Danica who?

By Mike Harper

The 2006 NASCAR silly season has been crazy and flat out silly.

As we sit back and watch the rumors and stories unfold, I actually feel sorry for Jeff Gordon. Doesn’t a win in NASCAR mean anything anymore? It seems that a few names have been tossed into the media spin cycle this week and oh golly look out, NASCAR is a better place because of it! It’s now time for a reality check.

F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has decided to come over to the green pastures of NASCAR and the folks are excited. Don’t get me wrong, everyone in the NASCAR community should be excited, but the aftermath of his announcement should have many of us questioning the motives of others wanting to jump on the bandwagon.

For example, is it coincidental that all the sudden Danica Patrick wants to race in NASCAR? Patrick is in the last year of her contract with IRL team Rahal-Letterman Racing and while it may be a good time to consider following Montoya to NASCAR, I have the strong opinion that NASCAR is being used in a game of "show me the money!"

Its being reported that Patrick’s parents were guests at last weekends NASCAR event in Chicago. Her father T.J. said, "I'm trying to get her here (into NASCAR)," and "we've had some inquiries."

Roush Racing hosted Patrick’s parents, however according to a Roush Racing spokesperson no discussions of having Patrick drive for Roush ever took place.

Patrick’s father is managing her career and would be the person negotiating contracts on her behalf. But since Patrick is one of the most popular drivers in the IRL, wouldn’t it dawn on people that her father tossing out an olive branch to NASCAR teams would only force the IRL and their teams to fight to keep her? In my eyes, her father is using NASCAR as leverage to get what they want in the IRL.

I’ve learned from Patrick herself that she’s not interested in stock cars. In an interview done several years ago, Patrick told the European Car Magazine that being paid to race on ovals beats not getting paid to race, it is still second to road racing. Also, when Ford was very interested in Patrick and having her in a stock car, Patrick said about Ford, "I didn't want to waste their money."

Patrick is motivated to grow the IRL. "I don't feel insecure about being girlie," she told Sports Illustrated. "I do as much media as I can because I want this IRL series to be so kick-butt that NASCAR goes, Huh?"

In March 2006, Patrick was asked about her interest in moving to NASCAR. "It might happen one day, but it might not. I think I have to go where the fun is for me," she said. "I have my family and my friends and NASCAR is just so many races. You race almost every single weekend, it seems like … that you don't have a life. My husband still works a little bit, by no means would I want to be away from him that much. It's all about what makes you happy in your life. And your life is way too short to just work. And so what if you make a lot of money at the end of it, if you can't do anything with it."

Last month Patrick told a Dallas reporter, "Obviously, one of the big draws with NASCAR is money, you can make a lot of money. It's a much bigger schedule, but again, they make that much more money. At some point in time, you have to think about that."

NASCAR, don’t get too excited about Danica Patrick coming into the series. In my opinion, it’s a negotiating ploy and Patrick wants to have her cake and eat it too – in the IRL.