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March 28, 2024

Danica Patrick a star attraction as NASCAR hits Las Vegas

Patrick looks to make steps forward in final Nationwide Series race before returning to IndyCar Series

nascarfri

Steve Marcus

Danica Patrick, center, signs autographs as she walks from the garage to her car hauler at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, Feb. 26, 2010.

Danica Qualifying

Members of Danica Patrick crew push her car back to the garage during her qualifying run for the Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, February 27, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Danica Patrick: Sam's Town 300 Preview

JR Motorsports driver Danica Patrick previews her final Nationwide race until June.

Danica Patrick at LVMS

Danica Patrick prepares for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Feb. 26, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Following a Friday practice run for this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Series Shelby American at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart told media members he was done talking about rookie Nationwide Series driver Danica Patrick.

But the row of cameras that showed up for Patrick’s press conference along with the souvenirs featuring her name being sold in the stands suggests that NASCAR hasn’t quite gotten its fill of Danica mania yet.

“It’s been huge. It’s been overwhelming. It’s been exciting,” said NASCAR Sprint Series driver Kurt Busch. “I had someone ask, ‘Are you racing Saturday?’ I was like, ‘No, I’ve never thought about racing Nationwide.’ And they said, ‘Well, Danica is.’”

Fans will get their final shot at seeing Patrick in a stock car during Saturday’s Nationwide Series Sams Town 300 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After that, she will switch her focus to the Izod IndyCar Series until June.

Patrick’s next Nationwide Series event won’t be until the NASCAR circuit heads to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 26.

“I was telling the boys I’m kind of sad,” Patrick said. “I really like all of them and I like driving the cars. With the first race when I come back being in New Hampshire, I’m sure we’ll replicate that track; go somewhere similar.

“The more I can drive the car the better. I wouldn’t mind being tested all the time. There’s no end to how much learning you can do.”

After 35th and 31st place finishes in her first two Nationwide Series races, Patrick has started setting baby-step goals for herself, including a top-25 finish in Las Vegas this weekend.

The No. 7 car got off to a good start during Friday’s practice run, as Patrick’s fastest lap time ranked 25th out of 49 cars. Her best time of 30.454 came in .831 seconds off overall leader Greg Biffle.

“What I learned last weekend was not having goals and thinking, ‘I just want to go as fast as I can up front,’ was probably not going to happen,” Patrick said. “Last weekend I finished 31st, so this week we came in saying we want to finish in the top 25.

“We finished the practice session and my team said, ‘You’re top 25, so there you go.’ We’re inching up on it.”

While it seems that everyone can agree that Patrick’s decision to join the Nationwide Series this season is good for NASCAR, veteran driver Jimmie Johnson expressed his fear that Patrick may have made the jump to stock cars from IndyCar too soon.

“I think as a community, she couldn’t be more welcomed,” Johnson said. “I think everyone is excited to see her come to NASCAR and be a part of it. I think the fear comes in with it would have been better for her to have more races in late models before you even get to Nationwide.”

“It’s a very competitive sport and you’d hate to have this great opportunity and the spotlight that is on and not run well. That’s been the big risk in my eyes all along," he said.

“She’s going to draw a ton of media attention and we need to take advantage of this and ride this horse as long as we can," Johnson said. "But if we beat the horse to death before it completes its first lap, it’s going to be bad for all of us.”

But the 27-year-old Patrick says she’s taking things day-by-day and trying to enjoy the experience more than worry about it.

“I’ll feel bad when it’s (the media attention) gone, but I’m grateful for it now. It’s great for the sport and it’s great for me and my sponsors.

“It’s something I can’t control. I’ve done everything I can do to be nice and smile and say hi to every single driver and every single person I see. I hope that (the media attention) doesn’t get in the way of people knowing who I really am.”

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