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Danica Patrick could be NASCAR's new band-aid, but for how long?
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Danica waits to get some practice laps in Miami.
Little kids love band-aids and can you blame them? These days you can get a band-aid featuring almost any super hero or cartoon character your heart desires. Kids sport them with pride and will try to prolong the life of that band aid as much as possible, constantly reapplying it and on occasion even adding tape for extra support as it struggles to hold on for dear life. The problem is band-aids have a short life expectancy; it’s a short-term solution and after a few days of playgrounds, finger paint, and bathtubs, even the strongest Spiderman bandage will give way to the dirt and grime of life.
NASCAR is bleeding. Tracks aren’t selling out, TV ratings are down, and maybe worst of all, their once passionate fan base seems to be turning more lukewarm with every passing race. In these struggling times NASCAR finds itself in desperate need of some medical attention.
Enter the Danica Patrick band-aid.
This week the rumors have swirled about a possible future for Patrick on the Nationwide Series. According to ESPN.com’s Marty Smith, Patrick is very close to signing a deal with Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports, which would allow her to race around twelve Nationwide events, while maintaining her full time IndyCar status.
So is this the much-needed help NASCAR needs to revive itself?
With the sport facing the tough economic realities and with sponsorship dollars consistently becoming harder to come by, the Danica Patrick stimulus package seems very appealing. She is by far the most well known of any IndyCar driver despite have a resume containing only a single victory. Let’s face it, she’s extremely marketable and just by spending a few moments on her website it's clear she has no problem using her sex appeal, rather than winning percentage, in peddling the latest gadgets. Watch a few hours of TV today and you’ll no doubt encounter her attempting to sell you Internet space or antifreeze at least once. With current NASCAR sponsors becoming far less willing to throw money towards young developing drivers, Patrick’s media savvy surly has plenty of owners hearing cash registers go off in their heads.
But do sponsorship dollars and marketability automatically equal a rise in fan interest? Are fans going to be content watching Patrick go through the normal struggles any open wheeled driver faces when making the transition to stock cars, just because she looked nice selling them that five dollar footlong? Or, will her over exposure and under performance create a backlash, which could possibly be more detrimental than helpful to the sport?
Bringing in Patrick will undoubtedly bring attention and create an initially interest surge for NASCAR, possibly even in some untapped markets. It may also create some short-term revenue relief, but expecting Danica to be much more than a band-aid for a sport with some pretty major wounds would be misguided.
Remember, no matter how cool that Dora the Explorer band-aid looks, it’s going to eventually fall off and your problem will still be there.
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