Head2Head: Danica's win

While NASCAR had the week off, IndyCar stole all the national headlines thanks to Danica Patrick winning her first race and becoming the first woman to win in open-wheel history -- a major story NASCAR only dreams it could have.

It was a great moment for open-wheel and Patrick, but again NASCAR is in a bad light, as casual fans around the country wonder if something special like that could ever happen in a stock car. And the answer is, if it does -- it won't be for quite a while.

We have a woman running for President of the United States, the Speaker of the House is a woman, Patrick has won an open-wheel race -- all around us, women are breaking down barriers, except NASCAR, which is still 43 white guys driving around a track.

And the scary thing is, nothing is going to change. It will be years -- decades even -- before a woman is close to winning a Cup Series race. A team will not, and should not, just put a woman behind the wheel to appease a demographic, which means she will need to work her way up -- and the sport is miles away from that happening.

Why would a young girl who is interested in racing look at NASCAR? Who would be her role model? The fact is they are going to follow Danica -- not Kyle Busch.

That's not to say progress isn't there. Chrissy Wallace made her Truck Series debut in Martinsville and this week at Kansas, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Michelle Theriault will race in the truck event. But in reality, they have no chance of winning in the Truck Series, let alone a Cup Series event in the next 10 years.

It's up to the individual teams to make it happen, and right now I just don't see it. So in 2018, when you see women competing for titles in other racing series while NASCAR's popularity drops exponentially because it remains stuck in 1948 -- you'll know why.

Now if you'll excuse me, my daughter and I are going to watch highlights of Danica's win again.

Here's the thing: NASCAR cannot -- and should not -- get into the business of pushing any driver behind the wheel of a truck or stock car. And if that means there isn't a pretty face in Victory Lane, so be it; Jeff Gordon will be there soon enough.

As much as NASCAR cannot spearhead that push, team owners -- the real engine that drives the sport -- also cannot afford to stick the flavor of the month into the driver's seat simply because SportsCenter would go all knock-kneed over a female taking the checkers.

When the time comes that a female straps in, trades paint and wins a Cup Series race, celebrate the achievement -- for what she did on the track. Rest assured, when that happens it will be the culmination of many years of hard work (not to mention she probably will be in top-shelf equipment).

There are many talented females toiling in the touring series and at local tracks. How many of them will ever take the green for a Cup Series race? Who knows -- but it should not be a mandate from the fans, media or hangers-on that NASCAR must have a female to further legitimize itself.

In fact, no one -- male or female -- should be given jack-crap in this sport. There is too much on the line each week to yield for a novice behind the wheel. True, some teams place marketability over driving skills but the fact is that each driver who flips the switch on pit road has immeasurable skills. Right now, all 43 of them in the Cup Series happen to be males.

Those who believe it's time to sow estrogen across the NASCAR landscape should take the time to see that stock-car racing is not behind the curve. NASCAR is doing exactly what it should to continue to grow the sport: allowing the best drivers to compete, regardless of gender.

The next time a female climbs into a Cup Series racecar, it will be because she earned that right -- not because of a media-frenzied initiative.