Danica Patrick: 10 Bold Predictions for the Rest of Her 2011 Season
Hanging out with the guys is nothing new for Danica Patrick, as NASCAR awaits her announcement to come trade paint full time with the boys who "have at it" with stock cars.
Patrick will be returning about once per month to drive the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports until the IndyCar season wraps up.
In 2010, the petite dynamo ran 13 NASCAR Nationwide races and this season she is running 12 races in the series.
Patrick wants to win the Indianapolis 500, but this year she finished 10th. Should she make the move to NASCAR, she will still try to run at least one more Indy 500.
The GoDaddy.com girl will have only about two thirds of a full season's worth of stock car experience at the conclusion of 2011.
She has shown that she is a quick study with all the changes she faced not only with the fendered cars, but the NASCAR lingo and learning that she can actually push other cars by bump drafting.
So much is different between the open-wheel cars and Nationwide cars. Some drivers have really found it difficult to make the transition.
Patrick has fun with NASCAR and she is intense about proving she can drive stock cars and drive them well.
Let's take a look at some bold predictions regarding how Patrick's racing endeavors will play out during the rest of this year.
1. Pesky IndyCar Road Courses
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Danica Patrick has made no secret of the fact she doesn't really like racing on the road/street courses. With the conversion of the Montegi track in Japan, the open-wheel series will now run 10 curvy courses and seven oval races this year.
Patrick wants to race ovals and NASCAR is the place to do that. Though there is a splattering of road-course races in Nationwide and Cup series, she will get to run those ovals.
This is just one more factor that will influence Patrick's decision to move to NASCAR full-time in the 2012 season.
2. She's Got the Beat
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Danica Patrick returned to the NASCAR Nationwide series in the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend after being away from stock car racing since the Bristol Race March 19.
She quickly got her rhythm back and bettered her goal of finishing in the top 15 when she secured a 10th place finish at Chicagoland.
Those who thought she may need to be retrained may have another think coming. She has retained all that she has learned in NASCAR and she will continue to show solid finishes in the Nationwide races throughout the rest of the season.
3. Popularity
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The fan base for Danica Patrick will continue to grow as she runs more NASCAR races. Her presence is great for NASCAR regardless of how she finishes races.
The fans who consider themselves naysayers will slowly, but surely begin to diminish as Patrick proves she is a woman serious about proving herself in stock car racing.
One day her fan base just may rival that of the sports eight-time Most Popular Driver who happens to be an owner of her Nationwide car.
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4. GoDaddy.com
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The petite brunette became a media darling with her GoDaddy.com commercials. Some disapprove of the suggestive intent, but many more love to watch them.
Danica Patrick is the full marketing package who also drives race cars pretty well. GoDaddy.com will stick with her regardless of where she chooses to race.
It would be best for GoDaddy.com to urge her into full time with the NASCAR Nationwide series and on to Cup racing as soon as possible. The exposure for their company is much better with NASCAR.
She will make the move to stock cars and GoDaddy.com will solidly have her back as they cash in on her career move.
5. Points
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No, Danica Patrick won't win the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Championship, but considering she is only running 12 races this season, she will finish 17th or better in the final standings.
After the race at Chicagoland Speedway, her fifth race in 2011, she is ranked 25th in the points.
6. Fun Factor
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Danica Patrick has fun with the stock cars and she has learned how to communicate well with her team which is a much different adventure than she experiences at Andretti Autosport with her IndyCar.
The fun factor is high for her in NASCAR and that will be reflected in good finishes with the Nationwide car as she tries to prove her ability.
Her goal at the start of the season was to finish races in the top 15. She has shown some finishes better than that especially the fourth-place finish at Las Vegas.
A happy Patrick will finish in the top 10 at least three of the next seven races and one of them will be a top-five finish.
7. NASCAR Won't Be All Fun
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The balance of the 2011 season will have highs and lows for Danica Patrick in the NASCAR Nationwide series.
It is inevitable she will get caught up in a crash with the biggest chances being at Daytona in July and the road-course race at Montreal in August.
I'll boldly predict that even if she is caught up in a crash or spin, she will not have any DNF's this season.
8. Last Full IndyCar Season?
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This may well be the last full season for Danica Patrick in the Izod IndyCar Series. She still wants to take a shot at winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2012 even if she moves to NASCAR.
Despite having to run the many road/street courses with her open-wheel car during the balance of this season, she will give each race her best effort.
Andretti Autosport struggled with equipment at the Indy 500 and hopefully they will give her strong cars to compete with.
At the end of the 17 race season for her in IndyCar, she will finish in the top 10 of the point standings.
9. Media Attention
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It confounds many why Danica Patrick garners so much media attention, but the fact is she does and will continue to do so.
The announcement of her future plans so far as coming full time to NASCAR is probably still a few months away.
If you thought the media attention was a bit much when it was announced she would drive part time for JR Motorsports in 2010, you haven't seen anything.
Media will pursue her in the IndyCar series hoping to get an indication of her future plans.
Once she makes the announcement, especially if it favors NASCAR, the stories will abound as will the speculation regarding her Cup plans as well.
There is just no getting around it. Patrick will be the media darling for some time to come and coverage of her every move will be followed.
10. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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If Danica Patrick does make the predicted move to NASCAR, she wants to eventually move to the Sprint Cup Series.
Toward the end of this season you will begin hearing talk about where she will run a couple Cup races while she is racing full time in the 2012 Nationwide Series.
Hendrick Motorsports has a full stable and JR Motorsports is not geared up for a Cup team at this point or even next year.
Tony Stewart has made it clear that he eventually wants to expand Stewart-Haas Racing to four cars. He has the support of Hendrick Motorsports and could be considered Hendrick Motorsports Light.
It would seem the rumor mill will crank up as 2011 rolls on and there will be talk of Patrick driving a Cup car for Stewart-Haas. She will not only continue with GoDaddy.com sponsorship which Mark Martin currently has at HMS, but Hendrick equipment as well.
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