Patty Moise was a regular on NASCAR’s Busch tour for almost 10 years, and drove in six Cup races along the way. Popular and personable (enough to get a few TV jobs), she never quite made it over the hump, but she was competent, rugged and dogged about it, running her own team for a while.
“Danica (Patrick’s) win was great, totally cool,” Moise said. “She’s been knocking on the door. It shows there’s no reason a woman can’t do this if she’s got the skills and the right background and the right opportunity.
“Either I did not have enough skills, or I couldn’t put myself in the right position. Danica has been with one of the very top teams.
“And there hasn’t been an opportunity like that in NASCAR.”
“I found it very promising that Tony Stewart would go down to Mike Wallace’s daughter, Chrissy, and kind of endorse what she’s doing,” Moise said. “And I thought Chrissy did a good job at Martinsville. She finished on the lead lap, and for a first-time effort, that’s pretty good, even for a guy.
“We forget that NASCAR is the most competitive series in the world. I think Juan Pablo Montoya has done a great job. But look at some of these other top guys, even guys who have won championships, and it’s been no piece of cake.
“So you’ve got to give a break to NASCAR. And in its defense, they don’t have a big group (of women racers) to pick from.
“I’m sure a lot of team owners would like to talk to Danica right now, but why would she want to come down here?”
Especially after watching the struggles that Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. are having in trying to make the transition from open-wheel racing to stock cars.
“From all the places NASCAR and its Cup owners are looking, if there were some women kicking hard, then it would be a logical step to give them a shot here,” Moise said. “That is probably as much of an issue as anything.
“But the thing is, Katie sticks to it.
“The girls have to come up just like the guys do—pay their dues, and then keep moving on.
