It was just a matter of time before Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick would finally shift over to the NASCAR side of the fence. Since 2005, she has emerged into the most recognizable figure in American open-wheel racing. In 2010, following years of rumors of her NASCAR interest, she accepted the challenge and competed in a partial schedule for Junior Motorsports, in affiliation with the powerhouse that is Hendrick Motorsports. While she was less than stellar in most of her outings, which was to be expected, she displayed progress.
In 2011, her progress was manifest after finishing fourth at Las Vegas. While some may indicate that was a fluke, she had a top 10 car for the majority of that race.
Reports have surfaced that she is eyeing a full-time career in NASCAR. She apparently intends to compete in the Nationwide Series in 2012 with a handful of Sprint Cup races before moving up full-time in 2013. Her strong ties with GoDaddy indicate that the company will remain with her throughout her complete transition to NASCAR. GoDaddy is also a partner with Dale Earnhardt, Jr's JR Motorsports, as well as the sponsor for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet currently driven by Mark Martin.
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that Patrick will compete in the Nationwide Series in the No. 7 JR Motorsports car full-time with GoDaddy on the hood and quaterpanels, with Martin in the No. 5 Cup ride for one last hurrah. Patrick would also run the No. 25 for seven races so she can become the rookie contender in 2013. However, we must not forget that Hendrick also has Kasey Kahne under contract in 2012, and is expected to replace Martin in the No. 5 in 2012. Hendrick also indicated that he intends to extend his partnership with Earnhardt Jr. Once again, could there be too much room in the inn for Hendrick.
Hendrick is an exceedingly successful car owner, which is why he tends to attract so many drivers. With that said, he lost Kyle Busch in 2007 and Brad Keselowski in 2009 because he did not have enough room thanks to the four-car cap. It is likely that he may lose out on another driver. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are not going away anytime soon. Earnhardt Jr is just too valuable to Hendrick even if his performance on the track is not up to par. With Martin at the tail end of his career, there is a seat opening up, but who will Hendrick place in the car?
He has Kahne under contract. Kahne is a proven winner at the Cup level, as well as one of the most marketable drivers in the garage. While Patrick is clearly less accomplished than Kahne, she has a sure sponsor in GoDaddy, and is marketable enough to add more. She offers a completely new demographic when it comes to fans as well as sponsors that may be interested in the sport.
The Kahne and Red Bull Racing experiment seems to be working out rather well, much better than I anticipated. Kahne is often faster than Gordon, Martin, and Earnhardt Jr, even though his luck has been poor.
My prediction is...and I am not always correct in my forecasts...but I would not be surprised if Hendrick allows Kahne out of his contract, as he signs on as Red Bull's flagship driver. Meanwhile, Hendrick retains Martin for one more year before he puts Danica Patrick in the GoDaddy Chevrolet. The question is, will it be Hendrick's original No. 5, or will it be Patrick's favored No. 7 (as Robby Gordon may be out of the sport by then)?
2 comments:
Danica's cup ride will go one of two ways. The most likely scenario would be Danica driving a third entry for Stewart-Haas Racing (Hendrick satelite team). Tony has said in the past that for him to expand he would need to fix his own teams sponsorship issues. I'm assuming full time sponsership from GoDaddy for Danica's car coupled with assoiate sponsorship from GoDaddy for Stewart & Newman would accomplish that nicely. Second scenario would be for JR Motosports to field a cup entry.
For another left field scenario, how about Red Bull Racing putting Vickers in the car for one more year and signing Danica to a multiyear deal after that...
It makes sense for Danica to leave Indycar (the IRL is no longer) while she is still popular. At present, she is no longer even the best female driver on the grid let alone a top ten driver in the series. Danica knows this and I'm sure she wants to get out before she is overshadowed by the likes of Simona and Pippa. If she stays in Indycar and continues to be a midpacker then her chances of going to Nascar become less and less. Also, you can drive in Nascar till your 70 and it's much safer then Indycar.
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