Danica Patrick hopes learning process continues at Michigan
Danica Patrick discussed her NASCAR learning curve Friday at Michigan International Speedway. // Sam Cranston, NASCAR Illustrated
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Danica Patrick’s NASCAR education will continue this week at Michigan International Speedway, where she at least will have company in trying to learn the car as her competitors are using the new Nationwide model for only the second time ever and the first time on the 2-mile oval.
Patrick has competed in five Nationwide races, with a best finish of 24th in her latest outing, last month at Chicagoland Speedway. She will drive eight more this year as part of a two-year deal with JR Motorsports that has her in a Nationwide car for 13 races each season.
Because this is a race featuring the new car, drivers got six hours of practice Thursday before getting an hour of practice Friday for the race Saturday.
Patrick was 26th on the speed chart in final practice Thursday.
“It was good to have a full test day, especially for me not having ever been here in a stock car before,” said the 28-year-old IndyCar Series driver. “It was nice to slowly get up to speed. … I was able to really build up.
“It was an OK day. The quickest time of the day was with the first run that I did, which I’m finding is more familiar with these cars. In an IndyCar, it’s usually the end of the day.”
Patrick said her times got slower as the track heated up and the car was pushing.
One thing that could help Patrick here is she won’t have any preconceived notion as to how the new car should feel on the race track compared with the old car.
“I honestly can’t tell the difference,” Patrick said. “I’ve never been here in the stock car. … Ignorance is bliss on some level, and maybe that will play into the new car.”
Currently 11th in the IndyCar Series standings with five races left in that season, Patrick said her season has been difficult, and she will continue to strive for top-20 finishes on the NASCAR side.
“The same rules apply as any other weekend,” Patrick said earlier in the week. “We need to just try and get into the top 15, 20 and have a really solid day.
“Anything can happen. You can have a really great day and finish in the top 10. You can have a bad day and crash on the first lap. All these things can happen. The top-15, top-20 is realistic for me.”
Patrick’s next race after Michigan will be next month at the 1-mile concrete Dover International Speedway oval. She will then complete the IndyCar Series season the following week and then run the final six Nationwide Series races of the season.
She was talking with JR Motorsports teammate Elliott Sadler on Thursday about her future races.
“He was like ‘Ohhhhh,’ [about Dover],” Patrick said. “Everybody keeps doing that. I don’t know if it will be one of those races I will want to get as much practice as possible and want to be back to next year or if I will say, ‘That is a little tough right now, let’s try something out.’ I have no idea. There are a lot of Nationwide races I haven’t been to yet, so we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Her 2011 schedule is not done yet as she is waiting for the release of the IndyCar and Nationwide schedules.
