Danica Patrick: What Is She Thinking?

Danica expects her foray into stock car racing to be fun and challenging.  Her love of open wheeled racing is still strong, though she was not happy with all that was going on in the IRL.

Stock car racing was on her mind for several years.  During 2009 she plunged in the NASCAR pool by making serious contacts with various teams. 

Tony Stewart sounded interesting, but the Go Daddy connection to the most popular driver in NASCAR held an undeniable draw.  Dale Earnhardt Jr, JR Motorsports and Danica could be the new dream team.

The deal was in place and with some light testing, she now faces an actual race at Daytona in the ARCA series.

New terms like NATIONWIDE, SPRINT CUP and ARCA have become part of her vocabulary.  Does she ever wonder what ARCA means?  The Automobile Racing Club of America, now in it's 58th season is her avenue of choice for entry to stock car racing.

Danica has a fiery personality.  Encounters in the testosterone filled Nationwide series may be a little rougher than with the IRL boys.

Will a language barrier between her and Tony Eury Jr. cause her to miss a pit stop?  Will setup on a car be off because of the difference between "Yaw" and "Ya'll"?

Tony Eury Jr. is back in the spotlight.  He faced criticism with Dale Jr. and now he has to fast track Danica.  Will he be up to his assigned task?

The attractive media darling may think finishing in the top 20 is a good thing in NASCAR.  She knows much better finishes are expected.

Winning in the IRL will become a priority to back up her gas mileage win and prove her talent in that series.

Danica has to be concerned about smooth pit stops.  When should she slip the clutch a little to get in gear and leave the pit stall?

What is the threshold of knowing your cold tires are going to stick when coming up to racing speed in a stock car?

When do you actually bump the car in front of you at 150 mph plus?  It sounded so easy and Danica thought she could do it until Tony Jr. told her to go for it.

Will performance anxiety rear it's ugly head at an inappropriate moment?

What if by some odd twist, one of the other attractive, young women of ARCA happens to win the Daytona race?  Humiliation would reign supreme after all the hype.

Fat pay checks and money flowing from marketing ventures provide consolation for any racing failures.  Danica is a racer at heart.  She wants to do well and make good runs in  IRL and NASCAR.

Should she fall short of talent driving the heavy, fendered cars she still has a soft place to land with the IRL. 

Danica is about to embark on quite a ride with NATIONWIDE series.  She has a light hearted attitude taking the races one by one and counting on positive outcomes.  Hopefully she will do well and she is serious about driving stock cars. 

In the quiet moments, when Danica is alone we can't help but wonder what she is thinking.