tom_jensen's avatar
Author:
Tom Jensen
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
  • Related Videos
SPEEDtv.com Store
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
CUP: Danica Patrick Deal Near
Written by: Tom Jensen   
11/05/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Danica Patrick will race for JR Motorsports with backing from GoDaddy.com in a two-year deal that could be finalized in a matter of days, sources told SPEEDtv.com. (Photo: LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos

Danica Patrick will start her stock-car career next season in the ARCA Series in 2010, before moving to the NASCAR Nationwide Series part-time later in the year, sources have confirmed to SPEEDtv.com.

There is a chance Patrick could race in next year’s season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway “if everything goes right,” a source close to Patrick told SPEEDtv.com.

Patrick will race for JR Motorsports with backing from GoDaddy.com in a two-year deal that could be finalized in a matter of days, sources said. She will continue to drive full-time in the IndyCar Series, where her three-year contract extension with Andretti-Green Racing is expected to be announced in early December. ESPN first reported the JR Motorsports deal on Wednesday.

The presence of Patrick is expected to be a media bonanza for NASCAR, which in recent years has wrestled with finding an identity for the Nationwide Series. But in terms of having any real on-track impact, the future of Patrick remains to be seen.

In recent years, a host of open-wheel drivers have tried to transition to NASCAR, many of them unsuccessfully. The most successful expatriate open-wheeler is Juan Pablo Montoya, and even he has admitted that it’s taken three years to get the feel of racing stock cars.

Some have been openly skeptical about what Patrick will be able to accomplish in NASCAR.

“She’d like to be able to drive her (Indy Racing League) car and on off weekends come and drive a Nationwide or a Sprint Car, and that’s not going to work,” team owner Jack Roush said recently. “ … This is really, really, really, really hard to do. She may be able to do it or she may not. I hope that she can, but she certainly won’t be able to do it with distractions with a minimized effort.”

For his part, Montoya also said that trying to juggle both a full-time IndyCar ride and a part-time stock-car ride would be difficult, at best.

“I wouldn’t be driving both cars to be honest,”
said Montoya. “I just wouldn’t. I wouldn’t do it because they drive so different. You’re going to get comfortable in one thing and then you’re going to make it to the other thing and every times it’s going to be like night and day. When I drive the (Rolex) 24 hours and I get to Daytona it feels really weird and I’ve been driving stock cars for three years now. I do two test days and the race and come back for the (Daytona) 500 and it feels really weird to drive again. So, I wouldn’t.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson said Patrick will have a steep learning curve as well.

“It boils down to seat time,” said Johnson. “Just not to be in a hurry, drive anything with a body on it ... ARCA, Truck, Nationwide, Cup. Hit some walls. It is tough because she is obviously going to have a big spotlight on her. Hit walls, tear up equipment, make mistakes. You have to go through that. You cannot short cut that aspect. It doesn't matter if you are Juan Pablo who has been an F-1 driver coming in or a guy coming from a local short track. You have to go through those experiences to learn.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED, and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



View All Comments