Older image of Patrick, before the media frenzy...

Danica-mania as it is being called in the media, the phenomenon that drives most fans crazy. Danica making the decision to drive in two series, full time in Indy and part time in the NASCAR Nationwide and ARCA series’ has grouped her into several categories. Her media attention has become tiresome to most, “Who cares if she’s running 30th!?” I’ve heard many times during a Nationwide Series race..

I came across this article and it really made me want the options of my readers. Like most I have tons of respect for Danica and by any standards it’s not her fault what the media has done with her image. Read the article below from DelawareOnline.com by Mike Finney. Leave us a comment and tell us what you think. We have to agree with him on some points, does Danica need to get used to the ways of NASCAR, bumping and banging is the way of Stock Cars.. Or should she stick with Indy? Let us know below!

Courtesy of DelawareOnline.com

For better or for worse, Danica-mania is heading to Dover International Speedway next month.

The track is taking full advantage of Danica Patrick’s upcoming Nationwide Series race at Dover on Sept. 25, prominently featuring her on billboards and hosting a free question-and-answer session with her prior to her first race at the speedway. Read More

Courtesy of freep.com

Danica Patrick could get lapped — several times — by the good old boys at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn next weekend.

If she notches a top-15 or even a top-20 finish in Saturday’s Carfax 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, well, she’ll have saved some face.

Patrick, who became the first female driver to win a race in a major closed-circuit event at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan in 2008, made a part-time move to stock cars this season. She is driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports and finding the going rough.

The GoDaddy.com girl hasn’t exactly turned heads in NASCAR with her finishes, with a best result of 24th in five Nationwide starts. But she hasn’t hit the panic button, either. Read More

by Tom Bowles via Sports Illustrated

The Danica Patrick show came to New Hampshire this weekend, attempting a NASCAR breakthrough after going 35th, 31st, and 36th in her first three attempts. Racing’s Most Popular female has taken plenty of lumps in her first turns behind the wheel of a stock car, making today’s goal a simple one: stay out of trouble. Just keeping the car in one piece over 200 laps would have been a huge rookie accomplishment.

Too bad that proved Mission: Impossible within the first five minutes. A wreck just seven laps in left her limping home again, running 30th, five laps down after another difficult day. Just how steep is the learning curve ahead, and is there any silver lining to take away a year filled with futility? Here’s a look at five things we can salvage from Danica’s disastrous dip into the world of stock car racing: Read More

Courtsey of HardcoreRaceFans.com

Danica Patrick is returning to the Nationwide Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Saturday’s New England 200, her fourth career start in NASCAR competition.

Patrick made her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Daytona in February after finishing sixth in the ARCA race on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Crashing the No. 7 Go Daddy Chevrolet out of the race at Daytona, Patrick went on to post finishes of 31st at California and 36th at Las Vegas.

  Read More

Courtsey of www.Tennessean.com

In a sport that continues to grow, auto racing also has seen an increase in female drivers. But the sport has yet to see a woman break into the top-tier NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on a regular basis.

While Danica Patrick, perhaps the most well-known of the female drivers, has run in three Nationwide Series this year — at Daytona, Fontana, Calif., and Las Vegas — most women are making their mark in the IndyCar Series and the National Hot Rod Association. That could be about to change. Read More

Danica Patrick could do no wrong in her 2005 debut in the Indianapolis 500.

Her every lap was chronicled as if it bore the historical significance of a lunar landing. And when she seized the lead with 10 laps to go, the 300,000 fans in the stands at Indianapolis Motor Speedway went wild.

Though Patrick finished fourth, forced to conserve fuel in order to complete the distance, it seemed at that moment that the 23-year-old rookie was poised to revive lagging interest in IndyCar racing and redefine what was possible for female athletes.

This past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Patrick was roundly booed — and justifiably so — after blaming a poor qualifying result on her mechanics.

“It’s not my fault,” Patrick said over the public-address system after her 224.217-mph effort landed her 23rd in the 33-car field, barely locking in one of the 24 starting spots awarded the first day of a new two-day qualifying format.

Patrick wasn’t the day’s fastest woman, either, outperformed by two rookies: Ana Beatriz of Brazil, who’ll line up 21st (224.243 mph) in Sunday’s 94th running of the Indianapolis 500, and Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland, who’ll start 22nd (224.228 mph). Read More

Like the United States’ World Cup betting odds against England in the opening game, Danica Patrick’s Indianapolis 500 betting odds have given her a faint chance to win the biggest race in American open-wheel motorsports.  But the former Rookie of the Year has more than a good shot of winning the Indianapolis 500, given her track record here.

Patrick made history with her entrance into the 2005 Indianapolis 500, as she was the fourth woman to race at the Brickyard. Her fourth starting position was the best by a female driver.  She led 19 laps en route to a fourth-place result, which was again the highest by a woman, and she rode her performance at Indy to the Rookie of the Year award, and the first of her four Most Popular Driver awards.

In 2006 and 2007, Patrick finished where she started in eighth place, but 2008 was a mixed bag for her.  First, she won her first career race in Japan, and Indianapolis 500 betting players figured she had a shot at the Brickyard.  Read More

Indy Racing League Q & A: IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick participated in a Q&A session. Here are a few quotes from the interview.

Danica Patrick

• 28-year-old native of Roscoe, Ill competing in her sixth season in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2010.
• Drives No. 7 Team GoDaddy.com car for Andretti Autosport.
• Currently 16th in IZOD IndyCar Series point standings.
• Has qualified in the top-10 in every Indianapolis 500 start and finished in the top-10 in four of her five starts.
• First female driver to lead the Indianapolis 500 when she led 19 laps as a rookie in 2005.

Q. Tomorrow starts the month of May, the shortened month of May. Can you talk a little bit about the compressed schedule. Do you feel more pressure to get up to speed?

DANICA PATRICK: Well, yeah, it’s kind of hard to almost call it a month of May because it’s not. It’s like half of a month. Read More

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – For the first time in the 93-year history of the Indianapolis 500, five females will hit the bricks when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opens for practice this Saturday.

“To have five women enter to qualify in the Indy 500, I think is pretty cool,” said Sarah Fisher who, at 19-years old, was the youngest female driver to race in the 500. “When I started back in 2000, you know it was just me.”

Fisher will be joined in this year’s qualifying with fellow American driver Danica Patrick, Venezuela’s Milka Duno, Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro and Ana Beatriz of Brazil. Read More

Danica Patrick, video game boss?

That’s right, the girl who grew up playing “Mario Kart” is turning polygonal in Activision’s slick new racer “Blur.” Patrick plays one of nine rivals in career mode and according to her at least, “My character will do whatever it takes to put you in your place.” The game features over 50 licensed cars, from the Audi R8 to the Corvette ZR1, and if you beat Patrick’s character in the game, you can swipe her ride for use in both single and multiplayer levels. What she’s driving in “Blur,” though, Patrick won’t say. “We don’t want to spoil it before the game comes out,” she says. “It’s a little bit of a secret, but as you can imagine, I’m a good driver.”

As for her favorite part about virtual racing? “When you crash you can keep going,” Patrick laughs. “You can also hit people, and there’s the ability to fix your car on the go with a mechanic button. You can even shoot off bombs at cars and use boost. Read More