Danica Patrick might have been better off beginning her NASCAR career in one of the developmental series, such as the NASCAR K&N Filters East and West series. At this point it looks like she would have been better off getting a NASCAR education in the Drive for Diversity program. She has had two attempts to show her stuff to the world in the NASCAR Nationwide series and so far it is not so impressive.
She makes a lot of comments about learning, about how she struggles to communicate what the car is doing, how, she needs to figure things out. In one breath she says she is used to running up front and in the next she admits she would be happy just to finish. At the end of the race at the Auto Club Speedway, she let her team know she sucked, but chances are good both team and fans already knew this.
NASCAR wanted her to be a star, right alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hopes were high she would generate more interest in the sometimes slumping TV and radio ratings. In that respect she has been a success in NASCAR; she has and is continuing to generate interest. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like she is ready to transition straight from the IndyCars to the NASCAR Nationwide series.
Going from Indy to NASCAR does not always seem to be such an easy transition and some drivers struggle with it more than others. Even simple things can trip up and Indy Car driver. For instance NASCAR’s technology is a bit behind the times, not saying that’s bad, just the way it is. I am sure that was frustrating for Patrick to get a couple of “speeding tickets” going down the pit road. She alluded to the fact that the instruments or calculations were off, but maybe she was off, maybe she is adjusting to the fact that there is no cruise control in NASCAR.
Had Patrick started in the NASCAR K&N Filters West or East she still would have brought the interest to NASCAR that the sanctioning body wants. She could have been a big fish in a little pond and she probably could have been upfront (that area where she claims she is used to running) and winning. Some may say, “Ah, but we saw what happened to Sarah Fisher in the West”—but Fisher never had the top of the line equipment, some races she had new spotters making bad calls, i.e. Phoenix. I suspect the Patrick would have been in the better stuff, with experienced spotters.
It would have been huge for not only Patrick, but for the often overlooked NASCAR developmental series. NASCAR missed the boat on this one.
If she isn’t careful Patrick will be stuck as a little fish swimming in NASCAR’s great big pond. I have no doubt that she can win races in NASCAR, but will she be able to withstand the pressure of underperforming until she gains the experience she needs to get her to victory lane?
