The rumor mill has been buzzing for weeks that Danica Patrick was close to finalizing a deal which would put her full-time in NASCAR starting in 2012.
On Thursday Danica has scheduled a press conference to make it official. She is expected to announce a full-time 2012 Nationwide Series ride in the Go Daddy #7 for JR Motorsports. In addition she is expected to add some occasional 2012 Sprint Cup starts in a Stewart-Haas car with the intention to move up to the Sprint Cup Series in 2013.
Danica Patrick is one of the biggest names in racing and her presence in NASCAR can only help the sport. The pressure on her to perform will be incredible. I hope she rises to the occasion and brings millions of new fans to NASCAR with her success.
Comments
Congratulations Danica, good for you.
The only reason Danica Patrick gets to drive in the Indy Car Series is because she is a pretty face. Her performance in the series has been lackluster at best. She has only won one race during her entire Indy Car career and the only reason for that win was fuel mileage. The only reason Nascar wants her is an attempt to reveive sagging ratings.
Hey David —- DUH!!!!!
Im not sure if you have been reading the papers, but NASCAR is an actual organization. They are a “for profit” company. Any place of business is going to do what they can to attract customers and bring business. As David said. “Danica will do that”. Right now Jr is the fan favorite almost everywhere. When was the last time he won a race? Talk about lackluster. If I performed as poorly as Jr or Danica at my place, Id be gone. But in NASCAR, it is the fan favorites — like Jr and Danica that will fill the stands and sell souvineers.
Sorry David. I didnt mean to come off like a pompus azz, but you simply stated the obvious, just you made it sound like a bad thing. When indeed Danica will be a good thing (at least for NASCARs bank account).
Tim,
I agree with you to a point,but why are the ratings continuing to sag even though Jr. is extremely popular with the fans? Will Danica be a popular addition to lackluster sport? Are the fans finally going to get enough of one team continuously winning the championship? I guarantee you, when the chase starts, the 48 team will get a lot stronger and everyone else will be playing catch-up. The top competitors other than the 48 will start getting speeding penalties and other infractions. Nascar seems to be in love with the Hendrick Organization. If you bring in Danica Patrick to a flawed series, her popularity will fly for awhile, but until Nascar puts the series back on a level playing field, it will continue to lose popularity.