Lately, Danica Patrick has been to auto racing what Katy Perry is to the music industry: very very marketable despite not being good at what they actually do. Everyone would love to another photo shoot of Danica Patrick or Katy Perry in a bikini or something similarly skimpy clothing.
But listen to a Katy Perry song? I’ll pass. Watch Danica Patrick finish in the high 20s or 30s again during another NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race? Yeah, you can use the remote to change the channel.
Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet Impala etched her name in the record books by being the first female driver to compete in a Sprint Cup race at Martinsville. She surprised many NASCAR pundits with a solid 12th-place result – made more impressive by the fact she started 43rd after an engine change before the race. Danica Patrick looked like a veteran on the shortest track on the circuit which, viewed from the air, looks like a paperclip as its long straightaways lead into tight, flat turns.
The best Danica Patrick has finished this season was 8th in the opening day Daytona 500. But 12th is solid, respectable, presentable, decent, okay. That’s what her Stewart-Haas racing team should be shooting for this weekend at Martinsville start in 1999.
Nearly six months later, Danica Patrick and crew chief Tony Gibson will utilize the same chassis, No. 10-535, in their efforts to earn another solid result.
Paul M. Banks is the owner ofThe Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a regular analyst on news talk radio stations across the world; with weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS