Danica Patrick hasn’t jumped to NASCAR yet, but Danicamania has arrived in full force.
With the 2009 season winding down and the IndyCar star talking with NASCAR teams about driving in the Nationwide Series for next season, the Cup garage is awash in rumor and innuendo over when and where she might finally sign. Patrick’s representatives are negotiating with Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s organization over a potential ride at JR Motorsports for part of next season, but a team spokesman said this week there was nothing to report.
So that leaves the waiting, the watching, and the lingering questions. Will this be sewn up in time to make an announcement two weeks from now at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the logical place to unveil a Patrick car for Speed Weeks 2010? Will talks break down due to Patrick’s reportedly exorbitant salary demands? Will a driver with one career IndyCar victory be able to successfully transition into heavier stock-cars without the glue-like grip and steering-assist devices she’s accustomed to in open-wheel? NASCAR
“She’s really serious about coming to NASCAR,’’ Earnhardt said, who said there is competition for her services. “A lot of people, I guess, thought that it was just a media hoax or her kind of blowing smoke. She’s really serious about it, and she’s going to do it with somebody.’‘
Although Patrick did have discussions with Michael Waltrip last month and with Tony Stewart earlier this year, it appears Earnhardt has emerged as the front-runner because of one important person: car owner Rick Hendrick, who met with Patrick and pledged his support for her program at JR Motorsports. That was a huge negotiating tool for Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, who has spearheaded the negotiations, which intensified this week.
When Hendrick scored a coup two years ago by signing Earnhardt to a five-year contract, his star-studded collection of drivers - which includes four-time champion Jeff Gordon and reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, who is on the cusp of winning an unprecedented fourth in a row - were characterized as the New York Yankees of NASCAR.
Now, it appears Hendrick is swinging for the fences again. In helping Earnhardt position himself to sign the 27-year-old Patrick, Hendrick would be paving the way for her to move to Sprint Cup (when the circumstances are right) with his organization. Boston Globe
Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage believes Danica Patrick needs to take advantage of her entry into NASCAR by doing more to promote her involvement.
“She needs to understand that she has to take an active role in the promotion of the sport,” Gossage said Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway. “If I were one of her advisors, I would encourage her to do a lot more.”
Gossage wants to see Patrick make the most of her NASCAR debut by helping track promoters, sponsors and NASCAR take advantage of her mainstream celebrity status.
“That’s something that I don’t think some people around her in Indy car emphasize to her as much as they should,” Gossage said. “I think people in NASCAR will encourage her to take a more active role.” ESPN
