Danica Patrick Sixth in Stock Car Debut
fanhouse.com
Filed under: Daytona Int’l Speedway, Danica Patrick
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick‘s sixth-place finish in her stock car debut Saturday night didn’t earn her a trophy, but something much more useful: respect and credit.
She was running 24th with 19 laps to go and charged through the field like a veteran NASCAR racer, not an IndyCar driver turning her first competitive laps in a stock car.
By all accounts, her effort equaled the hype. And there has been plenty of hype.
“I think she showed us she’s able to drive… I expected her to do well,” said Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports, which fielded Patrick’s car Saturday and will do so again in at least 12 NASCAR Nationwide races. “I am ecstatic. I couldn’t be happier.”