Patrick provides big boost for NASCAR

It still has a deep and committed fan base, but NASCAR's popularity had waned in recent years.

That probably explains the nearly overwhelming acceptance inside the industry of Danica Patrick and the immediate boost she brings as a newcomer to the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series.

Even if she never wins, Patrick already has provided a shot of adrenaline to a sport built on speed, helping increase media coverage and television ratings.

Imagine if she ever wins.

"I think that it would be huge for the sport," Jeff Gordon said. "You see how much attention is on her already as far as NASCAR is concerned."

NASCAR polled 18,000 of its strongest fans, and 87 percent said they hoped she wins and 80 percent agreed she was good for the sport.

"Those are really high numbers," NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said. "She brings her own fan base of those who followed her in open-wheel racing."

Patrick, who turns 30 on March 25, is racing full time for the first time in Nationwide, including Saturday's Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She also will run in 10 Cup races, though not in Las Vegas on Sunday.

It's clearly a learning year for the former IndyCar Series driver.

She said he hopes to finish in the top 10 in Nationwide races and simply finish in Cup races and figure out the nuances.

"I didn't have any goals when I first started racing stock cars, and I think that was a negative," Patrick said. "You need some expectation levels that aren't 'I wanna go win.' Everybody wants to win, and that's clear. But some realistic (goals), some ones you can actually make happen."

For all the excitement about her jump to NASCAR, Patrick also has been greeted with fan and media cynicism.

Many see her in commercials for GoDaddy.com, the primary sponsor of her No. 10 Sprint Cup Chevrolet, playing off her enormous sex appeal in blatant and perhaps cheap ways to draw the eyes of male viewers.

Posing in skimpy swimsuits for FHM and Sports Illustrated adds fuel to the perception Patrick is more interested in promoting herself than committing to improving as a driver.

Patrick knows the only way to prove doubters wrong is on the track, so she doesn't even seem to try convince them.

She laughed off comments from a San Diego sportscaster who was suspended for nearly calling her a word that rhymes with witch.

"You're probably not supposed to do that in general at any point while you're doing your broadcast," Patrick said. "But I think it's kind of funny. I guess I think it's cool that someone felt so darn strongly about me that they would do that on air."

Her NASCAR colleagues seem to be solidly in her corner.

That wasn't necessarily the case in IndyCar, where the attention given to her presence often overwhelmed the rest of the field. Her occasional fits of anger probably didn't play well, either.

Getting mad at a NASCAR race might actually work to her benefit, and her fellow drivers also are probably accepting because so many of them already are stars. Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart demand enough attention that it doesn't seem as if one driver dominates the spotlight.

"I see this constant debate that's going on, and one thing I want to be clear on is that she's getting attention for more than just being a female driver in this series," Gordon said. "She has a proven track record. ... She's committed, she's competed in the IndyCar Series, her finishes in the Indy 500 and all those things to me are proof that she's a qualified driver."

Mark Martin said he liked having Patrick in NASCAR.

"I think most of us are going to accept it well because we see it as a plus," Martin said. "The more eyes that tune in to watch Danica Patrick is the more eyes that see (our) Aaron's Dream Machine on the racetrack. From that standpoint, it's a good thing. Any time that there's a lot of noise made, there's going to be a lot of supporters and a good bit of negative as well. It's a positive for our sport."

It must be gratifying to Patrick to receive such support, but the longer she goes without a victory, that could ebb.

NASCAR, like other sports, is a results-oriented business. The honeymoon has a shelf life.

"I think the fans are patient as she makes this full-time transition," Phelps said. "These cars are a lot different than what she was racing."

She didn't exactly blow away the field in IndyCar, though, winning just once, at Japan in 2008.

But at IndyCar's top race, the Indianapolis 500, Patrick finished fourth in her 2005 debut, third in 2009 and in the top 10 every year except 2008.

To pull in first in either a Nationwide or especially a Sprint Cup race would send Danica mania into overdrive.

"Is she getting more attention because she's female?" Gordon asked. "Obviously, yes. If she were to win, then that would only quadruple. When there's attention on the sport like that, it's good for everybody."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.