Patrick should make Nationwide debut at DIS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick had fun in her stock-car debut Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. She parked her car in the ARCA garage on four fully-aired tires with four fenders still on it and it was impounded as the sixth place finisher.

In only 200 miles during her first stock-car race, the season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, Patrick experienced just about everything she'd ever witness in any stock-car series in the world.

So mark my words, she'll make her NASCAR debut at the same venue, a week later, in next Saturday's Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race.

Saturday night Patrick got loads of experience -- both eyes and ears full -- in 80 laps of ARCA racing, punctuated by plenty of caution laps, a red flag and even a wild, partially hands-free spin through the tri-oval grass.

In that episode, which started when she refused to lift and concede a position to Nelson Piquet Jr., she drove the hell out of her No. 7 Chevrolet.

"What happened was we came out of [Turn] 4 and people were kind of checking-up, slowing down," Patrick said, in her typical matter-of-fact style. "I went to the inside and he was kind of dropping back, he tried to cut back over to get in line and I was down there. I couldn't go below the yellow line to pass so I just held my line, and it collected us.

"I could've either backed off and give it up or keep my foot in it and make him react to me."

She kept the car off the outside wall at least once and kept it relatively under control when she went from the track apron across the wide grass patch inside the tri-oval to the end of pit road -- where she regained full control and rejoined the race.

Patrick, who's been remarkably calm and extraordinarily patient at every step of her two-month stock car adventure, showed that all day and into the ARCA night. After the spin, she pitted twice to repair and re-arm her bright green, white and orange race car.

She restarted the race with 16 laps to go in the 23rd spot. Never raised her voice, never screamed a question, never had a bit of doubt except maybe for exactly how far back up the line she'd been able to march.

"Did I make it up to fifth even?" she asked a mob of media who gathered behind her hauler.

Indeed she did, passing defending race winner James Buescher on the inside with less than six laps to go. The amount of experience that Patrick had gained in only 74 laps was amazing to see.

And Buescher, who's only 19 and one of the most promising youngsters on the scene today, was a witness to it. And he liked what he saw from the woman he'll race at least 12 times this season and more than likely 13.

"She learned throughout the race," Buescher said. "Early on, right after we got through our pit cycle she was next in line behind me and she went to the outside and she was going to try to make something work with me -- she was actually the only one that stayed committed to the outside with me for more than a lap. So that was a good thing, except she wouldn't get right up on my bumper, early in the race."

For Patrick -- obviously a quick study -- all it took was time, Buescher said.

"Late in the race, whenever we were all drafting and she got back up in the front, she was able to get up on my bumper and push me quite a bit, so she learned an awful lot about drafting throughout the race and I think it helped her."

In a lot of ways, the ARCA race was a warm-up for every aspect of Daytona's Speedweeks. Very few people know exactly where they're going, or what they're doing or what the procedure of the day is.

And so it was in the case of "Danicamania." Initially only two media members had crew chief Tony Eury Jr. cornered to register his opinion on the night. The group swelled before Patrick came out of the trailer, prompting an instant switch even in mid-question to Eury Jr., who'd patiently answered most of them at least twice already.

Keeping composure

Danica kept the car off the outside wall at least once and kept it relatively under control when she went from the track apron across the wide grass patch inside the tri-oval to the end of pit road.

• Video: Patrick impressive
• Patrick finishes sixth

After the first shift, three-deep and at least eight people wide had finished with Patrick, she turned to the back of the lift gate to address some latecomers and a smaller group addressed JR Motorsports' general manager Kelley Earnhardt.

Earnhardt staunchly maintained the company line on the decision of whether or not to do the Nationwide race as Patrick's alone.

"It's totally her decision," Earnhardt said. "I don't know if one race is gonna put it in the bucket for her so she's going to have to think about that. She probably, right now, would be like 'Hell yes, let's go' because she's beaming with excitement. But take the night to think about it."

But look at it this way. Knowing what he knows about racing at Daytona, racing in the Sprint Cup-laden Nationwide Series and knowing how little stock car experience his driver has, Eury Jr. wants to run next Saturday.

"We'll just keep talking and she'll keep asking questions [but] Saturday was the most homework she could do as far as getting ready for a [Nationwide] race or California," Eury Jr. said. "If she decides she wants to come next week that would be great, if she don't that's great, we'll go to California and have a good time. I'm just glad to be around her and it's cool.

"I would love for her to come back here and run next week. I think she can do it. I mean, are you going to come out here and run top-five in a Nationwide race? You'd have to have a lot of luck. But to come down here and get experience -- I think she showed right there at the end that she's very capable of knowing how to draft and how to do it."

Earnhardt, knowing the financial windfall that comes with the whirlwind of attention constantly swirling around Patrick -- not to mention her brother, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. who'll be her teammate next weekend -- wants her to run.

"I'm ecstatic," Kelley Earnhardt said. "I think she showed us she was able to drive, definitely. One time I seen her up on the high side, and then she pulled down low and I'm thinking 'come on, let's pull off an Earnhardt and pass 18 cars in three laps and win this thing.'

"But she did fantastic for her first stock car race. She was aggressive, didn't back out of it and we brought home a good finish. The team did a great job and the communication was there, she was asking a lot of questions and learning a lot.

"I'm 50-50. I want to see her out there doing it, because this is what we signed up to do but at the same time there's a lot of experience out there that I don't know if she's ready for and you're not going to know until she gets out there so it's just going to be something that we all discuss and think about."

Patrick herself, with very little time in stock cars and equally as few hours as a member of the JR Motorsports ensemble; showed she knows everything about being the best teammate possible.

"I don't think I've made any decisions on Saturday, I'll be thinking about [Saturday] and what I can do better," Patrick said of the coming decision. "We've not talked at all about what's going on next weekend. We needn't forget that Kelly's [Bires] running the whole season and it's me or him [next weekend].

"He's been a great teammate and we haven't made any decision."

But concern over Bires' chance at the championship is moot, according to Kelley Earnhardt.

"Kelly is probably not going to get a full season in regardless of whether or not he starts the 300 for us because of some other economic issues on down the way for us with the schedule," Earnhardt said. "I'd like to see him be in the 300 because we signed him up first and that's what he wants to do, but we'll just have to see if that works out."

"Pops" Eury spent Saturday back in North Carolina, shining up the cars that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a JR teammate will drive next weekend. He couldn't add a voice to the debate, but he's a racer. He wants Patrick here.

A record six women started the ARCA race, yet the one with the least experience, Patrick, led the way at the end. What she learned was significant, and her enthusiasm was infectious.

From this angle, I'd say it's a lock Buescher and Patrick will be drafting together next week when Nationwide Series practice starts -- with Earnhardt Jr. thrown in for good measure.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.