Demanding Big Money Will Make Patrick's Move Into NASCAR Even Tougher For Her

She is back in the news today, proving once again that in a world fueled by hype and volume, you can squeeze a heck of a lot of publicity out of modestly meager amounts of success. Yep it’s Danica Patrick.

The latest is just a rumor but what the heck, why should Paris Hilton be the only one having fun? Let’s run with it.

The rumor is that Danica is close to signing a deal that would put her into equipment owned by Rick Hendrick and satellite team JR Motorsports. The deal is part-time and would be for races in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Trucks series.

All this while still running a full IndyCar Series schedule for Andretti Green Racing, with whom Patrick just signed a new contract.

Here is the good/sad part; good if you are Danica and her people/bad if you are one of those sports fans who are becoming less fanatical about sports because you can no longer relate to absurd amounts of money being shoveled at athletes in a time when real working people are having to hold bake sales to pay their mortgages.

Danica is reportedly asking for $300,000 per race. That’s $300K for each Nationwide race and another 300 for each truck race. And if she does both in the same weekend, that would be, $600,000 or, about $100,000 per hour—if, and this is a big if, she stays on the track the whole time.

Oh, that ought to go over big with her “peers” in those series. In one weekend, Patrick would pocket more than the average Nationwide driver makes in a year and what some veteran Camping World drivers make in a career.

Ugg.

Patrick’s move to NASCAR was not going to be easy to begin with. She is going to face varying amounts of hostility every time she sets foot in the garage. Some of that hostility, yes, from old dudes who just do not think women should be racing automobiles.

But also hostility from those who still believe in dues-paying. That is, those who think that getting a good ride in NASCAR should come only after drivers have had to eat a little dust and absorb a little motor oil in stock-car racing’s backwaters.

It is that belief on the part of some fans that is right now standing between Jimmie Johnson and wild popularity. It is that belief that causes people to boo Kyle Busch during pre-race introductions and continue to boo Jeff Gordon about everywhere he goes.

At a bare minimum, some – in the garages and in the grandstands – believe that a driver should show some sort of talent, be able to present some tangible proof of their worthiness in their current gig, before moving over to the Big Show. It is why Juan Pablo Montoya and Sam Hornish Jr. were at least granted some dispensation when they came from open-wheel to NASCAR – they were terrific in their old jobs and then they came over to race in places like ARCA after deciding to give stock cars a whirl.

Patrick’s transition to NASCAR is going to be tough enough. In the garages and on the tracks.

If she is seriously asking for the kind of money being reported, the transition is going to be even tougher. And, if somebody steps up to pay her that kind of money, they may want to put a little bit more aside to fix the crumpled equipment which is sure to result as it is doubtful that very few of the boys will be opening doors for her.

Jim Pedley is managing editor of Racin’ Today. Read more NASCAR news at racintoday.com.

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