Danica not coming to NASCAR (for now), signs 3 year IRL deal

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Danica Patrick is staying in the IndyCar Series.

The Indianapolis Star reported on its Web site, Indystar.com, that Patrick signed a three-year contract to remain with Andretti Green Racing during last weekend's Indy Racing League event at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. She will continue to drive the No. 7 car with a Motorola sponsorship.

This does not necessarily mean stock cars are out of Patrick's future. Earlier this month Tony Stewart, a former IRL veteran himself, said that he knows Patrick is also "serious" about competing in NASCAR.

"I know that that's what she wants to do," Stewart said. "She looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Hey, this is what I want to do. It looks like fun — it looks like a lot of work, but it looks like fun.'

"I don't think she has some misguided idea that it's going to be easy doing it. She wants to do it the right way. She has the intentions to do everything right."

Patrick could try to race part-time in the Trucks or Nationwide series even while maintaining her IRL ride.

Patrick could not be reached for comment Thursday night, the Star said.

Patrick, 27, is completing her third season with AGR and her fifth in the IRL overall. She is fifth in the standings, tops among AGR drivers. Her only win in the series came 17 months ago in Japan.

~FOXSports

I still have hopes of seeing her in a Roush Fenway Nationwide entry at some point next year...

I'm kinda surprised that this news is not on Danica's or Andretti Green Racing website.

ok if she's gonna come over to stock car racing she better start going part time now so she'll atleast have a chance to deserve a cup ride

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Danica signed to stay in IRL? she ain't saying: Danica Patrick refused Wednesday to confirm widespread reports that she's agreed to a three-year extension of her IndyCar contract with Andretti Green Racing. Asked specifically about the extension, Patrick simply shook her head, not saying a word. Patrick is considered the biggest draw in the IRL, and her interest in moving to NASCAR has been speculated on numerous times in recent years. She has a close relationship with Tony Stewart, and he has said Patrick will eventually make the jump he did - from IndyCar to stock cars. IRL officials have not commented about Patrick's future. Patrick was at Homestead-Miami Speedway with several other drivers Wednesday to test for the IndyCar finale Oct. 10. Earlier this season, Patrick insisted she wouldn't announce anything about her future until after this IRL season concludes.(in part from the Associated Press)(10-2-2009)

That is quite an interesting twist... I still think she'll be in IRL full time next year, even if she does some part time NASCAR stuff.

She was interviewed (I think at Chicagoland) and she was adamant at that time that she would not announce anything until the season was over. That's why I was surprised when I read FoxSports article.

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Danica talking to Hendrick about NASCAR ride: Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., may soon be involved in a limited NASCAR arrangement, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick confirmed to SI.com. The other side of the Patrick puzzle may soon fall into place as Hendrick said Sunday afternoon that Patrick's agent at IMG has met with the team about a limited schedule of ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide Series races to go along with the IndyCar Series contract she signed to remain at Andretti Green Racing. According to Hendrick, the plan would be to put Patrick in the JR Motorsports team that is owned by Hendrick driver Earnhardt, Jr. with sponsorship from GoDaddy.com. "We have no deal but she has spoke with Kelley Earnhardt [Dale Jr's sister who handles that teams business affairs] about a limited number of NASCAR races in that car," Hendrick told SI.com. "I have had some conversation and Kelley Earnhardt has had some conversation with that but Kelly is heading that up. GoDaddy.com would be involved because of their involvement with Danica and with JR Motorsports. Kelley talked to her in the last week. We are looking at how it matches up with her IndyCar schedule. We are interested and think it would be neat but it has to work out for both sides." Patrick signed a three-year IndyCar Series contract with team owner Michael Andretti two weeks ago but has remained quiet on that subject because of sponsor demands who want to have a major press conference to announce the signing. According to IndyCar Series sources, one of Patrick's sponsor contracts in IndyCar is about to expire so that announcement will not be made until the sponsor is ready to make the announcement. "She has signed the contract, they just want to make sure the sponsor is ready to make the announcement," said an IndyCar Series official Saturday afternoon. While details of Patrick's new contract have not been disclosed, Andretti indicated there are limits to how much racing she can do outside of IndyCar. Andretti wants his high-paid driver to focus on what he signed her to do -- try to become the first female driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series title. So if Patrick signs with JR Motorsports or another team, look for her to run in fewer than 10 stock car events next season. In fact, five races next season would probably be a nice, logical step for her before she attempts to increase that schedule in 2011, if she likes the progress she is making.(SI.com)(10-5-2009)

...and Waltrip...

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Add Michael Waltrip Racing to the list of NASCAR suitors for IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick for 2010. Team owner Michael Waltrip said on Tuesday he's met with Patrick and given her a tour of the team facility. He is willing to put her in limited number of races in the Nationwide and Truck Series, "whatever she wants,'' he said. "We've certainly talked to her and are interested in what she's going to do,'' Waltrip said. "We have sort of done that without a whole lot of people knowing. She knows we're interested when she knows what she's going to do." Waltrip doesn't believe the rivalry between Japanese car manufacturers will be a stumbling block. Patrick drives a Honda in the IndyCar Series; Waltrip's team fields Toyotas."There's not a Honda over here [in NASCAR], so she's going to drive something besides that,'' he said.(ESPN.com)(10-6-2009)

Danica looking for big money to move to NASCAR - according to Lee Spencer, she's asking $8 million to do 8 races.

http://msn.foxsports.com/video/NASCAR?vid=1af84e37-8669-4f08-80dd-96e797b0492d

I don't doubt that Danica is looking for big money.... I don't blame her.
But I don't take Spencer's word to heart. Her accuracy record is about 50/50.

thats pretty good money for an unproven driver

Dog wrote:

thats pretty good money for an unproven driver

$8 million is a decent paycheck for a SPRINT CUP driver who is FULL TIME. She wants it for 8 NW races!!

If you ask me, that sounds way too demanding. But there may be some other part of the story we haven't heard yet, so I'm going to keep my eyes on this news...

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Danica asking for $8 million? UPDATE: Is Danica Patrick asking for $8 million to run eight Nationwide Series races in 2010? The simple answer: Nobody has confirmed that to ESPN.com. If that is the case, unless GoDaddy.com or another sponsor is willing to step up to the plate at a time when most sponsors are stepping away, the IndyCar Series star may have a tough time finalizing a deal. There are teams that run an entire Nationwide schedule on $8 million.(read more at ESPN Insider)(10-9-2009)
UPDATE: Forget Danica Patrick making $1 million a race if and when she begins driving in NASCAR's Nationwide Series in 2010. She likely won't make $100,000. The IndyCar Series darling in all likelihood will make around $50,000 a race. Sources close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com that the rumored/reported $8 million Patrick would make for running about eight Nationwide events was completely false.(ESPN Insider)(10-9-2009)

This sounds more like it.

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Earnhardt Jr. hopes to sign Danica: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday he has the utmost respect for Danica Patrick, the driver he hopes to sign to race a few Nationwide Series events next season for his JR Motorsports team. "I like Danica a lot," Earnhardt said. "I consider myself friends with her. It's interesting to see her interest in NASCAR. It's interesting for all of us. If we're a piece of that and we play a part in that, we'll have to see going down the road." Earnhardt said it is all in the hands of his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, his business manager. "Kelley's been managing the conversations between Danica and our team," Earnhardt said. "It's still in the early stages. I haven't really gotten in the middle of it." JR Motorsports is trying to reach a deal for Patrick to drive in eight to 10 Nationwide races next year. She is expected to continue to race full-time in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Green Racing.(ESPN.com)(10-10-2009)

I think 50,000 a race sounds a little low... JMO, but I think she'll bring a pretty big sponsor and will probably come out with a pretty hefty paycheck. I don't think $1 million total (over the 8 races) is really out of the question for her.

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Latest on Danica: Michael Waltrip Racing is interested in Danica Patrick and while she has a connection through her sponsor GoDaddy.com to JR Motorsports, talks with MWR have progressed to a point where team believes it has a shot. MWR vice president and general manager Ty Norris said Sunday he met with Patrick a couple of months ago and has talked to her people in the last week about a possible partial Nationwide program for next year. He said MWR might be able to offer her more manufacturer support, focus more on her development and also has room under the four-team Sprint Cup cap other than some of the other teams with which she has talked. Patrick wants a car that has points so she wouldn't have to qualify on speed, said Norris, who has talked with Patrick's representatives in the last week. MWR's Nationwide program has been a mix of drivers in recent years. "In recent weeks, I would say the discussions have become a little bit more detailed and intense to where you're talking about ifs, ands and buts," Norris said. "When you get to that level, you try to figure out what are the next steps, if there are next steps. Any owner of a Nationwide team or a Cup team with a racing operation would love to have Danica there after you talk to her because of her passion to race." Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday his JR Motorsports team has talked with her. Roush Fenway Racing officials have said they have talked with her but the talks fizzled over what it would take financially to build a program around her. Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs said Sunday that it would be hard for his team to put her in a car for next year because it would likely need to be a third car.(SceneDaily)(10-12-2009)

This would be huge for MWR - getting Danica (especially away from JR Motorsports) would be really big for that team.

MWR would get all kinds of exposure by signing Danica.

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Roush doesn't think Danica's part time plan will work: Roush Fenway Racing offered Danica Patrick, whose introduction to NASCAR was a Ford Racing test several years ago, an opportunity to run NASCAR when her Indy Racing League contract was up three years ago and have entertained her as a guest at Sprint Cup races. But co-owner Jack Roush isn't interested in Patrick if she remains in IndyCar  which apparently is a condition for any NASCAR team interested in signing her. "She'd like to drive her IRL car and on off weekends come drive a Nationwide or Sprint (Cup) car, and that's not going to work," Roush said Tuesday at RFR headquarters. "Those of us who understand how difficult this business is know that. This is really, really, really, really hard to do. She may be able to do it or she may not. I hope that she can, but she certainly won't be able to do it with distractions or a minimized effort. If she wants to do this, she'd need to come in with all her heart and soul and commitment and make that determination of what was possible. I'm not sure it's possible. It's potentially possible, but I'm stopped short of saying it's likely that she can do this, based on what she's done. She's talked to us a couple of different times, and there was no timetable on getting back to us. I told her if she wanted to do this, she should do a Nationwide or truck program first with great enthusiasm and then she should reconsider and take stock of things and decide what the timetable should be for a full Cup program. As long as she's got an interest in running the IRL with priority in her schedule, she doesn't have the time for a concerted effort. And without that, she will not be successful."(USA Today)(10-14-2009)

I think the part time plan is a good way for her to get her feet wet. It will give her a chance to see if she is cut out for NASCAR racing. She may not be as lucky as Dario was if things don't work out.

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Danica and JR Motorsports/MWR? ESPN.com has confirmed that IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick is talking with JR Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing about running a limited schedule of about eight Nationwide Series races -- plus a few Truck and maybe ARCA events -- in 2010. Kevin Harvick Inc. could be a player. But sources say those aren't the only options as Patrick begins preparing for a potential NASCAR career after her IndyCar career is over.(see more at ESPN Insiders)(10-21-2009)

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Danica Patrick is nearing completion of a two-year contract with JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Nationwide Series operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a source close to the negotiations described them as "in the final phase." The partnership is expected to make its on-track debut during next February's Daytona Speedweeks. Both the Patrick and Earnhardt camps declined comment. Patrick will compete in NASCAR's second-largest series for JR Motorsports while continuing to race full-time for Andretti Green Racing in IndyCar. Earnhardt and Patrick already have a corporate connection, in current sponsorship deals with GoDaddy.com. The Web site registration service is a sponsor on JR Motorsports' #88 Chevy, which has been earned four Nationwide Series wins this season with Brad Keselowski at the wheel. Keselowski is leaving the team at season's end to drive for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. GoDaddy.co, also recently signed on to sponsor Hendrick's #5 Chevy beginning in 2010. That car is currently driven by Mark Martin, who is signed through 2011.(ESPN)(11-4-2009)

Kelly's teammate

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Gossage says Patrick needs to promote NASCAR: Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage believes Danica Patrick needs to take advantage of her entry into NASCAR by doing more to promote her involvement. "She needs to understand that she has to take an active role in the promotion of the sport," Gossage said Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway. "If I were one of her advisors, I would encourage her to do a lot more." Patrick is close to reaching an agreement to drive a partial Nationwide Series schedule next season for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports team, while she continues to race full time in the IndyCar Series. Gossage wants to see Patrick make the most of her NASCAR debut by helping track promoters, sponsors and NASCAR take advantage of her mainstream celebrity status. "That's something that I don't think some people around her in Indy car emphasize to her as much as they should," Gossage said. "I think people in NASCAR will encourage her to take a more active role."(ESPN)(11-6-2009)

Patrick needs to promote NASCAR ....... ~OMG

None of the other drivers promote NASCAR, other than with their contributions to racing...

That's how Danica should do it also. NOT by standing out and single-handedly trying to take NASCAR to the next level.