On April 20, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy Racing League event, beating Indy star Helio Castroneves to take the Bridgestone Indy Japan 300. Patrick became the first woman to Win a major series race on an oval track or close out the race. That the milestone came during a bye week for the Sprint Cup Series may have helped in the PR department, but Patrick’s historic win at Twin Ring Motegi would have pushed any NASCAR story to the back page, as it did with Kyle Busch’s third straight victory that weekend in the second-tier Nationwide Series.
The 26-year-old Patrick has been compared to Dale Earnhardt Jr. (of late) for being the most popular and marketable driver in his trade, with little to show for it in the win column. Unfair or not, Junior’s 70-race winless streak has put the burden on him after the dainty Danica drove IndyCar’s version of Winner’s Circle.
The conversation now turns to when, not if, Patrick will sign with NASCAR as other open-wheel drivers have in recent years. Two of the last three Indianapolis 500 winners and IndyCar champions are now Sprint champions, with some seeing condensed IRL competition as a factor in their first victory. Still, drivers like Clint Bowyer say a competitive woman in the ranks is inevitable as soon as the right offer comes along. The publicity and limelight Patrick would bring, especially with an IndyCar win on his resume, would be huge for NASCAR. Sponsors would drool at the prospect of putting their product name or company logo on the hood of a car driven by Patrick in the country’s most popular motor sport.
If Patrick captures the Indianapolis 500 this month, he could secure his move to NASCAR, though his precious private time would be reduced. The five open-wheelers that have moved into NASCAR in the past two years have had a hard time adjusting to the heavier car with narrower, harder tires where bumps are a common tactic. Patrick, a tiny 5-foot-2, 100-pound featherweight, would have a rough time initially, but talks with Roush Fenway Racing officials have materialized and rumors have surfaced that she will fill Richard Childress’ fourth car in 2009.
NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 takes place on the same day as the Indianapolis 500, on May 25 during Memorial Day weekend. Unless Earnhardt Jr. wins from time to time, the media will focus more on Patrick’s chances at the IRL mega event. Talks are already underway to host an occasional NASCAR and IndyCar doubleheader at the same track and at various times in future seasons. A possible race on Saturday night with one circuit, followed by a Sunday afternoon event with the other, is also being considered. Lowe’s Motor Speedway president and general manager HA “Humpy” Wheeler sees the latter possibility as more feasible than the former.
If Patrick does eventually change, she wouldn’t be the first woman to compete in NASCAR’s premier series. Janet Guthrie competed but never won in a stock car during the 1970s. Guthrie finished 12th in the 1976 Daytona 500, among other respectable races, and at least 20 women have tried their hand at NASCAR over the years, though none have come close to victory.
Women who have tried their luck include Sarah Fisher, Erin Crocker, Shawna Robinson, Kelly Sutton, Deborah Renshaw, Tammy Jo Kirk and Tina Gordon. None competed full-time in any of the sport’s three touring series. The first women in NASCAR were Louise Smith – called “the first lady of racing” – and Sara Christian in 1949, followed by Ethel Mobley and Patty Moise. Smith won 38 times at NASCAR’s lower levels and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999. After allegedly breaking up Ray Evernham’s marriage, Crocker, the most promising of the current crop, has done little to improve her career, claiming that NASCAR is doing nothing to help her and other women hoping to compete on the track.
Three more youngsters have entered NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program in a late-model series, with no upward movement anticipated any time soon. But the die is cast.
