Daytona 500 2012: Danica Patrick Brings Tremendous Spotlight to NASCAR

Not that the Daytona 500 needed help in the popularity department, but Danica Patrick is here to take NASCAR to whole new level. 

Save your complaints that Danica Patrick is not a marquee name when you consider legacy, experience and results. All of that is better reserved for another article. 

Patrick is getting a great deal of run ahead of her start at the Daytona 500, and the first full season in the Nationwide Series. 

Incidentally, things went from hype to over-hype when she landed the pole position in that very Series on Friday. 

She drove a very fast lap of 49.250 seconds around the speedway, averaging 182.741 mph. It's a remarkable start at Daytona that is a historic moment for the sport as well. 

The ESPN report issues: 

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Patrick became the first woman to secure the top qualifying spot in NASCAR's second-tier series since Shawna Robinson at Atlanta on March 12, 1994.

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Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle will be out in front to start Sunday, with Patrick quite a ways away in the pack, but that doesn't mean she will not steal a ton of the limelight. 

That should be fine for hard core fans that are far more intrigued by the favorites to win the race and guys like Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. 

That doesn't mean any of the hype surrounding Patrick is bad, because it's actually fantastic. The sport has been growing over the past decade and is on the cusp of breaking through to become a major sport in this country. 

You can't say that we are there yet, but a driver like Patrick that commands a great deal of attention from the mainstream will highlight the best and brightest in this sport. 

That is not to sell Patrick short either. She can prove to be a vital part of that best and brightest too, and would only serve to bring an even bigger audience with her. 

I will be rooting Patrick on at the Daytona 500, because her story is great for the sport. 

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