Think about it. If Patrick were to race in these two series (full time in Indy and part-time in NASCAR in 2010), it would be a win-win situation for eveyone, including Danica's current boss, Andretti Green Racing in Indy car. Here's how:
The Indy car circuit has 17 or 18 races on its schedule. There is enough "room" for Patrick to get her feet wet rather it be in a Nationwide or a Camping World ride for about another 15-20 races. While travel might be considered a concern, it shouldn't. Patrick most likely uses her current off weeks to do promotional gigs so the extra time on the road should be a non-issue.
Another non-issue is sponsorship. That's the real no-brainer. Whichever team Patrick lends her services to should receive a monster sponsorship deal. I have a feeling that if the dollars are there, you could even see a cross-sponsorship type of deal between the sponsors of Patrick's Indy car ride and her potential NASCAR suitor. Even if the dollars aren't available for that, finding a primary sponsor for her NASCAR ride(s) will be simple. Just set a folding table out along the street and I guarantee a line will form.
NASCAR would win for bringing in such a commodity and Indy Car wins for retaining it's most marketable asset. With Patrick coming aboard the NASCAR brand, I think you would see a jump in interest among females in both NASCAR and Indy Car racing. And I think there would even be a crossover in interest between NASCAR and Indy Car. That's where the biggest benefit of Patrick making this move comes into play.
Her "mentor", Tony Stewart, voiced that it's basically a done deal. Here's what Stewart had to say in Atlanta on Saturday.
"I can pretty much guarantee you that at some point she's going to be over here. I know that's what she wants to do. She looked me straight in the eye and said, 'This is what I want to do, it looks like fun. It looks like a lot of work, but it looks like fun.' I don't think she has some misguided idea that it's going to be easy doing it. She wants to do it the right way. She has he intentions of doing everything right. She's kind of come to us to see how she should go about it."And think about this factor, too. Who better to give advice to Danica than Smoke. Stewart made the jump from Indy Car to NASCAR a decade ago and he's never looked back. Plus, he's won on every level.
One point that Stewart addressed in part of his statement is that Patrick did see that a lot of work was involved. Over her Indy Car career, Patrick has indirectly shown that she's willing to work. I say indirectly because we don't see videos of her at the shop and giving input to the techs working on her ride. We see it in her results. In 2005, Patrick finished 12th in the points, 2006-9th, 2007-7th, 2008-6th and she's currently 5th in 2009. She's willing to put in the work. You can't improve without the will to work.
Stewart is also willing to welcome Patrick to NASCAR. That means everything. You have a former champ and current points leader in your corner.
"I'd love to see her come [to NASCAR]," he said. "I think it would be awesome for our sport if she were to come out here and be successful."A deal between Patrick and Stewart is inevitable. But who would receive the benefit of Patrick's status? If you check out Ed Hinton's article on ESPN.com, the beneficiary would be either JR Motorsports (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) or KHI (Kevin Harvick). Either one would be a good choice. JR Motorsports due to Junior's popularity and KHI because there are Nationwide and Camping World programs that are already well established. And the manufacturer that stands to gain the most is Chevrolet as they are on board with both KHI and JR Motorsports.
This is the perfect mix for the racing world as a whole. Talk about your stimulus package.
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