After finishing 10th in the Indy 500, and leading laps late in the race the constant Danica Patrick to NASCAR rumors will not go away. In fact it seems each and every day new rumors come out that Danica Is NASCAR bound in 2012. This time Godaddy.com CEO Bob Parsons is the one fueling the rumors. He fully expects Danica to make the jump in 2012 and that his company will continue to sponsor her.
Said Parsons:
She hasn’t told me she will, but I believe she will and we’ll be ready. Here’s the fact: She loves NASCAR, it’s much more exciting than Indy Car, with all due respect, and the TV audience for NASCAR is off the hook.
Those are pretty strong words coming from the guy who makes Danica’s ability to run the car a reality. However, we have to look at where Danica would fit in the garage of NASCAR. Without a doubt she would need a least one full year in the Nationwide Series and it seems she could expand her par time ride at JR Motorsports into a full time ride in 2012, but a cup ride may be a little harder to come by.
Since NASCAR team owners are capped at owning four teams we can rule out a few teams already. Roush Fenway Racing is locked in long term with most of their drivers; the same could be said about Hendrick Motorsports. Stewart-Haas racing and Joe Gibbs racing both have room for team expansion, and of the two it would seem that Stewart Haas would be the favorite. Tony Stewart, team owner, has mentored Danica on her entry into NASCAR and is a converted open wheel racer himself.