Did Danica Patrick manage to impress you with her driving skills at the Daytona 500?
Following a 2012 season spent learning the ropes of stock car racing in NASCAR's Nationwide series, along with a few starts in the Sprint Cup, Patrick made her real major league debut last weekend. And she did it on the iconic, yet intimidating, 2.5-mile long Daytona International Speedway, with up to 31-degree banking!
This year, she is racing for Stewart Haas. As it turns out, the gruff and grumpy Tony Stewart seems like a good mentor, providing useful advice and sincerely wishing her success. In fact, some would say that Stewart has taken Patrick under his wing and given her the tools to become a fearsome driver, starting with a fast car.
Heck, she shocked everyone by winning the pole position a week earlier. Any other rookie would likely have been crushed by all the pressure and media attention, but Patrick kept her cool and remained totally focused, ignoring the buzz and the hype we now know as “Danicamania.”
As for the race, I thought her performance was pretty solid. Patrick stayed in the top 3 until a long pit stop pushed her down the grid. However, she persevered and made it back to 3rd place with fewer than 10 laps remaining.
With just over two miles to go, Patrick must have listened to her inner voice (or the crew chief's over the radio), because she played it safe instead of risking a bold move and jeopardizing her chances of finishing the race. She eventually crossed the line in 8th place.
If you ask me, Patrick has cleared any shadow of a doubt left, and proven that she can go neck and neck with the best NASCAR drivers. She became the first woman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500, lead a Sprint Cup race for at least one lap, and finish this close to the podium.
Patrick has made a believer out of me with her flawless driving -- much like when she avoided all the traps and flagrant mistakes in Montreal last summer, returning to the pits after the race with one of the rare, undamaged cars.
If Patrick feels confident on oval speedways, she's bound to also make her mark on road courses later this year. Will she ever win a race? Based on what I've seen recently, she most certainly can.
Following a 2012 season spent learning the ropes of stock car racing in NASCAR's Nationwide series, along with a few starts in the Sprint Cup, Patrick made her real major league debut last weekend. And she did it on the iconic, yet intimidating, 2.5-mile long Daytona International Speedway, with up to 31-degree banking!
This year, she is racing for Stewart Haas. As it turns out, the gruff and grumpy Tony Stewart seems like a good mentor, providing useful advice and sincerely wishing her success. In fact, some would say that Stewart has taken Patrick under his wing and given her the tools to become a fearsome driver, starting with a fast car.
Heck, she shocked everyone by winning the pole position a week earlier. Any other rookie would likely have been crushed by all the pressure and media attention, but Patrick kept her cool and remained totally focused, ignoring the buzz and the hype we now know as “Danicamania.”
As for the race, I thought her performance was pretty solid. Patrick stayed in the top 3 until a long pit stop pushed her down the grid. However, she persevered and made it back to 3rd place with fewer than 10 laps remaining.
With just over two miles to go, Patrick must have listened to her inner voice (or the crew chief's over the radio), because she played it safe instead of risking a bold move and jeopardizing her chances of finishing the race. She eventually crossed the line in 8th place.
If you ask me, Patrick has cleared any shadow of a doubt left, and proven that she can go neck and neck with the best NASCAR drivers. She became the first woman to win the pole position at the Daytona 500, lead a Sprint Cup race for at least one lap, and finish this close to the podium.
Patrick has made a believer out of me with her flawless driving -- much like when she avoided all the traps and flagrant mistakes in Montreal last summer, returning to the pits after the race with one of the rare, undamaged cars.
If Patrick feels confident on oval speedways, she's bound to also make her mark on road courses later this year. Will she ever win a race? Based on what I've seen recently, she most certainly can.
 |
| Photo: Getty Images/NASCAR |