Danica Patrick’s full-time move from the IZOD IndyCar Series to NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, as well as her part-time Sprint Cup Series schedule, is one of the most talked-about stories of the 2011/12 off-season. After two part-time seasons with JR Motorsports while running full-time for Andretti Autosport, Patrick’s first full season in Nationwide will be one of the most scrutinized seasons in auto racing in 2012. These are five things I believe will make or break Patrick’s success in NASCAR.
Patience – Patrick will need to have patience going into the season – with herself, with her teams and with her competitors. Things won’t always go right and won’t always go her way – in fact, fans and critics are probably just waiting for the first time “The Stomp” appears in NASCAR. A little patience will go a long way in proving to the nay-sayers that she’s serious about being a championship driver in NASCAR.
Listen to voices of experience – Patrick has worked well with Tony Eury Jr. the past two seasons in the Nationwide Series, and in the Cup Series in 2012, she’ll have championship-winning crew chief Greg Zipadelli in her corner as part of the Stewart-Haas Racing/Tommy Baldwin Racing conglomerate. These are two men she can learn a lot from, as are her teammates and car owners.
Build stamina – Patrick is going from a 17-race IndyCar schedule coupled with a dozen Nationwide races to a 43-race schedule in 2012 (33 Nationwide and 10 Cup Series), doing “double-duty” between the two series on most weekends. Patrick will need to build her stamina as she prepares for much longer races than she is used to (save the Indianapolis 500).
Let her racing do the talking – yes, she’s a GoDaddy girl, known for her provocative commercials and magazine spreads, but that won’t go far in NASCAR – she’ll need to let her actions on the track speak for her. She became more comfortable with the heavier cars last season, improving her average finish from 28.0 in 2010 to 17.4; she also led laps at Daytona and finished fourth at Las Vegas, the highest finish by a woman in NASCAR’s top three series.
Be natural – Patrick is very good in front of the camera and with fans, and she is a talented driver – as long as she continues to do what feels natural to her, she’ll make an impact in NASCAR – and a positive one at that.
Paula is a long-time auto racing fan who also covers the sport at Examiner.com and Skirts & Scuffs.