Why I want Danica to succeed in NASCAR

Rebecca's Ramble:

Whether you love her or hate her, looks like Danica Patrick will be driving a stock car next year.

The rumors have been flying for months, but ESPN reporter Ryan McGee broke the news last week that apparently the IndyCar star is close to signing a deal with JR Motorsports, under the helm of fellow GoDaddy.com spokesperson Dale Earnhardt Jr. According to the report, the two-year deal will have Patrick race part-time in the ARCA and Nationwide series while running a full-time schedule in the IRL in 2010. The deal is expected to be finalized within days.

The schedule sounds grueling, but it will allow Patrick to wade into the NASCAR pool. The 2005 IRL Rookie of the Year will need time adjusting to the many differences between a stock car and an open-wheeler.

I, for one, am thrilled that Patrick may be making her way to NASCAR as early as the Daytona ARCA race in February. I want Danica to succeed in NASCAR, and here's why:

1) The move will bring more attention to NASCAR. The ARCA and Nationwide series do not receive the exposure that the Sprint Cup Series and it cast of characters do. Having a crossover star like Patrick in ARCA and Nationwide will increase interest outside of NASCAR and therefore media coverage of the races she runs. Patrick will also bring her fan base to the sport, which could help increase sagging TV ratings and race attendance.

2) More sponsors will come calling. NASCAR is a money-driven sport. Patrick has proven to be a successful commodity, and where she goes, so does the money. If Patrick makes the move to NASCAR, she would bring her sponsors with her (GoDaddy.com, which sponsors Patrick in IndyCar, would reportedly sponsor her Nationwide ride.) The move would also likely attract new sponsors wanting a piece of the action. It's a win-win situation for a sport that's been especially hard-hit by the economic downturn.

3) I want to see a woman succeed in the sport. I'm 27 years old. Patrick is 27 years old. That and the fact we like racing may be the only things we have in common, but I would like to see someone like me win a NASCAR race. No woman has ever won a race in any of the three top-tier NASCAR series. Some Patrick stats: She was the first woman to lead a lap in the Indy 500. She finished 3rd in this year's race, the highest finish ever for a woman in the Indy 500. She ended the 2009 IRL season fifth in points, beating her teammate, championship-winning driver Tony Kanaan. With her 2008 win in Japan, Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar race. With these stats, I would like to see what Patrick can do in NASCAR.

I've cheered for female drivers in ARCA and truck races, only to see them fall short. I realize the same thing might happen with Patrick. After all, IRL champions like Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. have tried to make it in NASCAR, with lackluster results. Franchitti's Cup team shut down last year, and Hornish is still struggling after making his Cup debut in 2007.

But I'm willing to give Patrick a chance. If she wants to take a chance on NASCAR, why shouldn't we take one on her? It's my hope that NASCAR and its fans will give her one.

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The opinions expressed in this article belong to the writer and not Skirts and Scuffs. How do you think Patrick will fare in NASCAR? Please leave your comments below.

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Five Questions After..... Dickies 500

FORT WORTH, TX - NOVEMBER 08: A general view of Texas Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Dickies 500 on November 8, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kyle Busch runs out of gas, Jimmie Johnson wrecks, and Kurt Busch makes a fan a millionaire. Many storylines came out of the Sunday night race at Texas Motor Speedway. But I have a few questions I want to run by our readers.

Who stole Jimmie Johnson’s horseshoe? … Seriously! What happened to Jimmie? The man survives Talladega, missing a wreck by about 100 feet, then heads to Texas and runs into the wall. The funny thing is, he had the car saved about halfway down the straightaway. Then it just snapped around on him and he smacks the inside wall. What happened to the bullet proof driver?

Can Kyle Busch seal the deal? … Yes, I know he won 2 of the 3 races run at Texas this weekend. But so many times this year he’s failed to finish a dominant performance, especially in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 17 of 84 races this year across all three of NASCAR’s top three series, Kyle has led he most laps and failed to win the race: 10 in the Nationwide Series, 4 in the Cup Series, and 3 in the Truck Series. In Kyle’s defense he has won 19 of those 84 races, so in 36 races this year he has either led the most laps or won the race (or both!). However, those 2nd places finishes and failed should-have-been victories are glaringly obvious.

Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. adopt a black cat recently? … How many times has Earnhardt Jr. had a seemingly good run going in a race, only to have some type of wreck, mechanical, or fuel issue plague his days? Junior Nation collectively says: TOO MANY! Many fans, teams, and media are baffled by the fact that Jr. ran out of gas on Sunday. They should have made it. Bonus question: What went wrong?

What is Michael McGee going to do with all that money? … In case you don’t know, Michael McGee became an instant millionaire as soon as Kurt Busch crossed the start-finish line in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Tabbed as the “Dickies American Worker of the Year” in an online contest earlier this year, Michael named Kurt Busch as his driver to win the Dickies 500… and win it he did! Not bad for an agricultural teacher from Oklahoma!

Why are night races so much more dramatic? … I know it wasn’t technically a “night” race, but it finished under the lights. Things always seem more dramatic once they flip the light-switch. I’m not sure if it’s just the ambiance or perception, but the drivers always seem to step it up by quite a bit. I may be the only one, but I’m going to miss these Sunday night races next season.

Honorable mentions: How did Kurt Busch have enough fuel to do the Unwind Lap? … Did Marcos Ambrose’s car make anyone else hungry? … Who paid Sam Hornish Jr. and how much?

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Silly Season has begun in the NCWTS

Announcements regarding the 2010 Camping World Truck Series are coming fast and furious. Just over an hour ago, Brian Scott, driver of the No. 16 Toyota Tundra announced his plans for next year as Todd Braun appeared with him on SPEED's Race Hub.

The announcement adds to the Red Horse Racing PR's announcement regarding ARCA/Remax Champion, Justin Lofton moving into the series.

Kevin Harvick Inc. has been clarifying things for 2010. Ricky Carmichael will be moving to a companion truck team and taking his crew chief with him. Friday night, Phil Parsons announced that Ron Hornaday Jr's crew chief, Rick Ren, had indeed signed on through 2010.

The furry of activity is only the beginning as drivers and teams are playing musical chairs in all three top NASCAR series.

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Ron Hornaday: Do the words pot, kettle, and black mean anything?

The Camping World Truck Series race at Texas provided Kyle Busch with the first win of his triple header endeavor. Matt Crafton played the role of the brides maid yet again, with Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, and Colin Braun rounding out the top five.

Now, truth be told, Hornaday is one of my favorite drivers in NASCAR. However, his post-race comments directed at Busch were quite hypocritical. Hornaday has made his career with a driving style that I refer to as "Big Boy Racing". There was a reason Dale Sr. tapped Hornaday as one of his drivers. Hornaday has never shied away from an opportunity to apply the chrome horn when necessary to move up in the running order. The way he lashed out at Busch was reminiscent of the behavior of his truck owner, Kevin Harvick, at New Hampshire, and just as inexcusable.

No views were available of the major back end damage that Hornaday claimed Busch did to the truck that ruined his night. It simply looked like the No. 51 was a better running truck than the No. 33. While that can definitely be frustrating for a driver, Hornaday needed to remember that he still has a 197 point over Crafton for the championship title. Granted, the owner's championship has yet to be decided between KHI and BMM, but the fact that Busch runs trucks without pay should not be viewed as relevant to how the racing plays out on the track.

So, although I tend to favor Hornaday and KHI in the NASCAR CWTS, I'll be cheering for Billy Ballew to get the owner's championship. BBM has brought back some of that old school feeling to the series, where upstart teams could go toe-to-toe with the big guys. It is just such circumstances that continue to see the number of truck fans increase.

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Braun earns a top-five finish at his home track

Colin Braun felt confident that he had a truck capable of finishing inside the top five. The truck was the same one he qualified 12th and finished 1st with at Michigan earlier in the season. The twenty-one year old grew up in Ovalo, Texas and was looking forward to racing at his home track of Texas Motor Speedway while friends and family were there to watch.

Before the race even started, a problem was discovered with the Roush Fenway Racing #6 Con-Way Freight Ford F-150. The helmet blower was not working. The fan was broken. While it would make things uncomfortable for Braun, it would not affect his performance.

Braun started 19th in the Winstar World Casino 350. In six laps he had moved up to 17th, but was reporting the truck was getting loose as the laps wore on. On lap 18, Ben Stancill, driving the #73, spun and hit the inside wall on the backstretch and brought out the caution. Braun came in for fuel and a trackbar adjustment to try and tighten his truck up. He came in 17th and was 12th off pit road. By lap 27, Braun was running tenth. A few laps later he had dropped back and was running between 11th and 12th.

Around lap 50, Braun reported that his truck was getting loose again.Crew chief Mike Beam told him to just hang on and they would fix it on the next pit stop. Shortly afterwards, the caution came out, and Braun headed down pit road for fuel and air pressure adjustments along with four fresh tires and a wedge adjustment.

The race restarted on lap 60 with Braun in 14th. A few laps later the caution flag flew once more as Mario Gosselin spun on the front stretch. Braun came down pit road for four tires and was ninth off. He was fifth off pit road after coming back for fuel. Braun restarted 6th on lap 94.

Braun crossed the line in fifth as the checkered flag waved on lap 147. While he has yet to win at Texas, Braun feels confident that he is getting closer to getting his first win there.

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Nothing taken for granted in a trip to Victory Lane

In 2001, after the crash that took Dale Earnhardt Sr., I was one of the masses who went in search of a new favorite driver to follow. Junior seemed a bit too cliche. Jumping over to Junior seemed a little cliche since I don't like to follow the crowd.

Months went by, and the 2001 season came to an end. Still I had no driver to call my driver. As the close of the 2002 season approached, I still watched the races but had no real connection to them, like a fan does when they have a specific driver to cheer. Then came race 31 of the season. I watched how the No. 40 qualified 5th with a substitute driver. It caught my interest, as the apparent underdog was making a go of it. When Jaime McMurray brought the No. 40 to the checkered flag, I finally said, "That's my driver! I don't know what he looks like, and I don't care. Anyone who can be put in a car as a placeholder and take the win is a driver for me." Little did I know how my comments foretold of things to come.

Then, Ganassi picked up McMurray and put him in the No. 42 with Texaco/Havoline on the hood, and I knew it was a great choice. I had always had a soft spot for Davey Allison and the Alabama gang, even though I followed Dale Sr. McMurray's all-American looks would repeatedly cause me grief with my racing friends. They would dismiss me as a typical chick picking a driver either because of the color of his car or because he was a pretty boy. Nothing irritates me more than being dismissed as frivolous. Unfortunately, even with the 2003 Rookie of the Year award and a close call for the Chase, McMurray was not going to make it any easier for me.

McMurray moved to Roush in 2006, and when the series went to Texas everything went sideways. In pre-race coverage, McMurray was shown doing his sponsor duties by serving as a designated driver for a Crown Royal program. After a few of the drives home with fans were shown, one came up where a lady - with a healthy buzz - asked the standard question: "What do you do if you have to pee?" Now, everyone knows how that issue is handled. It was a catch-22, granted, but his talk of letting loose in place led to no end of razzing by my co-workers for weeks and months to come.

I began to diversify my following of drivers in order to not have to deal with the jabs during racing debates by picking up a couple of more to cheer for, but I never turned my back on McMurray. The July race at Daytona in 2007 reaffirmed that McMurray had the goods to be a driver to cheer for with one of the best finishes in recent NASCAR memory. Though it can be frustrating to see a driver you cheer go through dry spells and several close calls with the checkered flag, when they break through, it puts a little bounce in the fan's step and starts the week on a positive note.

So, this week, I've celebrated a bit with my driver, though he couldn't identify me in a line up. Talladega may have been a disappointment from a racing point of view, but I know of one driver and his fan base, who are happy with the results from Sunday. While the media and fans lament the parade that was Dega, it is important to remember: for some, Dega gave us a reason to celebrate. I can only hope that McMurray's victory moment doesn't get crowded out by Dega bashing. Unfortunately, we all know that discontent gets far more attention than elation. What is truly important is to cherish the victory because you never if or when it might happen again.

Congratulations, Jaime McMurray, you earned it. Your loyal fans celebrate the win with you.

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Our Condolences

Our condolences go out to the men and women who were injured in today's tragedy at Fort Hood in Texas. The team at Skirts and Scuffs would also like to give our sympathy to those who lost someone they love today in the attack.  Our prayers are with you all.

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