Danica Patrick Stays With IndyCar Series, Signs Deal With Andretti Racing

Sports Betting News - September 25th, 2009 - Written by Scott

Danica Patrick's contract was set to expire following the end of this years IRL season.  Patrick has not made it official and signed a three year deal to remain with Andretti Green Racing.  She will continue to drive the No. 7 car with a Motorola based sponsorship. It had been rumored that she could possibly jump into the NASCAR scene, but she has now put this rumor to rest.  She will now stay in the IndyCar series for at least three years.   NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, who raced in the IRL circuit before coming into NASCAR,  has said that he is quite sure that she will eventually jump into NASCAR. He has become kind of a mentor to Patrick as of late and she has even visited Stewart's racing shop.

"I just know that she's excited about this and making this change," Stewart said before a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "I can pretty much guarantee at some point she's going to be over here.  "She's looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Hey, this is what I want to do. It looks like fun. It looks like a lot of work, but it looks like fun."

Patrick, who is 27 years old, has not been the most successful driver on the Indy circuit but she is definitely the most marketable.  She has had her photo featured in the 2008 and 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions.  Danica has only one win and is in her third year with Andretti Breen Racing.  This is her fifth year on the Indy circuit and is in fifth place in the point standings.  Her only victory, which came in Japan, made her the first woman to ever to win an open-wheel race. 

The President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Belskus, explained that Patrick is very important to racing and the future of the series.  

"I know she has said winning the Indianapolis 500 is important to her and that it's a lifelong dream to win that race," Belskus said.

To discuss this and other Sports Betting stories like it, be sure to check out our new forum at:
https://www.usaplayers.com/forums/