Hendrick says there isn't any Danica Deal......... Yet

Nascar Sprint Cup Owner Rick Hendrick, who just got back from a week long vacation in Israel, said Sunday that any reports about Danica Patrick coming to Nascar are "premature".

"I just think that they are not even close to making a decision on whether to even do it this year or next year."

-- Rick Hendrick

Reports claim that Danica has said very little about her 2010 plans, and her apparent contract extension with Andretti Green Racing.

However there are reports that do contradict this claim, one by Sports Illustrated which says that she indeed has a three year contract extension with Andretti Green Racing.

Now i know that there is a change of ownership going over there at Andretti Green Racing, and i do know how rumors can get started when something like that happens, I mean just ask Elliott Sadler.

But come on if Danica Patrick is suppose to come over to Nascar don't you think she or anybody with knowledge would say so by now, i mean like everyone says she gets a lot of media coverage and i doubt no body would want to miss that, especial in this day and age when sponsorship is hard to come by.

Now if someone like Mr. Hendrick says that "Nothing is imminent", then everyone should stop talking about the matter until there is something imminent.

The only thing i have a problem with Mr. Hendrick is when he said he likes her approach.

"I've been impressed with the way her approach has been, She wants to do the right thing and the right pace, and that's the only way she should do it."

-- Rick Hendrick

Hello, she will only be able to run a few races for the next three years, that is if the rumors of her three year contract extension are true, how is that acceptable by any owner?

There are drivers in the Nationwide series right now that have driven in a handful of races every year and prove that they can drive stock cars, but aren't looked at by big teams.

And You know why that is, its because they don't have sponsorships.

Its time that writers stop writing about weather or not she will be coming to Nascar and start writing about how owners only see a cash cow in Danica. Now many may say that, thats a rude thing for me to say about her, but thats the truth plain and simple.

There are many drivers who have already proven that they can drive stock cars and deserve a ride in the Sprint Cup Series, But they aren't looked at because they can't draw the sponsorships or get the owners the money or recitation.

Now i agree that there should be women driver in Nascar, but i think they should work from the bottom up, like Erin Crocker, Ali Owens, Johanna Long have or are trying to do; and Sarah Fisher did do to show that they want to race in stock cars. I don't think a female driver should be giving a ride just because she's a woman and has popular, that to me defeats the purpose of sowing people that woman re able to drive stock cars.

Is Danicamania Overrated?

I have to say yes, Danicamania is very overrated.

Everyone compares what her to Tony Stewart, which she is not. Sure Tony use to drive in the IRL and made the switch to Nascar by driving the whole IRL season and select races in the then Busch Series now Nationwide, But Tony then went Nascar racing full time the next year. Something Danica will hive to wait three years to do.

That delay alone makes me feel that she will have little to no success with the Heavier stock cars then Tony Stewart has had in Nascar.


Tony also had three wins in the IRL before coming over, one at Pikes Peak International Raceway in 1997 and the other two coming in 1998 at Walt Disney World Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Danica has only one and that came at Twin Ring Motegi which is in Japan.

I don't think Danica fully knows what she will be getting herself into, she may say she does, and Tony Stewart, may say she understands but just because Tony and her sing the same tune doesn't mean thats the facts.


And If Tony believes that she is commented to racing in Nascar then why doesn't he offer her a ride in a car owned by his race team, oh yeah thats right his team doesn't have a Nationwide team and besides he said he doesn't have the money, but hasn't everyone said that said that Danica's sponsor will probably be GoDaddy.Com since they are her sponsor in the IRL and already sponsor a car in the Nationwide series, you telling me that Tony Stewart will turn her down even though she may have a sponsor and he surely could get a few cars from Kevin Harvick Inc, which is run by his friend Kevin Harvick or his friend Dale Jr and Supplier Rick Hendrick who are owners of JR Motorsports. And if Danica is going to be such a big thing then team owner Tony would be crazy not to cash in on her, so the question is does Tony know something everyone else doesn't?

It is time that everyone started to take notice that all this "Danicamania" is either a big stunt or just a way for Danica to get money.

If Danica really wanted to race in Nascar she should wait until the last year of her contract with Andretti Green Racing so then she can do exactly what Tony Stewart did, run one year in the IRL and in select Nationwide Series races then go full time in Nascar.

Whose to say that she won't race selected Nationwide races for the next three years, then resign with Andretti Green Racing, or sign with Chip Ganassi Racing or Penske Racing in the IRL, then declare that she has experience in Stock cars and starts hitting up owners for rides in the Sprint Cup.



To convince me that she is serious about driving in Nascar, she should finish out her contract in the IRL then join Nascar like last three IRL transfers Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr and Dario Franchitti did to show that they were truly committed to running in Nascar. I do know that Franchitti did leave Nascar but i contribute that to lack of sponsorship.

Otherwise i feel that the term 'IRLwhacker' will have to be invented.

Are rumors just rumors or is Dale Jr a big fat liar

Earlier this season when Nascar announced that they were going to launch a Car Of Tomorrow (COT) for the Nationwide Series, starting for four races next year and running full time in 2011, Dale Earnhardt Jr owner of JR Motorsports said that the team didn't have enough money to make the switch from old to new.

Well if that is so, then why is ESPN.com reporting that JR Motorsports is close to signing Danica Patrick to drive in the Nascar Nationwide Series for two years?

Now if the rumor is true, then it would make Dale Jr a liar because, Danica Patrick is looking for a 300,000 a race. And If it cost near a million dollars to switch from the Nationwide Car of now to the Nationwide Car Of Tomorrow, then How can he do it. (that is a rough estimate of the cost, that was mentioned by either Earnhardt or another owner)

Now i know most will say, well Junior's Cup owner Rick Hendrick will help with the cost, but if that was the case then why didn't help Junior keep the number five Nationwide team running the whole season, since Hendrick has shown that he has the money. The reason is because there was no sponsorship to run the five the whole Nationwide season.

The only sponsor that has been mentioned is GoDaddy.com, who sponsors Danica in the IRL, where she has just signed a Three year deal with Andretti Green Racing. And I Doubt That they can sponsor her 12 Nationwide races and her IRL team, i mean the most races i've ever seen GoDaddy.com on a JR Motorsports Chevy where about four.

And it also presents a problem with the GoDaddy.com Commercials because Nascar has a policy that censors sexually suggestive ads on cars and television broadcasts, and Godaddy.com's advertising is typically contains sexually suggestive material. And i doubt Godaddy.com would want to lose their Danica Patrick sexually suggestive advertising.

Racing in both Nascar Nationwide and the IRL would also would hurt her modeling career, since i doubt she would have that much free time.

Sprint Cup Driver and former IRL driver Juan Pablo Montoya said this past weekend that Danica shouldn't jump back and forth between the two different racing series and only concentrate on one series.

It was also stated that she would make either $50,000 and $100,000 a race, which other Nationwide Series driver make, instead of the 300,00 or 1,000,000 a race she was reported to have wanted. It was also stated that she isn't in it for the money, she was in it for the experience.

Well, i fine that hard to believe since in the same article it was reported that people have admitted that the potential financial windfall might be worth the grind of logistics and the learning curve of stock car racing. Now i don't know about everyone else but that sounds like she's being told to do it for the money instead of for experience.

I know of a few ways that Danica could get experience in a stock car that doesn't involve milking cash strapped owners.

I wonder how long Danica Watch, will take to turn into Danica Gate.