Daytona 500: Danica Patrick's Inclusion Is Good for NASCAR

NASCAR fans may not be thrilled that Danica Patrick qualified for the Daytona 500 with the help of some wheeling and dealing, but her inclusion remains a positive for the sport nonetheless.

NASCAR seems unlikely to disallow point transferring anytime soon.

From Bob Pockrass of Sporting News:

"

'It’s an ongoing debate internally,' NASCAR senior vice president Steve O’Donnell said Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. 'It’s given people a lot of opportunities to get in the sport.'

'We don’t allow point selling. That’s been our philosophy…There’s a lot more to it that goes into it other than a piece of paper that you may or may not see in terms of forming a partnership. It’s a challenge explaining it, it’s a difficult thing to explain to the fans. We get that. But we’ve got to have healthy car owners out there.'

"

If anyone is going to qualify for a race due to point transferring, Patrick's inclusion in the race is better for the sport than any other driver.

Purists may not like it, but Patrick is a marketable driver with serious crossover appeal.

And yes, it is because she is a woman, and yes, it helps that she is attractive and has a visible presence due to her GoDaddy.com ads.

In a sport lacking diversity, a female presence is a good thing.

Patrick's success could only expand NASCAR's fan base, not shrink it. The more races she is a factor in, the more her marketability expands.

Even other NASCAR drivers acknowledge that.

From Viv Bernstein of The New York Times:

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NASCAR, which has felt the effects of the recession in terms of dwindling sponsorship dollars, could have an increase in fan interest and television viewership because of her. And that could be the hook that draws sponsors back to the sport.

'She attracts a lot of attention,' [Dale Earnhardt Jr.] said. 'We need a bit of a rebound in some areas. She can provide that spark, sort of refresh some corporate sponsors’ interest in the sport and do things like that.'

"

For Patrick, it's probably somewhat wearying that she is continuously labeled as a "female driver," rather than simply a driver, but she remains a bit of a pioneer in the sport.

After all, she'll only be the third woman to ever race in the Daytona 500, and, if she actually wins the event, she'll be the first-ever female to win a NASCAR race.

How cool would that be?

And more importantly, how beneficial would it be for the continued expansion of the sport?

Worth a lot more than a few transferred points, that's for sure.

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