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Danica Patrick: Coming Soon to a NASCAR Track Near You

An Opinion





September 14, 2009

By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato



Rumors have been swirling for several months about Danica Patrick. Will she transition to NASCAR or won’t she? At first it was hinted at that her interest in NASCAR was merely a negotiating strategy to drive up the price of her IndyCar contract.

However, recent events seemed to have laid that theory to rest. From all appearances, Patrick is going to run a full schedule in IndyCar in 2010, and will run some Arca and Truck races next season as well as some Nationwide events during her off weekends. As there are only 17 races on the IndyCar schedule, that is certainly possible.

It would make the most sense for her to make a gradual transition by starting off in the lower tier series and working her way up to Cup. There are some big differences in driving open wheel cars and stock cars, differences that some successful open wheel racers have been unable to master. Stock cars are much heavier with a lot less downforce, not to mention she would have a whole new series of race tracks to learn.

As the old saying goes, where there’s Smoke, there’s fire; particularly in this situation since Tony Stewart is involved. Patrick created a media frenzy a few months ago when she paid a visit to the Stewart-Haas race shop and has since met with Stewart several times seeking his advice on making the transition from open wheel racing to stock cars.

Patrick has had several discussions with Stewart in recent weeks and is rumored to be discussing a possible future deal with him. Stewart is one of the few open wheel drivers to have made a successful transition to stock car racing, having won an IRL Championship and two Nextel Cup Championships, so Patrick is going to the right place for advice.

“She wants to know how to make the transition, I think, more than anything,” Stewart said in a David Caraviello article on nascar.com. “She's trying to put together her [IndyCar] deal and trying to figure out how to transition that into NASCAR. I think she's trying to do it the right way. She's not just cutting the cord and jumping in a car she's unfamiliar with.”

Of course, since Stewart-Haas racing doesn’t field Nationwide cars or Trucks, Patrick will have to race in those series for another team. A source close to the situation told ESPN’s Ed Hinton those teams are likely to be either Dale Earnhardt Jr’s., Nationwide team, JR Motorsports, that is currently in need of a driver since Brad Keselowski has announced he won’t be in the 88 Nationwide car next year or Kevin Harvick Inc, that has operations in both Nationwide and the Truck series.

According to Tony Stewart, it’s only a matter of time before Danica Patrick makes her appearance in NASCAR and its something he looks forward to.

“I'd love to see her come [to NASCAR],” he said. “I think it would be awesome for our sport if she were to come out here and be successful.”



If you would like to learn more about Matthew, please check out his web site at matthew-pizzolato.com.



You can contact Matthew Pizzolato at .. Insider Racing News

You Can Read Other Articles By Matthew Pizzolato

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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