the dominant theme.
Whether Patrick wins a NASCAR race, it's clear
she's already made a legitimate and important
contribution to her sport and this alone is
progress she can be proud of.
Source: motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/12/10/give-danica-chance-to-rock-the-world/
Earnhardt
Nation & Danica Mania Unite, ARCA Style
(12-29-09)
Danica Patrick caused quite a stir when she climbed
in her JR Motorsports Chevrolet at Daytona Int'l
Speedway. The national, and international, media
was there in full force to capture the moments. But
there's also another half to the equation - the
Earnhardt Nation, which, in the stock car world, is
as big as it gets. And when you connect the two
‘larger than life' entities inside the ARCA
Nation, the buzz created was, and still is, unlike
anything ever experienced in the longstanding stock
car sanction, 58 consecutive years and
counting.
In a recent press conference, Dale Earnhardt,
Jr. spoke his mind regarding the ARCA Racing Series
presented by RE/MAX and Menards. When the media
asked, ‘why ARCA?', Earnhardt responded,
"ARCA's a great series - a better choice."
Briscoe holds off Patrick
for Texas win
Roger Penske, wearing a tan Stetson in Texas Motor
Speedway’s Victory Circle, hugged Ryan Briscoe
about a long and as close as he did in 2008 when
the Aussie driver gave Team Penske its 200th
victory at The Milwaukee Mile.
After an Indianapolis 500 that started with
promise but ended in the SAFER Barrier, Briscoe
appreciated the show of support. He definitely
earned it on the fast and furious 1.5-mile Texas
Motor Speedway oval.
Briscoe, who started from the pole, overtook
Danica Patrick on Lap 193 and held off the Andretti
Autosport veteran over the remaining 35 laps to win
the Firestone 550K on a heated night when sparks
and tempers flared.
Patrick, running second to Briscoe between Laps
170 and 189, took the point as the top half of the
field cycled through the final round of pit
stops.
“Danica got by us and I didn’t want to
make any aggressive moves and block,” Briscoe
said. “I gained some momentum on the next lap,
used the push-to-pass and was able to pass her out
of Turn 4 and into Turn 1. She gave us a real run
for our money tonight. It was fun racing
side-by-side with her.”
Patrick, driving the No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com
entry, led her first lap of the season and posted
her best finish since winning at Twin Ring Motegi
in April 2008. It also was her first top 5 of the
season, and her first since Richmond late last
June.
Patrick, who started eighth, said the race
“was my best from top to bottom.”
“It was a good weekend last weekend in Indy
and it was a good weekend here in Texas,” she
said. “Sometimes the little victories that I
have throughout the season are not necessarily
obvious on the track. Maybe they’re in other
aspects of what I’m doing, winning little
victories here and there to get everything in line
to perform from top to bottom on race day.
I’ve been working hard all season. It’s
just really nice to have a result to show how hard
I’ve been working and how hard the team has
been working as well.”
Source: indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/37946-briscoe-holds-off-patrick-for-texas-win/
Danica’s new IndyCar
deal opens door to NASCAR
Danica Patrick unveiled her splashy new car in New
York’s Times Square, its bright green, black
and orange color scheme right at home with the
flashy billboards and lights above.
A car with fenders could be next for
IndyCar’s most marketable star.
Patrick signed a three-year contract extension
with Andretti Autosport on Monday, which could pave
the way for her desired foray into NASCAR.
“When there are more races on the schedule,
my life almost feels more predictable,”
Patrick said during a segment on Fox News.
“I’d be excited about the challenge.
We’ll see.”
The IRL deal done, Patrick may be free to turn
her attention to a NASCAR ride and a potential
Nationwide Series deal with Rick Hendrick and Dale
Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motosports.
Source: www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1603209.html
Favorite Quotes
"I don't feel insecure about
BEING GIRLIE,"
says Patrick. "I do as much media as I can because
I want this IRL series to be so kick-butt that
NASCAR goes, 'Huh?'"
"I'm just another driver out there trying to
kick butt. The car doesn't know or care that I'm a
chick."
Danica’s new IndyCar
deal opens door to NASCAR
Danica Patrick unveiled her splashy new car in New
York’s Times Square, its bright green, black
and orange color scheme right at home with the
flashy billboards and lights above.
A car with fenders could be next for
IndyCar’s most marketable star.
Patrick signed a three-year contract extension
with Andretti Autosport on Monday, which could pave
the way for her desired foray into NASCAR.
“When there are more races on the schedule,
my life almost feels more predictable,”
Patrick said during a segment on Fox News.
“I’d be excited about the challenge.
We’ll see.”
The IRL deal done, Patrick may be free to turn
her attention to a NASCAR ride and a potential
Nationwide Series deal with Rick Hendrick and Dale
Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motosports.
Source: www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1603209.html
IndyCar Series driver Danica
Patrick is in the GQ spotlight for November
In an 18-page feature “The Originals: 16
of the coolest sports heroes of all time,” the
magazine looks at the 2005 Bombardier Rookie of the
Year’s flair on and off the racetrack. The
Patrick package, including a full-page photo,
highlights her drive toward perfection that
“makes her one of the most unbridled –
and entertaining – competitors out
there.”
Other featured athletes include Willie Mays, Joe
Namath, Kevin Garnett, Michael Vick, and Kelly
Slater. The magazine is available on
newsstands.
Source: www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=7726
Patrick would relish a proper
F1 test opportunity
Every driver would love to drive a Formula One car
at some point in their life, so yeah.
Danica Patrick, who made history when she
claimed her first IndyCar race win two weeks ago,
has confessed to wanting a Formula One test.
Patrick made her IndyCar debut in 2005, however,
it was not until three years later, driving for
Andretti Green Racing, that she claimed her first
victory, winning the Indy Japan 300 and thereby
becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar
race.
The American is now hoping to test her skills in
Formula One, admitting that she would relish a
'proper' test with one of the teams.
"Every driver would love to drive a Formula One
car at some point in their life, so yeah," she told
Autosport.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with a
real, proper test.
"I was asked to do a demonstration lap at Indy
in 2005, and I said, 'No way. You're making me a
show. That's embarrassing.' But I would say that a
real test is absolutely something I would do."
And one team who would welcome her testing with
them is Honda. "We haven't instigated anything, but
if Danica wanted to be a test driver then we'd be
more than happy to talk about it," Honda CEO Nick
Fry said.
World's Most Beautiful
People 2006
World's Most Beautiful People From Angelina Jolie
to Eva Longoria, see what makes the most
captivating stars so utterly gorgeous in People's
special issue, on newsstands April 28. Danica
Patrick, the 2005 5'2" IndyCar Rookie of the Year,
24, led the Indianapolis 500 for 19 laps – a
first for a female driver. And there's buzz about
an even better showing at Indy this month. Still,
racing can get bumpy. "You sweat so much," Patrick
says. "We have a helmet and this head sock; the
sun's on you. The skin takes a beating. I do
MicroDermabrasion every month. And facials –
they hurt so good."
IndyCar Series driver Danica
Patrick is in the GQ spotlight for November
In an 18-page feature “The Originals: 16
of the coolest sports heroes of all time,” the
magazine looks at the 2005 Bombardier Rookie of the
Year’s flair on and off the racetrack. The
Patrick package, including a full-page photo,
highlights her drive toward perfection that
“makes her one of the most unbridled –
and entertaining – competitors out
there.”
Other featured athletes include Willie Mays, Joe
Namath, Kevin Garnett, Michael Vick, and Kelly
Slater. The magazine is available on
newsstands.
Source: www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=7726
TV Guide tunes
in with Patrick
Danica Patrick is coming to a checkout line near
you. Her rise to prominence this season in the
IndyCar Series are detailed in the July 31-August 6
issue, just in time for ABC's broadcast of the Indy
400 at 3pm, July 31 from Michigan International
Speedway. Patrick also has been featured on the
cover of the June 6 issue of Sports
Illustrated, becoming the first Indianapolis
500 driver to be a cover photo subject since A.J.
Foyt in the pre-race story in the May 25, 1981
issue. She was photographed last weekend for an
upcoming issue of Life magazine.
Source: www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=5139
Briscoe holds off Patrick
for Texas win
Roger Penske, wearing a tan Stetson in Texas Motor
Speedway’s Victory Circle, hugged Ryan Briscoe
about a long and as close as he did in 2008 when
the Aussie driver gave Team Penske its 200th
victory at The Milwaukee Mile.
After an Indianapolis 500 that started with
promise but ended in the SAFER Barrier, Briscoe
appreciated the show of support. He definitely
earned it on the fast and furious 1.5-mile Texas
Motor Speedway oval.
Briscoe, who started from the pole, overtook
Danica Patrick on Lap 193 and held off the Andretti
Autosport veteran over the remaining 35 laps to win
the Firestone 550K on a heated night when sparks
and tempers flared.
Patrick, running second to Briscoe between Laps
170 and 189, took the point as the top half of the
field cycled through the final round of pit
stops.
“Danica got by us and I didn’t want to
make any aggressive moves and block,” Briscoe
said. “I gained some momentum on the next lap,
used the push-to-pass and was able to pass her out
of Turn 4 and into Turn 1. She gave us a real run
for our money tonight. It was fun racing
side-by-side with her.”
Patrick, driving the No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com
entry, led her first lap of the season and posted
her best finish since winning at Twin Ring Motegi
in April 2008. It also was her first top 5 of the
season, and her first since Richmond late last
June.
Patrick, who started eighth, said the race
“was my best from top to bottom.”
“It was a good weekend last weekend in Indy
and it was a good weekend here in Texas,” she
said. “Sometimes the little victories that I
have throughout the season are not necessarily
obvious on the track. Maybe they’re in other
aspects of what I’m doing, winning little
victories here and there to get everything in line
to perform from top to bottom on race day.
I’ve been working hard all season. It’s
just really nice to have a result to show how hard
I’ve been working and how hard the team has
been working as well.”
Source: indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/37946-briscoe-holds-off-patrick-for-texas-win/
Patrick
honored among top 100 women
Automotive News’ 100 Leading Women in the
North American Auto Industry 2005 honorees include
seven CEOs, three COOs, 13 presidents, 52 vice
presidents, four assembly plant managers and one
race car driver. One guess allowed for that
person’s identity.
2010 IRL Results
(Grid/Finish/Qualifying Speed/Laps
Completed/Status)
|
Date
|
Track
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Status
|
|
3/14
|
Streets of San Paulo, Brazil
|
13
|
15
|
60/61
|
Running
|
|
3/28
|
St Pete
|
21
|
7
|
100/100
|
Running
|
|
4/11
|
Barber Motorsports Park
|
19
|
19
|
89/90
|
Running
|
|
4/18
|
Long Beach
|
.20
|
16
|
85
|
Running
|
|
5/1
|
Kansas
|
9
|
11
|
198/200.
|
.Running.
|
|
5/30
|
Indianapolis
|
23
|
6
|
200/200
|
Running
|
|
6/12
|
Texas
|
2
|
8
|
228/228
|
Running
|
|
6/20
|
Iowa
|
9
|
10
|
249/250.
|
Running.
|
|
7/4
|
Watkins Glen
|
21
|
20
|
.60/60
|
Running.
|
|
7/18
|
Toronto
|
12
|
6
|
85/85
|
Running
|
|
7/25
|
Edmonton
|
21
|
15
|
94/95
|
Running
|
|
8/8
|
Mid-Ohio
|
22
|
21
|
85/85
|
Running
|
|
8/22
|
Infeneon
|
23
|
16
|
75/75
|
Running
|
|
8/28
|
Chicagoland
|
12
|
14
|
200/200
|
Running
|
|
9/4
|
Kentucky
|
17
|
9
|
200/200
|
Running
|
|
9/18
|
Japan
|
12
|
5
|
200/200
|
Running
|
|
10/2
|
Homestead-Miami
|
11
|
2.
|
200/200.
|
.Running
|
2010
NASCAR Nationwide Race Stats
|
Date
|
Track
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Laps
|
Status
|
|
Feb 13
|
DRIVE4COPD 300
|
15
|
35 of 43
|
69/120
|
|
|
Feb 20
|
Stater Bros. 300
|
36
|
31 of 43
|
149/152
|
|
|
Fen 27
|
Sam's Town 300
|
37
|
36 of 43
|
82/200
|
|
|
Jun 26
|
New England 200
|
25
|
30 of 43
|
195/200
|
|
|
Jul 9
|
Dollar General 300
|
28
|
24 of 43
|
201/203
|
|
|
2010
ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and
Menards Schedule
|
|
Date
|
Track
|
Start
|
Finish
|
Qual Speed
|
Length
|
Status
|
|
2/6
|
Daytona Int'l Speedway
|
12
|
6
|
.
|
200 miles
|
200
|
|
7/31
|
Pocono Raceway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
125 miles
|
.
|
|
8/2
|
Berlin
Raceway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
200 laps
|
.
|
|
8/15
|
New Jersey Motorsports
Park
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
150 miles
|
.
|
|
8/22
|
Illinois State
Fairgrounds
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
100 miles
|
.
|
|
8/27
|
Chicagoland
Speedway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
150 miles
|
.
|
|
9/6
|
DuQuoin State
Fairgrounds
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
100 miles
|
.
|
|
9/12
|
Toledo Speedway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
200 laps
|
.
|
|
9/19
|
Salem
Speedway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
200 laps
|
.
|
|
9/30
|
Kansas
Speedway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
150 miles
|
.
|
|
10/9
|
Rockingham
Speedway
|
.
|
.
|
.
|
200 laps
|
.
|
Snippets - 2010
In the final race of the 2010 IndyCar series,
Danica started 11th and ended 2nd for the second
time this season. She accumulated enough points in
her 17 races to finish 10th of 41 racers for the
season.
* * *
Danica started 17th at Kentucky finishing
9th.
* * *
Danica Patrick will be the subject of a 32-page
comic book -- "Fame: Danica Patrick" -- scheduled
for December release from Bluewater
Productions.
* * *
Danica started 23rd this weekend at Sonoma (21st
at Edmonton and 22nd at Mid-Ohio) and got as high
as 11th, finishing 16th.
* * *
Danica started 22nd this weekend at Mid-Ohio
(21st last weekend at Edmonton) and got as high as
15th for one lap during pit stops on lap 25. She
finished 21st, the last one on the lead lap.
* * *
Danica started 21st this weekend at Edmonton and
got as high as 12th on lap 90. She ended up 15th,
one-lap down.
* * *
Danica is gridded 21st for 25 cars for the race
in Edmonton. Teammate Tony Kanaan is gridded 24th
since he wasn't able to record a time or speed
during qualifying.
* * *
Danica started Toronto in 12th and finished in
6th. She's 11th overall.
* * *
Danica Patrick's Long Day Ends With Best NASCAR
Finish 
* * *
Danica Speeds to a 2nd Place Finish at Texas
International.
* * *
Danica Patrick gridded 21st at St. Pete, worked
her way up to 5th and dropped back to 6th during a
pit stop, finishing in 7th.
* * *
Danica Patrick (gridded 21st) at St. Pete,
Simona is gridded 14th and Milka Duno (gridded
24th). The race was rain delayed and rescheduled
for Monday, March 29th at 10am EST.
* * *
From Sports Illustrated's Swim Suit issue
to Esquire - Danica is in the running for
their "Sexiest Woman Alive" contest.
* * *
Danica was gridded 13th behind Simona de
Silvestro gridded in 11th in the IndyCar race in
San Paulo, Brasil. She ended up finishing 15th, in
front of Simona in 16th and behind rookie Ana
Beatriz in 13th.
* * *
Danica Patrick was involved in a crash on lap 85
of the 200-lap Sam’s Town 300
NASCAR Nationwide race at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. She started 37th of 43 cars and worked
her way into the mid-20s before pitting and then
racing among the leaders while on a different pit
cycle. She finished 36th.
* * *
Danica started 36th out of 43 cars in the
Fontuna Nationwide race and finished in the 31st
spot..
* * *
Danica started 15th out of 43 cars in the
Daytona Nationwide race and got caught in a 12 car
pile-up on lap 69 finishing in the 35th spot.
* * *
Danica will enter Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide
Series season-opener at Daytona International
Speedway.
* * *
Danica started the ARCA Daytona 200 in 12th
until she was sandwiched and shoveled off the track
dropping to 24th. She muscled her way back up to
6th by the end.
* * *
Danica signs with Hot Wheel for the NASCAR
Nationwide series racing in 2010 including a
primary sponsor August 14th at Michigan
Invertional Speedway. Also, Danica is
designing a car to be produced by Hot Wheels. Look
for the Danicar at retailers in October.
* * *
Danica's 2-lap Qualifying for the 2010 ARCA
Racing Series at Daytona February 6th, placed
her tied for 11th with Patrick Sheltra out of 47
and 1st out of 6 women.
* * *
Danica Watch: Possible 12-race NASCAR Nationwide
Series Schedule
* * *
Danica tested for the 2010 ARCA
Racing Series at Daytona. She was the 2nd
fastest woman and 14th out of 60 drivers.
* * *
Never underestimate the
power of stupid people in large groups.
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