DANICA MOVES UP
Danica Patrick, fresh off a pair of Super Bowl commercials, committed to debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway.
She earned the chance after a stellar race Saturday in the ARCA series at Daytona when she finished sixth in her first stock-car race.
"The ARCA race was a blast, and I'm not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet. I want more racing," she said in a prepared statement released Monday morning.
The full-time IndyCar driver qualified 12th and moved up to fifth early in the race. She didn’t make any bold moves but wasn’t expected to.
I was most impressed how she handled her car after former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. drove like the stock-car rookie he his when he clipped her car and sent it spinning into the grass at 180 mph.
Patrick was able to collect the car, keep it from hitting any walls before straightening it out. Thanks to a Speed TV in-car camera her composure and control was evident.
She rallied to finish sixth as she banged door to door with Ricky Carmichael to the finish line to gain one spot.
Her second race will be Feb. 20 at Fontana, Calif., before racing in the Sam’s Town 300 a week later at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
CATCH JIMMIE ON HBO
The third episode of the all-access show “24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona” airs 10 p.m. Tuesday on HBO.
The first two episodes have been enlightening and entertaining.
One of the best aspects is that NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports did not have censorship power.
LVMS DRAGSTRIP NEWS
Justin Humphreys of Monrovia, Md., won Sunday’s rain-delayed Pro Stock Showdown at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by beating Johnny Gray in the final round.
BALDWIN WINS PARKER 425
B.J. Baldwin won his first Best In The Desert title Saturday in the Parker 425 in Parker, Ariz. The Las Vegas driver has had a busy year so far after competing in South America with Robby Gordon last month in the Dakar Rally.
