Danica Patrick finished 14th in the July 2012 Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire and sixth in the 2011 IndyCar Series event at the 1.058-mile oval.
While heading into the second Chase race and the fourth quarter of the NASCAR sprint cup season, the buzz surrounding Danica Patrick this week isn’t on the race, but instead on her co-hosting the American Country Awards with Trace Adkins on Dec. 10. The event will take place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
“It should be fun. I’ve been to the ESPY’s and the Kids Choice Awards, but never hosted or co-hosted, so it will be a new experience. Trace has hosted the last few years, so I’m sure he’ll give me some tips and guidance so it all goes smoothly,” Patrick said.
Danica Patrick talked about how she became a fan of country music.
“It really started when I got to NASCAR. I started picking up on it. I got asked to be in Miranda Lambert’s video, Fastest Girl in Town, and I bought her album and the Pistol Annie album and started listening. Ricky (her boyfriend, Stenhouse Jr.) has certainly helped my country music education, as well. I like the music and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of country artists, so it’s been fun. Ricky and I actually shot a video with Colt Ford a couple of weeks ago. I still like Pearl Jam and Alanis (Morissette), but I’m a huge country fan, now.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan and 1620 The Zone, he also writes for Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and Facebook