Tony Stewart said Danica Patrick’s move to NASCAR is not a matter of if but when.
Earlier this year tongues wagged when IndyCar’s most visible driver showed up at the Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Car race shop. Sure, pundits said “it’s just a negotiation tactic to raise her salary.”
A few weeks ago her present boss, Michael Andretti, told the media that he was very close to a renewal of her contract. It’s pretty much assumed Patrick will continue to race in the IRL for the next few years where she is competitive.
But… This past Monday Patrick returned to SHR and had serious discussions with Stewart. On Saturday, before Cup practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Stewart told the media he’s convinced we’ll see the 27 year-old female in some form of NASCAR.
“I know she’s serious about it,” said the two-time Sprint Cup champ. “ I know that’s what she wants to do.
“She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘This is what I want to do. It looks like fun. It looks like a lot of work but it looks like fun.’ I don’t think she has some misguided idea that it’s going to be easy doing it.
"She wants to do it the right way. [...] I can pretty much guarantee you at some point she’s going to be over here.”
Footnote – Stewart said he was not considering a third car for her next year.
Earlier this year tongues wagged when IndyCar’s most visible driver showed up at the Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Car race shop. Sure, pundits said “it’s just a negotiation tactic to raise her salary.”
A few weeks ago her present boss, Michael Andretti, told the media that he was very close to a renewal of her contract. It’s pretty much assumed Patrick will continue to race in the IRL for the next few years where she is competitive.
But… This past Monday Patrick returned to SHR and had serious discussions with Stewart. On Saturday, before Cup practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Stewart told the media he’s convinced we’ll see the 27 year-old female in some form of NASCAR.
“I know she’s serious about it,” said the two-time Sprint Cup champ. “ I know that’s what she wants to do.
“She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘This is what I want to do. It looks like fun. It looks like a lot of work but it looks like fun.’ I don’t think she has some misguided idea that it’s going to be easy doing it.
"She wants to do it the right way. [...] I can pretty much guarantee you at some point she’s going to be over here.”
Footnote – Stewart said he was not considering a third car for her next year.