Tony Stewart supports Danicka Patrick’s NASCAR goal
After Danica Patrick’s last visit in July to Tony Stewart’s Team Headquarters, she comes back again this past week in regards to her serious inquiries about really getting into NASCAR. Stewart feels she really knows the toughness of competing, and suggests that she starts out next year with a number of Nationwide Series outings.
“I know that she’s serious about it,” said Stewart. “She’s come over and just talking for things right now. I know that’s what she wants to do. She looked me straight in the eye and said ‘this is what I want to do - it looks like fun, looks like a lot of work, but it looks like fun.’
“I don’t think she has some misguided idea that it’s going to be easy doing it. She wants to do it the right way, she has the intentions of doing everything right and she’s kind of come to us to see our opinion about how she should go about it.”
Stewart says Patrick will continue with Indie racing next year while slowly moving into the NASCAR scene.
“I think she wants to know how to make the transition more than anything and she’s trying to put together her IRL deal and try to figure out how to transition that into NASCAR,” Stewart added. “I think she’s trying to do it the right way. She’s not just cutting the cord and all of the sudden jumping in a car that she’s unfamiliar with. She wants to stay successful where she’s at, but in the meantime try to figure out a way to be able to drive and get some seat time in a car to where she can start learning to where when she does come out she’s got her act together.”
Stewart admires Patrick’s determination and realization of how difficult this transition will really be. She could run a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series next season while still continuing a full schedule in the IndieCars.
“The great thing is that she asked a lot of very smart questions in the discussions about it,” said Stewart. “You can tell that she wants to do it the right way, she understands how hard everybody has worked to get to this level here and she doesn’t want to be one of those people that just comes in and gets stuff handed to her. She wants to earn her way and work her way up through like everybody else has.”
References
1. Auto Sport
2. Picture
