Patrick takes gutsy drive down NASCAR road

[mscriv]

It’s 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 sponsor’s “racy” spokeswoman, will formally announce 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.

It’s 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, she’s 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 she’s already loaded, Patrick actually has something to lose. Monetarily, she’s putting her brand in jeopardy. Career wise, she’s going from a top-five driver to toiling in the minor leagues.

That’s right, Patrick isn’t going straight to NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series to compete against Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. No, she’ll start in the ARCA Series, known best for its copious wrecks and anonymity. From there, she’ll try to earn a license that will allow her to compete in the Nationwide Series – NASCAR’s Triple-A – beginning in February at Daytona.

If there’s big money to be made driving in NASCAR’s 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 – won’t 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.

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I'm not a Nascar fan, but this is quite an interesting career move.

 

[jzuena]

I heard about this for the first time this morning, too. It doesn't say she has to give up IRL completely in order to do NASCAR. I don't think IRL has much going on between now and the Indy 500 (the first race of any kind isn't until March 14 in Brazil), and if she doesn't make it to the Nationwide Series in Feb, she has a month to get ready to go back to IRL. Even if she does make it, I'm sure she will be in the Indy 500 (I'm not a NASCAR fan either, but I've seen NASCAR drivers run in the Indy 500). If she really wants to impress she should start down the Formula 1 road, but that would take even longer.

 

[rdowns]

If she really wanted to help her career, she should come out and admit to sleeping with Tiger Woods.

 

[patrick0brien]

SHE was driving! I get it now!!

 

[BanjoBanker]

I think she is making a very bold move without much of a shot. The ARCA series is not a feeder series, but rather a less expensive place to go racing. Were she to have made the jump to a Sprint Cup car, I would be less confused. But for her to have chosen (?) the ARCA races is just nuts. She should stay with the IRL and go for the championship, then maybe test an F1 car and see how she could do. Then she could retire to NASCAR like Montoya did when he failed at F1...

 

[AndyR]

KUDOS to her for trying the switch to NASCAR. Was bound to happen at some point so I'm glad she's doing it!