Patrick may skip Daytona, make debut at Fontana

By Wire reports
December 18, 2009
08:41 AM EST

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Danica Patrick will ease her way into NASCAR by possibly skipping the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona in favor of a less-stressful debut one week later at Fontana.

JR Motorsports will leave it up to Patrick as to when she will make her series debut.

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Danica Patrick announces the first part of her 2010 part-time Nationwide Series schedule.

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The IndyCar star definitely will race in the Feb. 20 Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway in California and the Feb. 27 Nationwide race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but could wait until after the ARCA event Feb. 6 at Daytona before deciding whether to race in the Nationwide event Feb. 13 at Daytona.

"The biggest decision is going to be made, Danica is going to make [whether to run Daytona]," JR Motorsports director of competition Tony Eury Sr. said. "She doesn't know what to expect. I think she wants to wait until after the ARCA race. She wants to do good. She doesn't want to start off with negative press. If she thinks she can be in the Nationwide race and be a competitive car in the race, I think you'll see her there running.

"If she doesn't think she's quite ready for that after the ARCA race, I don't think you'll see her there. ... Whatever her decision is, we'll be prepared for it."

The Nationwide Series opener is usually stacked with NASCAR's top talent, and Sprint Cup drivers have won nine of the past 10 Nationwide races at Daytona. The lone exception? Martin Truex Jr., who won in 2005 in JR Motorsports car.

"The race is basically a Cup race, some 30 odd drivers in Cup run in it," she said. "So, is that the right time for me to start or not? You only get one grand opening, so I've heard. We want it to be the right opportunity."

Patrick made her first appearance with new boss Dale Earnhardt Jr. since announcing a two-year contract last week to try NASCAR for JR Motorsports, the team owned in combination by Rick Hendrick, Earnhardt, his sister, Kelley, and their cousin, Tony Eury Jr.

Sitting on a stage at JR Motorsports flanked by her new team, she fielded questions from reporters before it was opened up to two preselected fans in attendance, as well as one question submitted through Facebook.

"I don't ever think I've seen as much power up on stage in NASCAR as I do [Thursday]," Kelley Earnhardt said.

She wasn't lying. This partnership combines the most marketable drivers in America's top two racing series, and with it will come a tremendous amount of attention. Patrick, who is used to a low-key IndyCar schedule, joked that she might have to buy a private plane since there were race fans waiting for her when she landed at the Charlotte airport.

Already the pressure is on: one fan in attendance asked Patrick who will win first in 2010, Earnhardt, JRM driver Kelly Bires or Patrick?

"It's probably not going to be me," she joked.

Patrick, 27, is approaching this new venture as an adventure. She signed a three-year contract extension earlier this month with Andretti Autosport that will keep her racing full time in IndyCar, where she is the face of the open-wheel series and relied upon to help boost its popularity.

Patrick, who has just one victory and 16 top-five finishes in five IndyCar seasons, said she's still got a long list of goals for that series -- including winning the Indianapolis 500.

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"I still love IndyCar, and I still want to win the Indy 500 -- I really want to," she said. "I had a feeling years ago that I'm going to win this race, and I still think I will."

But the lure of NASCAR, which offers substantial money-making opportunities and an opportunity for many racers aging out of open-wheel to extend their career, was too much to ignore.

She's had only one real test in a stock car, last week in Florida, but will go directly to Daytona to participate in the three-day ARCA test this weekend.

Patrick is being careful with expectations.

"You've got to take things in small steps. Baby steps," she said. "Lets see if I like it. At this point in time, I like it, but what if I didn't? Then I really look silly. If I like it, OK. And if not, then not. And that's OK, too."

Patrick's team will be led by crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who spent several high-stress seasons with Earnhardt before he was fired at Hendrick in late May. He's now back with his cousin at JR Motorsports, where he was given partial ownership and yet another high-profile crew chief position.

He said he's up for the challenge that will come with helping Patrick, who will try to join Tony Stewart and Juan Montoya as the only open-wheel drivers to find consistent success. Stewart, a former IndyCar champion, is a two-time NASCAR champion, while Montoya, a former CART champion and Formula One driver, made the Chase for the Sprint Cup this past season, his third in NASCAR.

Others have not been so lucky: three-time IndyCar champion Sam Hornish Jr. has yet to find consistency, while reigning IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti lasted just a few months in NASCAR before returning to open wheel.

Eury said they will keep the goals modest for this season.

"If we finish in the top 15 on a weekly basis, and her confidence is up, and we're happy with the results, that's where we've got to look," he said.