Daytona Danica Patrick

Daytona Danica Patrick, Danica Patrick, racer, corporate empire, body painter, makes her Sprint Cup Series debut Sunday in the Daytona 500. She’ll be driving for defending and three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart. It takes a fireball to know one. “She’s feistier than I was (as a Daytona rookie),” Stewart said.

Stewart tells a story: “Driving to eat dinner when we were here testing, she was going to beat me to the edge of the parking lot. I’m like, all right, we’ve got a long season to go. I’m going to let you win the first time.”

Hardly anyone lets anyone else win the Daytona 500. Wonder what grizzled veterans or young toughs, all men, will do when they see Patrick’s car in front of them or behind them?

I got your body paint right here … There will be all sorts of eyeballs on Patrick this year for all sorts of reasons as she runs 10 Sprint Cup events. A lot of them will belong to fellow drivers, who express support for her. But will they really like losing to someone who wears a two-piece bathing suit?

“No,” NASCAR great Mark Martin said. “But I don’t want to lose to Carl Edwards, either.” Patrick says the stars will have to align just right for her to win the 500 her first time out. Then again, then 20-year-old Trevor Bayne won last year in his first 500, and his voice is higher than Danica’s.

Danica Patrick Daytona

Danica Patrick Daytona, The buildup for Danica Patrick’s first Daytona 500 began in earnest at Thursday’s annual media day, where auto racing’s sweetheart was saddled with a full schedule of commitments.
Patrick was shuffled from interview to interview, answering questions and shooting promotions for her first full season in NASCAR. She couldn’t even find solitude in the bathroom: an autograph seeker followed Patrick inside and patiently waited for the driver’s signature.

Patrick will make her Sprint Cup Series debut in the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500. It’s the first of 10 races this year at NASCAR’s top level driving for three-time champion Tony Stewart.

She’s also racing for the championship in the second-tier Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports.

Her defection from the IndyCar Series is complete, and Patrick will be the center of the spotlight for Speedweeks at Daytona. She’s fine with it, though, as seven years of running the Indianapolis 500 taught her how to handle intense attention.

“I think that if I had not experienced all the media crazy around this whole part of things it would have been somewhat overwhelming,” she said. “My whole (public relations) team knows how it works and how to organize everything so it’s done effectively and efficiently.

“But I feel good — let’s not forget I’ve been exposed to the Indy 500, which is one of the biggest races in the world, if not the biggest race in the world, and there’s lots of media around that, too, and lots of hype.”

NASCAR has been anxiously awaiting Patrick’s move to stock cars because, as one of the most recognized athletes in the world, she’ll bring attention to the series. “There’s so much interest with Danica coming over to NASCAR, I think it’s going to really broaden our fan base,” Lesa France Kennedy, the CEO of NASCAR sister company International Speedway Corp., said last month.

“When she shows up, it just has a different feel to it. She’s a real dynamic individual to start with and I think it’ll be interesting to see her compete on the track. There’s certainly a spotlight, without a doubt, but she seems to do well with that. She seems to do well under pressure.”

Daytona 500 Patrick

Daytona 500 Patrick, The buildup for Danica Patrick’s first Daytona 500 began in earnest at Thursday’s annual media day, where auto racing’s sweetheart was saddled with a full schedule of commitments.

Patrick was shuffled from interview to interview, answering questions and shooting promotions for her first full season in NASCAR. She couldn’t even find solitude in the bathroom: an autograph seeker followed Patrick inside and patiently waited for the driver’s signature.

Patrick will make her Sprint Cup Series debut in the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500. It’s the first of 10 races this year at NASCAR’s top level driving for three-time champion Tony Stewart.

She’s also racing for the championship in the second-tier Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports.

Her defection from the IndyCar Series is complete, and Patrick will be the center of the spotlight for Speedweeks at Daytona. She’s fine with it, though, as seven years of running the Indianapolis 500 taught her how to handle intense attention.

“I think that if I had not experienced all the media crazy around this whole part of things it would have been somewhat overwhelming,” she said. “My whole (public relations) team knows how it works and how to organize everything so it’s done effectively and efficiently.

“But I feel good — let’s not forget I’ve been exposed to the Indy 500, which is one of the biggest races in the world, if not the biggest race in the world, and there’s lots of media around that, too, and lots of hype.”