Would NASCAR loosen testing ban to land Danica Patrick?
Danica Patrick just may be in a position to make NASCAR do something that no driver currently racing in one of its three national series appears to have the power to do: Change the rules that severely limit testing.
If NASCAR officials want her as badly as they’re said to, will they loosen those restrictions?
As long-time team owner Jack Roush and others have pointed out, Patrick already faces a very difficult path if she tries to move from the Indy Racing League’s light open-wheel machines with high downforce to much heavier stock cars with far less downforce. Just look at the struggles that other former open-wheelers have had.
If Patrick is forced to simply jump behind the wheel of a car in the Nationwide Series without a considerable amount of testing, the effort may be doomed before she ever starts. An hour or two of practice in the car on a race weekend isn’t likely to be nearly enough, no matter how talented a driver may be.
Testing – lots of it – could be key if Patrick’s to make a successful transition, and it will likely take a lot more than simply turning some laps at tracks that don’t host one of NASCAR’s three biggest series. She’ll want to have some time behind the wheel in a car with racing Goodyears, not some knockoff tires that aren’t used in NASCAR, and she’ll want to run on tracks where she’ll be competing.
So do officials with the sanctioning body want Patrick and her marketing power and the diversity she would bring to the sport to at least test the waters? Do they want to give her a fair shot at success? Would anybody benefit if she tries a few races and struggles?
Patrick’s in a rare position of strength in whatever negotiations may be taking place for her to run in at least a few races as early as next year. NASCAR may want her more than she needs it.
It will be interesting to see just how far officials are willing to go to get her.
