Danica Patrick and Daytona? A definite maybe
Kenny Bruce
Kenny Bruce is a three-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association's George Cunningham Writer of the Year Award. He joined Street & Smith's Sports Group in 2001.
We now know that Danica Patrick will attempt to qualify for Nationwide Series races Feb. 20 at Auto Club Speedway and Feb. 27 at Las Vegas, but the IndyCar driver left the door open concerning the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.
Patrick, who is scheduled to make her stock-car racing debut in the Feb. 6 ARCA event at DIS, said there was “support across the board” for either entering or skipping the Nationwide race at Daytona.
“We don’t want to overcommit and underdeliver at this point,” she said. “But it is an option.”
With a limited amount of seat time behind her, Partrick can ease into the series by making her debut on the West Coast, minus all the hoopla and pressure that typically comes with the season’s first stop.
That would appear to be the wise move. But don’t be surprised if sometime between now and February, Patrick’s name is added to the Daytona entry list. Her continued focus on her IndyCar career means that Patrick has a limited number of NASCAR Nationwide races in which she can compete. Which also means limited exposure for the team’s primary sponsor.
With that being the case, it would be surprising if the team opts out of the series’ first, and biggest, race of the season.
