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Patrick would be perfect fit for booming NASCAR
Fri, Jul 14, 2006
 As a junkie of movies like "Old School" and "Wedding Crashers," I'm counting the days until the new Will Ferrell movie, "Talladega Nights," is released later this summer. There's nothing more hilarious than letting Ferrell loose to wreak his comedic havoc, and a NASCAR backdrop looks to be a perfect template.
Not only that, it's interesting to me as a sports guy to see just how immensely NASCAR fever has grown. It isn't just the South's sport anymore. Just look at the NASCAR's footprints (or, tire marks if you prefer) this season. Sure, two weeks ago, the Nextel Cup was in Daytona, the sport's mecca. But this weekend, they're at the opposite end of the East Coast in New Hampshire, an area not necessarily thought of historically as a hot-bed of NASCAR fans. And when the coiner of such college-boy catch phrases as, "We're going streaking!" makes a movie about your sport, you know you've got widespread pop-culture appeal.NASCAR, without a doubt, has joined basketball, baseball, football, and golf as a dominant spectator sport in this country. Popular as it is, this sport still has room to grow. How, you ask? Welcome Danica Patrick.Though her gender should not be the sole basis of her appeal nor the scale of how she's judged, Patrick would bring an entirely different perspective to the sport — just as she did on the IRL circuit. The fiery competitor that Danica is, she balances her grit with grace. Maybe Danica could class up the joint. Recently the biggest stories out of NASCAR have been the reckless young hot-heads who are willing to put the opposition's lives at risk to move ahead in a race.Even in post-race interviews, Danica, however, exhibits professionalism and courtesy, something that's missing in some of NASCAR's bad apples' extra-curricular pushing, shoving, and finger-pointing. That being said, Danica still has the bite necessary to hold her own in NASCAR. Some may point to her mediocre record recently on the IRL circuit, and I'll agree. She probably could use some more experience, not to mention wins, in the IRL before she jumps ship. But if and when she does move to NASCAR, she's going to bring a new generation of fans to a sport already bursting with popularity. But she's got as much to gain from her switching leagues as NASCAR does. Danica has already kicked down gender stereotypes without blinking an eye and she proved she can compete. She can do the same with the Nextel Cup series, so let's be honest, why not go where the money is?Indy-car racing isn't exactly the highlight of network sports' coverage. Would anybody watch if Danica wasn't around? It would be a smart long-term investment for her to switch to the sport with greater marketability. Think about it. If you were the biggest star in the market's equilavent of the Arena Football League, but had the chance to compete for an NFL-size following, wouldn't you take it? Others have switched up and been very succesful — Tony Stewart, for example.As for the Richard Pettys of this world who think that women shouldn't drive race cars, let them stew in their backwards philosophy. That's the only direction that kind of thinking will take NASCAR..
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