Danica Patrick In NASCAR: On Overdrive or Overexposed?

Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images for NASCAR


For the last few weeks, the mainstream media outlets of NASCAR have been piping out daily stories as so-called Danicamania, Danicapalooza, or whatever other name was given to Danica Patrick's stock car racing debut. Affecting the way many auto racing fans have been following the first several weeks of the NASCAR season, the name Danica Patrick has consumed the headlines taking space even on the race results. Even XSL Speed Reporter can be guilty of this practice.

At Auto Club Speedway, it is Danica Patrick's second race running in the NASCAR Nationwide Series continuing to receive the attention of cameras and respected members of media. This is a defining moment for women in motorsports of Patrick is fully intended to do more than just make a showing for the NASCAR Nationwide series in 2010 season. Danica Patrick, a determined and passionate racer, is also a consistent media draw attracting top racing organization as well as top sponsors.

Garnering a large audience through IndyCar events for years, it is unsurprising that the high-profile NASCAR series would see the attention paid towards Patrick multiply. Starting with an ARCA test at Daytona International Speedway in December (an event that typically sees only a few members of motorsport media cover) a school of reporters and photographers swam to Danica Patrick as her every move was documented.

As mountains of articles and the several gigabytes of video profiles the highly-popular IndyCar regular, her presence has sparked some varying views on the attention which Danica Patrick There's the people who want to see a constantly competitive woman in NASCAR and there's the NASCAR viewers who are sick of this perceived excessive coverage of a rookie driver. Let's face it without diminishing anything from the handful of women auto racers who competed in NASCAR through the sanctioning body's 62-year run, Danica Patrick has received the first real opportunity in NASCAR stock car racing where a female is respected enough to be given front-running race equipment. With this being said, the first races of Danica Patrick during 2010 Daytona Speedweeks represented an extremely interesting occurrence.

Thanks to a 6th place run in the 200 mile ARCA race at Daytona, the media buildup was reinforced with the promising finish that convinced Patrick's team (JR Motorsports) to extend her 2010 race schedule to include the NASCAR Nationwide Series Race4COPD 300. Moving up her NASCAR debut by one week (Patrick's first race was supposed to be the Fontana event this weekend) the increased presence during Daytona Speedweeks offered something more of a distraction for the other Nationwide series competitors (at least most of them are Sprint Cup series regulars so they probably enjoyed the break from probing reporters). Much like the ARCA race, there always seemed to be one camera devoted just to following Danica Patrick's #7 Chevrolet during that NASCAR Nationwide Series even only to see her fall out of the event after getting caught in an accident.

As Danica Patrick endured her first competitive feats in stock car racing, race fans have noticed. In fact, a number of race fans have been voicing their frustration with all the press attention to just one driver. While Patrick holds the distinction as the first female to win an IndyCar Series event, many race fans recall that this victory at the Twin-Ring Motegi is her only one in 81 race starts. While NASCAR fans generally welcome women drivers and looked especially forward to seeing Patrick in a JR Motorsports Chevrolet, the excessive media build-up for her debut alienated some of the mainstream NASCAR fans who has found less focus being paid to their choice driver. The one things that I've gathered through following auto racing is that there is such thing as too much exposure for a specific driver.

While the NASCAR press are trying to paint her accomplishments as a major move for gender equality, maybe auto racing fans are performing the most flattering service by rating Patrick on the same scale as all other drivers entering the series.

Stewart Survives to Win Daytona Nationwide Series Race

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR


Driving for 3 different car owners, Tony Stewart has won the season opening race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 4 of the past 5 times prior to the 2010 running of the 300 mile Saturday afternoon event.

As Friday rain showers prevented the NASCAR Nationwide Series teams to run qualifying, the field was settled on 2009 car owner points placing 2009 series champion Kyle Busch out front in the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota. The #60 Ford of Carl Edwards, the #88 Chevrolet being driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr, the #33 of Kevin Harvick, and the Richard Childress-owned #21 Chevrolet of John Wes Townley rounded out the top 5 starting positions.

Because of the multitude of series changes with some teams closing and others expanding, the formulation of this 2010 race's grid led to some jockeying for position even before the green dropped. Paul Menard, campaigning a #98 Ford Fusion, gained the final starting spot in the field through some of Daytona's infamous backdoor deals. Because the #98 team had in sufficient car owner points, the team made deals where they allegedly paid 5 other teams to withdraw from the event so Menard could start the race in the 43th and final grid spot.

Under a bright sky, the 43 NASCAR Nationwide series cars accelerated only to be brought to a crawl on lap 2 after the Chevrolets of Brad Teague and Chrissy Wallace ended their days with an accident on the frontstretch. When the race recommenced on lap 5, another accident slowed in the field just 3 laps later. This time, a turn 2 wreck involved 8 Nationwide cars. While some drivers were able to continue with minor damage like Brian Keselowski and Paul Menard, the finish concluded for youngster Trevor Bayne as well as Mike Bliss.

On the lap 11 restart, the RACE4COPD 300 underwent its longest green flag run through the 2010 event. Kevin Harvick, having taken the lead from Busch early, paced the field for much of the 41 lap distance which was interrupted by green flag pit stops. Through the event, the Race4COPD 300 was led by 12 different drivers which included Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Steven Wallace as the race progressed.

Having officially announced her intentions for running the NASCAR Nationwide Series Daytona 300 mile race just this Tuesday, Danica Patrick entered her first NASCAR stock car race confident after a strong 6th place finish in the ARCA race. Under the media microscope, Patrick #7 Godaddy.com Chevrolet was a focus periodically through the ESPN broadcast since her start in 13th place. By the midway point, Patrick's run in the more competitive NASCAR Nationwide series proved more challenging along with her ill-handling Chevrolet stock car combining to a mid 30th place run through the first stage of the race. Through pitstops, she fell a lap down briefly but regained a lap during a caution on Daytona's 52nd circuit.

Provided with an opportunity to have some much-needed adjustments done to her #7 car, Danica Patrick began to prove herself competitive against stock car veterans breaking out of her early race slump. However, as Patrick day appeared to be reshaping for the better, a lap 68 incident put an end to the #7 Chevrolet's run along with 11 other race vehicles. Started when the Roush-Fenway Ford of Colin Braun got into Josh Wise going through the frontstretch. Wise's car was shot into another car which then created a major chain reaction. With a wall of sliding stock cars in front of her, Danica Patrick could see an opening on the lower part of the track. That gap closed just enough to catch the #7 car as Patrick clipped another car and flew into the outside wall.


Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images


With the lap 68 accident thought to be the big wreck of the 2010 race, a lap 93 caution would be thrown for a much scarier incident. On the superspeedway's backstretch, the #60 of Carl Edwards and #22 of Brad Keselowski brushed. Keselowski's Dodge slid into Dale Earnhardt Jr Hellman's #88 sending the JR Motorsports Chevrolet sideways towards the outside wall and airborne. Landing on its roof, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch and #27 car of Greg Biffle were unable to avoid Earnhardt's car. Eventually ending up back on its wheels in the backstretch's infield, Earnhardt emerged uninjured from the badly mangled Chevrolet. Overall, 10 cars were involved in this final wreck which required a 11 minute red flag to clean up the 2.5 mile racetrack. Early race leader Kevin Harvick was also collected but was able to remain competitive. Also, the main culprits of the 6th caution, Keselowski and Edwards both continued to race suffering only minimal damage.

As the rush for position set in, Kyle Busch lost control of his #18 car through the turn 3 and 4 complex. During the cool down lap, Busch pinned blame on the #12 Dodge following him believing contact was made (replays showed no contact was made). Brad Keselowski has already established a rivalry between himself and Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

Through the final 20 lap distance, Tony Stewart driving a #4 Oreo/Ritz-sponsored Kevin Harvick Incorporated Chevrolet held off the challenge of the remaining contenders. Stewart's car owner came home 3rd just behind the #60 Ford of Carl Edwards and ahead of the 4th place Justin Allgaier. James Buescher, who is competed in the ARCA race during Daytona Speedweeks, posted 8th place as the highest-finishing rookie.


Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race: Race4COPD 300 Daytona International Speedway Top 10 Finishers

1) 4 Tony Stewart     Ritz Crackers Chevrolet 

2) 60 Carl Edwards     Fastenal Ford 

3) 33 Kevin Harvick     Jimmy John's Chevrolet 

4) 12 Justin Allgaier     Verizon Wireless Dodge 

5) 32 Brian Vickers     Dollar General Toyota 

6) 98 Paul Menard     Menards Ford  

7) 20 Joey Logano     GameStop Toyota 

8) 1 James Buescher      Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

9) 38 Kasey Kahne     Great Clips Toyota 

10) 66 Steve Wallace     5 Hour Energy Toyota

Other Notables

13) 22 Brad Keselowski     Discount Tire Dodge

18) 18 Kyle Busch     Interstate Batteries Toyota

29) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Hellmann's Chevrolet

35) 7 Danica Patrick     Go Daddy Chevrolet

Danica Patrick to drive Daytona Nationwide Series race

Just two days after a highly-respectable first effort in the 200-mile ARCA series race, the driver who stole Speedweeks so far Danica Patrick has been tabbed for the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Drive4COPD 300 for Saturday. Last week, JR Motorsports had penciled in the Daytona Nationwide series race when they released her selected 2010 schedule. Originally, California's Auto Club Speedway would be her NASCAR stock car debut but these plans have now been altered. Once concerned about debuting Patrick in the ultra-competitive NASCAR farm series, the decision to solidify the Nationwide series race came when her Godaddy.com #7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was brought home in 6th place on late Saturday afternoon's ARCA event.

While the #7 team is new for 2010, the Godaddy.com Chevrolet will be guaranteed a starting spot after acquiring 2009 car owner points which belonged to the inactive #11 CJM Racing car.