2 – DanicaMania
It wouldn’t be a NASCAR article without saying something about Danica Patrick. All through the year, during every race, you’d be very lucky if at some point you weren’t given a Danica update. It’s understandable why, and of course NASCAR would want to make the most of the marketing chances Danica brings with her, but she never really set the field alight. A top ten at the Daytona 500 made the pre-season hype look like it may have actually been worth it, but that was the only top ten of the year. In fact, Patrick only made it into the top 20 on eight occasions, while her Rookie of the Year rival (and boyfriend) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. only failed to make it into the top 20 on nine occasions – albeit in a much more successful team – yet got a lot less coverage. Upon further inspection, Patrick has only one won race in her professional racing career, coming at Motegi during the 2008 IndyCar Series. Too much hype or is it all justified? Maybe next year her results may change this writer’s mind…
(Photo Credit: NASCAR via Getty Images)
