Day 2 of IndyCar Test at Barber Motorsports Park: Power Boosted to Front

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney/IndyCar

In the second day of the IZOD IndyCar Series open test, contenders in the 2010 open wheel racing circuit left the Barber Motorsports Park with full notebooks (perhaps more laptops at this time in auto racing) containing their gains and shortcomings. Averaging approximately 140 miles a piece through the two days, 20 Indy cars have attacked the 2.38 miles road course for what was the third and final session for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar series teams.


Taking on Barber Motorsports Park complex on a cool, sunny Thursday afternoon, speeds in two day testing showed significant pace increases. In session 3 runs, 9 IndyCar drivers posted times faster than the session 2 effort of Ryan Briscoe. As the IndyCar times dropped, Penske Racing's dominance from Wednesday spilled over to the Thursday IndyCar test session proving that the rest of the IZOD IndyCar has a reason to be concerned heading into 2010. On Thursday, Penske Racing cars swept the top 3 positions. However, a change came as Will Power took the lead. In fact, Power's fastest time was the only lap in the 2 day test that a driver was able to clock under the 1 minute, 10 second mark at 1:098724 lap time.

In hot pursuit of the Roger Penske 3-car team, Scott Dixon ran 4th fastest on the day in the #9 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing car. As for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing's reigning IndyCar Series Championship driver Dario Franchitti, the Scotsman's Thursday run equated to a second to last fast time. Limiting himself to a 3 lap shakedown on the second two, Dario Franchitti ran the second-fewest laps amongst all participants in the IndyCar test.

Continuing the prove Dreyer/Reinbold Racing as a force to be reckon with for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series, Justin Wilson made his third consecutive appearance amongst the top 5 on the time chart. While Wilson's speed seems to indicate a stronger Dreyer/Reinbold Racing during the two-day open test, teammate Mike Conway's performance in test session 3 showed true gains. Having left Wednesday with a speed nearly one and a half seconds slower than day's leader Briscoe, Conway top time in day two was only 0.38 seconds off the new IndyCar pacesetter.


Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney/IndyCar

Taking a break from her much-publicized NASCAR Nationwide Series endeavours, the very busy Danica Patrick returned to her familiar #7 Indy car. While Patrick had trouble finding front-running speed, this lack of speed plagued the whole four-car Andretti Autosport team. Team newcomer Ryan Hunter-Reay is still traveling the learning curve in the #37 car, recording a 14th overall fastest time around Barber Motorsports Park. Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti reminded situated in the middle of test time sheets throughout the three IndyCar practice sessions. After two days, Marco Andretti showed the quickest speed of the four-car team averaging 117.621 miles per hour within a single 2.38 mile lap.



Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney/IndyCar

Providing an impressive two day of testing after showing some early speed on Wednesday, Formula 1 veteran Takuma Sato best time placed the Japanese driver 5th on the overall test chart in his #5 KV Racing Technology car. Running more laps than any other driver in the three IZOD IndyCar test sessions at Barber Motorsports Park, Sato appears well-prepared to enter his first year of competition in the North American open wheel racing series. Running almost as many laps as Sato, Conquest Racing's rookie driver Mario Romancini also used the Barber test to gain as much pre-season seat time in the #34 car.

As the test wrapped up, there were IndyCar veteran drivers noticeably absent from the activities at Barber Motorsports Park, Graham Rahal and Mario Moraes. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing brought only one car to the test for their newly-acquired driver Hideki Mutoh leaving guesses for whether the team will even run two cars in 2010. Speculation has also mentioned Rahal considering a venture into NASCAR (historically, not a particularly smart move for open wheel drivers). As for Moraes, KV Racing Technology appears not to be giving up hope in campaigning the driver. Mario Moraes would no doubt want to see a deal formulated for the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series opener. Sao Paulo, Brazil which is his birthplace.

Like every test, it will remain to be seen if the success or struggles of a few laps will be truly telling of the 2010 season for the IZOD IndyCar Series tour.

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.

Danica Patrick/JR Motorsports Gifts NASCAR Media with Press Conference

Photo Credit: Godaddy.com

After a little more than a week since Danica Patrick's official announcement to joining JR Motorsports for a part-time Nationwide schedule, it is fair to say that Christmas definitely came early for the NASCAR media. Traditionally, the entire month of December would have usually been the dullest time in stock car racing allowing journalists to write holiday gift guides or year in review stories (XSL Speed Reporter has some of those stories prepared to post in the coming days). Thanks to an intense infatuation with Danica Patrick much of the motorsport media shares, December of 2009 will be one of the most active off-season breaks in NASCAR history.

On Thursday, 45 minute press conference has been scheduled at the JR Motorsports shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kelly Earnhardt, Tony Eury Sr and Jr as well as the driver of the #7 Godaddy Chevrolet in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series tour are slated to entertain the press before Patrick sets out on her first open test piloting an ARCA stock car in Daytona. Attendance at the event will include esteemed members of the press plus 20 JR Nation Fan Club members who can ask the panel questions (Danica Patrick's NASCAR Nationwide schedule for 2010 would probably be a leading question). A simple question and answer period without a significant announcement, live access will be unprecedented. Apart from a regular webstream which will be required on www.GoDaddy.com/Danica, cable television channel Speed and XM/Sirius satellite radio channels 128 are broadcasting the outreach event. On satellite radio, the press conference will be followed by up to 3 hours of analysis (yikes!).

With such attention drawn onto Danica Patrick, it is mildly disturbing that the appetite for the driver has preceded her stock car racing efforts at the track. As Danica Patrick attends the 3-day test at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the ARCA stock car series' debut, she may be learning more about the NASCAR media than racing a stock car. Of course Patrick has experienced five seasons under the brightest spotlight in IndyCar racing.

With all due respect to the ARCA Remax Series, the Daytona 200 mile event has historically been grounds for major NASCAR teams to run a one-off effort to showcase their latest drivers. Through testing and the race in early February, JR Motorsports will most certainly make use of Hendrick Motorsports cars and expertise putting Patrick several steps ahead even before hitting the track. When Danica Patrick finally gets a chance to leave the motorsport press behind, the first true display of the famous racing female's driving abilities in a full-bodied stock car should provide an intriguing 2010 Nationwide Series season.

Danica Patrick to run part time NASCAR for JR Motorsports

On Tuesday, Danica Patrick has announced her intentions of playing with the NASCAR boys in 2010. JR Motorsports has signed the IndyCar series' most popular driver to campaign a part time effort in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. After long speculation by NASCAR insiders, Patrick's official statement was hardly a surprise (in fact, one website had accidentally posted a picture with her wearing the JR Motorsports Godaddy.com driving suit).

Starting in 2010, Patrick will be wheeling a #7 Chevrolet Impala sponsored by Godaddy.com (a company long associated with Patrick and JR Motorsports). Playing it smart, the young race car driver has slated to run selected races which will not interfere with her continued full season involvement in the Izod IndyCar series with Andretti Autosport. With that said, no announcements on Danica Patrick's specific NASCAR Nationwide schedule has been brought to the media as yet. However, Patrick is planning to run the 200-mile ARCA at Daytona International Speedway as her first chance to evaluate the heavier stock car race vehicle in competition.

The first woman IndyCar race winner's top-notch sponsorship and race winning JR Motorsports equipment will provide the first ever real exhibition of how a qualified female racer matches against the best male competitors of the sport of NASCAR. Guaranteed the receive a bulk of the media attention in the first race she enters, she will not be the first open wheel racer to be baked by the media spotlights. Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve were photographed nonstop through their first outings. Of course, the case of Jacques Villeneuve brings up another critical factor that must be kept in mind as Danica Patrick competes in her first races. Patrick, preparing to make her 6th season in Izod IndyCar racing series for 2010, is starting from a clean slate as a rookie in stock car racing. Although JR Motorsports cars will ease the learning curve, expect to see Danica Patrick grow as a racer this year.

Danica Patrick's position as a race car driver will not be the only strong woman presence within the JR Motorsports team. Kelly Earnhardt (sister of Dale Earnhardt Jr and a respectable former stock car racer in her own right) has since taken an equity stake in JR Motorsports placing her along with Dale Jr, Tony Eury Sr, and Rick Hendrick as team owner.

With a loyal fan base always surrounding Danica Patrick with the IndyCar events, NASCAR and Patrick herself are counting for her trademark racing aggression to translate into the closed-fendered stock cars.

Danica, please stay in IndyCar racing!

Without Argument, the attention drawn to Danica Patrick in the IRL IndyCar series can be described like a halogen light beam through the darkest hours of open-wheel racing. As the IRL was still attempting to prove itself as a support-worthy series, Rahal/Letterman Racing created some vital headlines in 2005 by drawing a 22 year old Danica Patrick into the open wheel series. Having shown promise in the Toyota Atlantic series the year before for Bobby Rahal's cars, her rookie year in the IRL IndyCar series caused a storm of intrigue highlighted by a starting and finishing fourth in the Indianapolis 500 as well as by three pole awards. Quickly she fostered a passionate fanbase as admirers enamored themselves to the racer for a variety of reasons. While some of those onlookers being Maxim magazine readers seeing an attractive woman, others enjoyed seeing one of the most passionate drivers on the IndyCar roster dicing, including a large contingent of female fans who now freely support open wheel racing. Since then, Danica Patrick joined Andretti-Green Racing becoming a leading figurehead of the IndyCar Series and one of the sport's top moneymakers through endorsements even while her on-track performance has resulted with only one win at the Twin-Ring Motegi circuit in 2008. Having such a magnetic pull, its little wonder that NASCAR would want Patrick racing in the stock car series.

Rumours of Danica Patrick's move to the full-bodied stock car series started to mount last year but ended as idle allegations. This year, her current contract to drive the #7 car of Andretti-Green Racing nears completion, the rumour mill is in full swing again. Speculation strongly hints at her leaving the so far winless team for 2009 in search of other opportunities. While some sources indicate staying in IndyCar (A third Chip Ganassi car has been mentioned) or Formula One with one of the developing US teams, NASCAR has been one of the most championed routes. Fueled by visits to race shops, little else has indicated what direction she may be pursuing. However, this fragment of news was enough to drive the newsrooms of major auto racing media outlets going crazy about the idea as having a top female racer in one of NASCAR's major divisions.

With Danica Patrick being potentially wooed to NASCAR, she would be far from the first open-wheel driver to enter the series. Eying lucrative deals sparred by NASCAR's growth through the 1990s into the first half of this decade, even a middle tier driver in the Sprint Cup series can earn $3 million a year excluding endorsements and souvenir sales. Appearing on Forbes #100 Celebrities list for 2009 making $7 million US, Danica Patrick may not immediately stand to prosper from a NASCAR deal. In a competitive and financial gain standpoint, her only chance elevate herself in NASCAR is to sign with one of the best teams as she's indicated to be the only way she would make the move. With Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing full, finding a winning ride is complicated as Joe Gibbs Racing has no interests in expanding their team for 2010. The likeliest NASCAR opportunities again exists with Chip Ganassi who partly owns Earnhardt/Ganassi Racing. With the #1 car vacated by Martin Truex Jr at the end of this year, EGR has shown some impressive pace this year but would have Patrick enter into another win-starved team. There could also be possibilities in Nationwide competition but she would not likely run a full season in a development series following years in IndyCar racing.


A cautious note to Danica Patrick with a transition to NASCAR can be marked by the short-lived careers of other open wheel transplants. After winning the 2007 IndyCar championship, Dario Franchitti's outing in NASCAR Sprint Cup ended after just 10 starts. Having also started the Sprint Cup season of 2008, Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier would not finish the year in their rides as a result of a hotly competitive series. However, the success of open wheel migrants Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya can bring some promise.

Finally, in simplest terms, Danica Patrick belongs in the IndyCar series. With 2009 being the first year of the completely reunitified professional open wheel body, Danica Patrick's presence in the series has allowed for maximum exposure for her and the IRL IndyCar series. Though winless so far in 2009, Danica Patrick has locked down 9 top 10 finishes and sits 5th in the points standing for her best year overall. Also, fans in IndyCar no longer thinks of Danica Patrick as a woman driving a race car but rather a race car driver who just happens to be a woman. She's really one of the guys in the competition standpoint.



With the motorsport world likely to be gravitated on Danica Patrick's decision for where she is racing in 2010, her path will be followed by a legion of male and female fans.