Danica Patrick’s awaited move to NASCAR from the IZOD IndyCar Series had many speculating about her ability and impact. The buzz over the past few years has been both negative and positive plus nearly constant.
A known phenomenon can’t be disputed—Patrick will attract female fans and be a role model because she dares compete in a male-dominated sport. Patrick will also attract male fans because she is attractive and is often a model in advertising campaigns. That’s a package for success and all she has to do is compete well.
Given that she really enjoys racing stock cars and prefers oval racing to road courses, she may silence some critics with top finishes.
Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark is prone to making predictions and he shared his thoughts about Patrick’s future with fans recently. Patrick will race twice at AMS in NNS and NSCS.
Courtesy of Atlanta Motor Speedway:
Arguably the biggest hot-button topic throughout the sport is the arrival of Danica Patrick to the NASCAR ranks. The open-wheel veteran will compete full-time for the Nationwide Series championship with JR Motorsports after running part-time for the past two seasons. She will also begin to dip her toe into the ranks of the Sprint Cup Series by running 10 races for Stewart-Haas Racing.
In recent years, several open-wheel drivers have made the attempt to crossover into NASCAR, with little-to-no success. But Atlanta Motor Speedway President and General Manager Ed Clark thinks that Patrick is setup for success unlike many of those before her.
“Other than the time period that A.J. Foyt drove for the Wood Brothers, I don’t know that there has been another person to come over from the Indy Car ranks to have the caliber of equipment for multiple events that she’s going to have at JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing,” Clark said. “She’s got a great opportunity to set some new career marks that other people have not been able to do.”
Aside from the equipment, Patrick will have the added benefit of being surrounded by quality people at Stewart-Haas, with veteran crew chief Greg Zipadelli calling the shots on the No. 10 Chevrolet and team owner Tony Stewart offering valuable input during her journey. Patrick is also guaranteed a starting spot in the upcoming Daytona 500 due to a points-swap with Tommy Baldwin Racing, putting her in an atmosphere designed for success as she gets her Sprint Cup career started.
“She is just one element in one overall operation . . . Other than the pressure she’s putting on herself, it’ll be a stress-free qualifying situation where she can be comfortable and get it all out of the car week-in and week-out,” Clark said.
“You take her charisma and intensity and competitive nature and you throw in what she’s been able to accomplish in Indy Cars, and it’s quite a curiosity factor,” Clark said. “People are going to want to pull for their favorite driver and see where they finish and then they’ll want to see where Danica finishes. Anytime you have that kind of added interest, it’s a big plus for the sport.”
Details are available on www.atlantamotorspeedway.com
Six major NASCAR tracks are within a day's drive of Tampa. Great destinations justify journeys.
Here the NASCAR venue is considered local if tracks are within a 10 hour drive from Tampa—Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of motorsports topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Information and quotes derived from motorsports industry press releases.
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