Better weather permitted a full day of testing at Daytona International Speedway, for Danica Patrick and other ARCA drivers, including drafting practice.
Under the careful guidance of her crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., and her spotter, the diminutive 27-years-old said she had fun learning the ropes of drafting around the 31-degree banked speedway.
She ran almost the entire day for about 83-laps in two different cars. Her biggest challenge was running in close proximity to her rival, almost touching, something that’s not done in IndyCar.
"It's really cool you can run really close with these cars. It's gonna be fun,” she radioed her crew near the end of the session.
Listening to the scanner you could hear the rapport building with her new team. Also, as her confidence in the ARCA stock cars, twice as heavy as IndyCars, grew, she blurted out expletives in the directions of slower cars.
At one point the spotter got on the radio to say that JR Motorsports co-owner and Sprint Cup driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., heard the scanner traffic on his computer and advised everyone to keep the radio chat “PG” – in other words lose the expletives.
As the afternoon session wore on, and her confidence built up Patrick showed she wanted to learn more. “The car seems kind of loose in front of me. I just want to see what happens when I pop the nose out.”
There was even time for joking. Finding a friendly drafting partner is the key to success on the stock car superspeedway.
Patrick jokingly inquired, “if you need friends should I think of giving gifts out there." Eury Jr. might have been a little shocked and drolly replied to the effect, "not if you are leading."
Later, she mocked complained about hunger and Eury Jr. bought it again. She also offered to heat up Krispy Kreme doughnuts on her dashboard.
When the session was about to wrap up she pushed the humor envelope even further, and likely in response to some other adult comments, “is that a pretty rainbow in the sky," to which her spotter replied we're going for "G" rating (which is the mildest movie rating).
With a laugh in her voice she said, “I’m all about the unexpected.” With the good radio relationship she exhibited on Saturday she might surprise her critics.
Under the careful guidance of her crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., and her spotter, the diminutive 27-years-old said she had fun learning the ropes of drafting around the 31-degree banked speedway.
She ran almost the entire day for about 83-laps in two different cars. Her biggest challenge was running in close proximity to her rival, almost touching, something that’s not done in IndyCar.
"It's really cool you can run really close with these cars. It's gonna be fun,” she radioed her crew near the end of the session.
Listening to the scanner you could hear the rapport building with her new team. Also, as her confidence in the ARCA stock cars, twice as heavy as IndyCars, grew, she blurted out expletives in the directions of slower cars.
At one point the spotter got on the radio to say that JR Motorsports co-owner and Sprint Cup driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., heard the scanner traffic on his computer and advised everyone to keep the radio chat “PG” – in other words lose the expletives.
As the afternoon session wore on, and her confidence built up Patrick showed she wanted to learn more. “The car seems kind of loose in front of me. I just want to see what happens when I pop the nose out.”
There was even time for joking. Finding a friendly drafting partner is the key to success on the stock car superspeedway.
Patrick jokingly inquired, “if you need friends should I think of giving gifts out there." Eury Jr. might have been a little shocked and drolly replied to the effect, "not if you are leading."
Later, she mocked complained about hunger and Eury Jr. bought it again. She also offered to heat up Krispy Kreme doughnuts on her dashboard.
When the session was about to wrap up she pushed the humor envelope even further, and likely in response to some other adult comments, “is that a pretty rainbow in the sky," to which her spotter replied we're going for "G" rating (which is the mildest movie rating).
With a laugh in her voice she said, “I’m all about the unexpected.” With the good radio relationship she exhibited on Saturday she might surprise her critics.