NNS: Lessons Got Harder For Danica In 2010

Nationwide

NNS: Lessons Got Harder For Danica In 2010

Danica Patrick ran in 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series events in 2010...

Mike Harris | http://www.RacinToday.com | Posted December 23, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Danica Patrick finished the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series points standings in 19th place. (Photo: Getty Images)

A little of the gloss is off the rose known as Danica Patrick after a difficult and disappointing season.

Not only did the IndyCar glamour girl slip from fifth to 10th in the open-wheel points – her worst finish since finishing 12th as a rookie in 2005 – but Patrick’s first foray into stock car racing was less than stunning.

She got off to a solid start with a sixth-place finish in the ARCA race at Daytona in February, but in 13 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, Patrick’s best finish was 19th at the season finale in Homestead. It was a struggle for her to just stay on the lead lap in most of her NASCAR races.

But it wasn’t a total failure by any means. Patrick visibly improved as the season went on, putting a solid dent into the huge learning curve that comes with jumping from a small, agile Indy car to a bulky, heavy stock car.

Patrick plans to be back in a JR Motorsports entry for a similar NASCAR schedule in 2011.

“I’m really looking forward to putting all the things I learned this year to work next year,’’ she said. “At Homestead, I felt a lot more comfortable with everything – the car, the track, the traffic, everything.’’

That’s good news for the promoters, who are looking for anything that will help them put fannies in the seats. And, for good or bad, Patrick does just that.

But is quick to acknowledge that her IZOD IndyCar Series ride with Andretti Autosports, and the Indianapolis 500 in particular, remain her main focus

Danica Patrick may compete only in NASCAR next year. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

“While it’s been fun to try something new and learn a new car and a new series, my primary focus this year continued to be driving the No. 7 GoDaddy.com car for Andretti Autosport,’’ Patrick said.

“Overall, it’s been a challenging year, at least when you look solely at our results on track,’’ she added. “Coming off last year’s performance, when we finished fifth in the standings and led the way for our team, I had pretty high expectations. But, for whatever reason – probably a combination of deeper fields, a little bit of bad luck and a few tenths of a second here and there – we didn’t have as much success this year.’’

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Mike Harris

RacinToday.com

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