Danica Patrick: The GoDaddy.com Driver Talks Daytona and Her NASCAR Gig

It seemed a long time coming, but it was only two partial seasons in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that convinced Danica Patrick to jump the IndyCar ship and focus on her goals with stock car racing.

She is ready to run for wins and top-five finishes in the second tier of NASCAR: Her Cup goals after Daytona aren't quite so lofty.

The GoDaddy.com sponsored driver will be wheeling the No. 7 for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series for the full schedule. She will drive the No. 10 out of Tommy Baldwin Racing for 10 Cup races.

The No. 10 is technically a Stewart-Haas prepared car with Hendrick Motorsports power. Greg Zipadelli, competition director at SHR, is listed as race strategist for it.

"It's kind of a relief for me to be able to focus just on NASCAR," said Patrick. "I have a lot to learn. The best preparation I have for Cup is running Nationwide all the time.

"At Daytona the cars are very fast, I feel good about that race (Daytona 500). I think there is a real chance, if luck falls our way, to perhaps win. Trevor Bayne last year showed that."

After Daytona, it is all about seat time in her remaining Cup races.

She wants to just finish races and hope to make the top 20 while she is learning.

During the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour, sponsored by Charlotte Motor Speedway, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart said Patrick is so good at processing information.

"She can explain things very accurately," he said. "I think her feedback is excellent.

"She knows that she can drive a racecar. It's just a matter of how long it's going to take her to learn how to handle a heavier car.

"She was more confident in the two-car pack (at Daytona testing) than I was. She is very good at analyzing what goes on, on a race track."

Patrick is a very confident person. She addressed the media with comments about those who doubt her ability and criticize her regarding the revealing commercials and photo shoots she has done.

"I do what feels comfortable to me and I want to be authentic," she said. "I'm a girl, so to say that I can't use being a girl doesn't make any sense.

"I've been around for a long time. There are going to be people that like me and people that don't like me. It's important to have people that cheer for you and against you."

Negativity really isn't a factor to this driver. She believes if she constantly challenges herself and continues to break new ground, people's doubt in her ability won't matter.

"All I can do is get the most out of myself that I can possibly do," she said.

Certainly, the GoDaddy.com driver is one who breaks ground in racing. She was the first woman to win a major open-wheel race at Motegi in 2009.

Patrick finished fifth in the IndyCar points during 2009—the highest finish for a woman—and placed third in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, also the highest finish for a woman in that race.

In March of 2011, she finished fourth in a Nationwide race at Las Vegas— the highest finish for a woman in any NASCAR national series race.

Patrick has steadily improved with her outings in the second-tier series of NASCAR. Having made three starts at Daytona, she finished 35th in February 2010, 14th in February 2011, and 10th in July of last year.

The Indianapolis 500 is the Super Bowl of IndyCar racing and comes after the open-wheel series is well underway.

"I think it's quite smart to start out the season with such media coverage, and it starts to develop storylines," said Patrick. "People can start to follow it because there is a long season ahead."

Nine of the 10 races that Patrick is scheduled to run in the Sprint Cup series have been announced.

She is concentrating on tracks that might be the toughest for her and she will be racing in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Might the Brickyard be the 10th?

"It would be great to go there and do the big NASCAR race and be around," she said. "I love that track—it's my favorite track. So that's a great idea. I'll talk to them about that."

Patrick revealed she is "just really ready" for the year ahead.

"I'm excited about the season—I'm excited about the racing," she said. "I'm a little bit nervous, too, because I want to do well.

"I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity I do with two fantastic teams. That's all you can ask for as a driver—to have good racecars and good crew chiefs."

The driver of the No. 7 Nationwide Chevrolet has gained respect and friendship from her fellow drivers in that series.

Patrick knows she has to get comfortable and faster with the Cup car while learning what the limits are and that only comes through experience.

Look for the GoDaddy.com driver to be a tough competitor in the Nationwide series during 2012.

With Stewart being her primary mentor, she should be a quick learner in Cup racing.

All quotes in this article were obtained in person or by official press releases unless otherwise noted.