The power of Danica
Bob Pockrass
Bob Pockrass began covering NASCAR in 1992, primarily covering short-track racing and events. He has worked for Street & Smith's Motorsports Group since 2003.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – If you want to see the power of Danica, just take the case of the Hull family from Jacksonville that came to the Automobile Racing Club of America testing on Saturday.
Kristina and Tony Hull brought their young daughter Taylor, 10, to the test at Daytona International Speedway.
“To let her see history is always a good thing,” Kristina said. “To see a woman going forward is important.”
Taylor had 10 surgeries before she was 2, so her mother says she knows something about battling through adversity. Still, she wanted Taylor to see Patrick to know there are no boundaries.
Patrick came over to where a crowd of about 30 people stood and signed a few autographs and took a few pictures and signed an autograph for Taylor.
Granted, there are other women who have raced and are here for the test. But Patrick has won an Izod Indy Racing League Series race, and that goes a long way in establishing her as a trendsetter.
The Hull family recently watched a replay of that race. They have started figuring out how they could save the money to buy tickets to the ARCA event at Daytona in February.
Patrick spent just a few minutes for the fans, but they were appreciative.
“She was very, very friendly,” Kristina Hull said. “It was nice to see her interact with the fans.”
As Patrick signed for her daughter, Hull said what a lot of people (not all, but a lot) are thinking:
“We’re glad to have you hear.”
