December 11, 2009
By Rebecca Gladden
If you prefer your female sports figures on the feisty side, then I have good news for you: Danica Patrick is coming to NASCAR.
And make no mistake about it. Ms. Patrick is a spitfire.
Meeting with the media at Chase Field in Phoenix Tuesday to announce her NASCAR plans, Patrick bristled when a reporter posed this question: "You're going to be racing against guys like Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Your thoughts of going up against these guys in the Nationwide tour?"
"And …?" Patrick retorted. "Okay, I'll try and make up what I think you asked me. 'I'm going to be racing against some very competitive drivers.' That's a fact. That's a statement."
She went on to explain that the opportunity to race against NASCAR's finest will be a "good teaching mechanism." But, her initial reaction to a fairly straightforward question seemed a bit -- for lack of a better term -- diva-like.
Photo Rebecca Gladden
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L to R: Kelly Earnhardt, Bob Parsons, Danica Patrick
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Perhaps years of fighting an uphill battle for success and parity in the male-dominated world of motorsports has fostered a certain assertiveness in the 27-year-old IndyCar driver.
But, Danica has been more than willing to trade on her sex appeal, as evidenced by her overtly suggestive TV ads for primary sponsor GoDaddy.com.
It's a theme that company CEO Bob Parsons emphasized early on in Tuesday's press conference. Before Danica unveiled her new No. 7 GoDaddy.com NASCAR ride, which sat side-by-side with her Indy car, Parsons remarked, "Both of these, you've got to admit, are pretty hot-looking cars, don't you think?"
"I do," Patrick concurred.
Parsons was excited to discuss the next series of racy TV ads featuring Danica which will premiere during the 2010 Super Bowl.
"Danica's first stock car event is the ARCA race in Daytona on February 6, and that's the Saturday before the Super Bowl," he explained. "The next day, in the Super Bowl, Danica will appear in two Go Daddy ads … Over the years, we've developed a reputation for having a certain type of ad, and I'm here to tell you that this year, we won't let you down."
Danica seems to acknowledge the uphill battle she faces in NASCAR, a sport that has promoted itself as traditionally family-friendly, but seemed unconcerned about fans who might not welcome her.
"I really don't think a lot about that kind of stuff," said Patrick. "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion and that's fine with me. My job is to prove to all the people that are around me that I'm committed, that I want to do this, that I'm willing to put in the right amount of effort. And that's all I have to do."
Though anxious to succeed in NASCAR, Patrick made it clear that, for now, "Indy Racing is my first priority." She will run a partial Nationwide Series schedule in 2010 and, though the exact dates have not been determined, races will be selected around her IndyCar schedule.
Meanwhile, both Patrick and JR Motorsports team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt played up the female factor Tuesday, which Danica described as "an exciting story."
"As a female team owner, I'm thrilled to have her on board," said Earnhardt. "We're going to have a lot of fun and rock the world."
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