- Danica Patrick Back in NASCAR at New Hampshire - Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR
Danica Patrick will make her return to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Saturday, June 26, 2010 at Loudon's New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the New England 200. Patrick will take a break from her IndyCar season to get behind the wheel of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.
"I think it's probably better for me to say like, you know, I hope this weekend I finish in the top 20 or the top 15. And kind of build myself up," Patrick said about her expectations for Saturday's race. "I didn't really set any expectation levels in the first few races that I did. And I think it would have paid off to do that, even in qualifying, set some expectation levels. Like I've had a tough time because qualifying is so different in those cars, you never experience the amount of grip or the kind of car that you get in qualifying until you're really in qualifying."
Danica Patrick Struggled in Her Initial NASCAR Races
Patrick made her first NASCAR start in an ARCA race in February at Daytona International Speedway where she finished sixth. Her Nationwide record, however, has not been as impressive. In her three Nationwide races in 2010 she finished 35th at Daytona, 31st at Fontana and 36th at Las Vegas.
After Saturday's race at New Hampshire, Patrick will return to the IndyCar on July 4 before returning to the NASCAR Nationwide car at Chicagoland Speedway on July 9.
Tony Stewart Talks about Danica Patrick's NASCAR Run
Patrick will follow other drivers who have attempted to make the transition from the IndyCar series to NASCAR. Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart successfully made the move and he spoke Wednesday of the challenges Patrick faces.
“It’s a lot easier when you can get in the car and then the next week get in the same type of car. Bouncing around is difficult, for sure. But I think, versus looking at it strictly from this year’s standpoint, she’s trying to get a head start for the future and get her feet wet and start building that base of information that she needs for the future," Tony Stewart said this week about Patrick.
"It will take some time to get re-acclimated," Stewart said of Patrick, "but at least she will have that feel and she will be able to pick back up on it. It may not happen right away each time she gets back in it, but at least it will be somewhat familiar each time. I think everybody has to be fair to her and realize she’s going through a learning curve. You look at how many drivers before her have tried to come from Indy cars and have struggled. I think she will learn it. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t think she will focus on what everybody says. I think she’ll go off of what she feels and, if the media and everybody gives her a fair shake, I think she will do just fine.”
Rosalie Thompson - Rosalie Thompson enjoys writing about NASCAR, real estate, gardening and travel in the Southeastern United States. After graduating from ...
