Danica Patrick Announces NASCAR Pursuits

By Christine Thomasos, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, August 25, 2011

Danica Patrick, racing driver and model, has officially announced that she will take part in NASCAR full time next year.

Patrick, the first woman to win an Indy car race in 2008, had previously spoken about gaining more experience in a stock car before the beginning of this season. After a spin left her shaken, she announced that she would not run in an ARCA race this season.

In February, the female racer spoke about her reasoning for shying away from the ARCA races this year.

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"To be honest, if I go back for a second time, this is maybe my own fear, but you all expect me to do better,'' Patrick said, according to Sports Illustrated. "There's that added pressure of like it's not just to go out there and drive around for the day. Like, 'OK I did it last year, now I need to do better this year.' That's an added pressure. Public perception was one [of the reasons].''

After thought and consideration, Patrick decided that she would participate in NASCAR next season as a member of Dale Earnhardt Jr's team, while also competing in up to 10 Sprint Cup races for Tony Stewart's team.

Patrick, a spokesperson from GoDaddy, joked about the web company giving her a platform to compete in a statement on Thursday.

"With breaking news that will shock the world, I am excited to finally announce that GoDaddy will be taking me full time to NASCAR next year," Patrick joked in a news conference Thursday at the GoDaddy headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. "I'm just excited to not have to answer the questions anymore."

Although she seemed excited about the opportunity, some in the world of racing are more skeptical about her decision. Brad Keselowski, a NASCAR racer and Sprint Cup competitor, said there will be a lot of pressure on Patrick to prove herself.

"Her assent up the ladder of the sport thru various branding 'techniques' (swimsuit ads etc) only serves to undermine the ... future credibility of female races who wish to make it based on skill, mental toughness and a never give up attitude," Keselowski said via Twitter. "That to me is wrong. Essentially, she has opened a pandoras (sic) box for all female racers. If she doesn't succeed, no female will get the chance for years to come.''