N'Wide: Patrick's learning curve continues

Danica Patrick will race on Saturday afternoon, but not because of the time she laid down in qualification. She'll roll of the grid 36th, but was actually slower than two of the "go-or-go-home" drivers (Morgan Shepherd and Danny O'Quinn) who failed to make the show.

Our View She was tentative on her qualification lap in part because she knew that with top-30 owners' points, she would be guaranteed a starting position. She'll improve during the race, but a top-20 is probably the outside mark fantasy owners should expect.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Nationwide newsbreakers

IRL: Sato coming to IndyCar

Former F1 driver Takuma Sato will race for KV Racing Technologies as a teammate to Hideki Mutoh, according to ESPN.com.

Our View It's kind of nice to see an open wheel guy stay with open wheel after the sudden influx of F1 drivers into NASCAR. Expect Sato to run better on road courses than ovals as he starts his learning curve in this type of racing.

More IRL newsbreakers

More F1 newsbreakers

Patrick impressive in stock car debut

Danica Patrick wanted to get experience by running the ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, and she accomplished that goal with flying colors. She was credited with sixth-place in a photo finish with Ricky Carmichael at the line.

Our View Patrick had to avoid wrecks along the way and was even knocked into the infield by Nelson Piquet Jr. at one point, so she experienced nearly everything that she would face in a Nationwide Series race.

The final decision on whether she will run the Nationwide race next Saturday will come on Monday, but according to a tweet by @NASCAR_NNS, she has already been approved by NASCAR.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

More Nationwide newsbreakers

More ARCA newsbreakers

Nationwide: Patrick schedule announced

JR Motorsports has announced Danica Patrick's 12-race Nationwide schedule. She has not yet been approved to run at Daytona in that series but could still be entered if she performs well in the ARCA Daytona event. Her first scheduled race will be at Auto Club Speedway on 2/20/2010 followed immediately by the event at Las Vegas the following week. Then she will take a break to concentrate on her IndyCar responsibilities and return to stock car competition at New Hampshire in June.

The remainder of her schedule includes Chicagoland, Michigan, Dover, the fall Auto Club race, Charlotte, Gateway, Texas, Phoenix (her hometown) and Homestead.

Our View The majority of these events are held on unrestricted, intermediate speedways, which gives her a chance to focus on the skill set requited to go fast on that track type.

Patrick's transition to the heavy stockers will be a challenging one, but with JR Motorsports equipment at her disposal, she could be a better value than many anticipate.

Play Yahoo! fantasy racing

IRL: George shuts down team

Tony George continues to distance himself from the league he created and that recently ousted him as its president. According to ESPN.com, he is shutting down his IRL race team, Vision Racing.

Our View In a league that has never had stunning car counts to begin with, it is unfortunate to lose any team. Last year, however, George's driver Ed Carpenter was hardly a fixture on anyone's race league.

More IRL newsbreakers

ARCA: Duno to test at Daytona

Danica Patrick may have some competition as the top female driver in stock cars. Milka Duno is also expected to test at Daytona International Speedway this spring. She will be in Braun Racing entry according to a press release from the team (quoted at Jayski.com).

Our View The two ladies have not gotten along very well in the Indy Racing League, so in addition to the appeal of having female drivers in a male-dominated sport, fans could see sparks fly in any events they contest. Fenders have a tendency to make drivers bold.

More ARCA newsbreakers

N'Wide: Patrick gets first test in

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s facebook page, Danica Patrick has put her first test with the team in the books; it came at Walt Disney Speedway. The Indy Racing League has run a handful of races at Disney, but not since Danica Patrick joined the series.

Our View If she is willing to put in the work, Patrick's transition to the heavier stock cars will go a lot smoother.

More Nationwide newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

Trucks: Piquet, Meira test went well

Monday's Craftsman Truck Series test for Nelson Piquet Jr. and Vitor Meira was delayed until Tuesday, but once on track both drivers performed well, according to team owner Tom DeLoach (at the Official Fan Club Nelson Piquet Web site).

Our View "I was really impressed with both drivers," DeLoach said. I anticipated that it would take a lot longer for them to get accustomed to the trucks once they started."

"We made some changes to the trucks in hopes to give each driver certain feelings in the truck, and they both explained exactly what feedback we were expecting. Both drivers have very impressive skill sets, and they really exceeded my expectations for the first time in a Camping World Truck Series Tundra."

More Camping World Truck Series newsbreakers

IRL: Franchitti wins Homestead and championship

Dario Franchitti beat Ryan Briscoe to the line at Homestead in the season finale. As good as that is, the news gets even better since he also won the championship.

Our View He took the top spot on the strength of five wins and 13 top-fives, which made him a great value in the Indy fantasy game.

Complete Results

More IRL newsbreakers

Danica Rumor Retracted

As quickly as they spread the rumor, ESPN Insider (via Jayski.com) retracted the story saying that the real number per race is likely closer to $50,000 or $100,000.

Our View That would certainly make her more appealing to a sponsor.

One thing the rumor underscores, however, is that even false reports about this superstar will get a lot of media coverage.

More Cup newsbreakers
More Nationwide newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

Danica wants $8 Mil for Nationwide Deal?

According to ESPN Insider, Danica Patrick is asking for eight million dollars to run eight Nationwide races in 2010, which would make her one of the most expensive part timers of all time.

Our View She would certainly bring a lot of attention to the series, but it's hard to imagine someone stepping up to the plate for that amount of cash in today's economy.

Wonder how much she wants for the ARCA races...

More Cup newsbreakers
More Nationwide newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers
More ARCA newsbreakers

IRL: Homestead Avg. Fin

If you were thinking about Dan Wheldon this week – we highly agree.

Driver	Avg Finish	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
Dan Wheldon	1.80	3	1	1	1	3
Sam Hornish Jr	2.25		3	3	2	1
Helio Castroneves	4.40	4	9	2	5	2
Scott Dixon	8.40	1	2	5	16	18
Tony Kanaan	7.00	8	5	11	3	8
Ryan Hunter-Reay	7.00	7
Patrick Carpentier	7.00				7
Felipe Giaffone	8.00			8
Vitor Meira	8.50	10	4	16	4
Tomas Scheckter	8.25		8	9	11	5
Eddie Cheever Jr	10.00			10
Scott Sharp	10.25		12	7	13	9
Darren Manning	9.50	13	13		6	6
Dario Franchitti	12.50		7	4	22	17
Sarah Fisher	11.00		11
Kosuke Matsuura	11.25		16	6	12	11
P J Chesson	12.00			12
Anthony Foyt IV	12.75	9	18		9	15
Oriol Servia	12.00	12
Ed Carpenter	12.20	5	6	20	18	12
Marco Andretti	12.33	2	20	15
Danica Patrick	13.00	6	14	17	15
Alex Barron	14.33		19		8	16
Bryan Herta	13.33			13	14	13
Buddy Lazier	14.00			14
Franck Perera	14.00	14
Buddy Rice	13.00	11	10	18	19	7
Paul Dana	14.50			19	10
Justin Wilson	15.00	15
Mario Moraes	16.00	16
E J Viso	17.00	17
Roger Yasukawa	17.00				17
Jeff Simmons	17.00		17
Enrique Bernoldi	18.00	18
Marty Roth	18.00	21	15
Ryan Briscoe	19.50	19			20
Milka Duno	20.00	20
Tomas Enge	21.00				21
Jay Howard	22.00	22
Bruno Junqueira	23.00	23
Hideki Mutoh	24.00	24
Will Power	25.00	25

Trulli NASCAR?

Add Jarno Trulli to the list of potential Formula 1/NASCAR crossovers. He will reportedly test a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota at Lakeland this winter along side Mika Salo.

Our View Trulli could potentially join Nelson Piquet Jr. and IndyCar stars Vitor Meira and Danica Patrick in part= or full-time schedules in 2010. If these stars are capable of bringing any kind of sponsorship to the table, the field is wide open for them with up to 14 percent of the field being taken by "start and park" teams this year.

More Cup newsbreakers
More F1 newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

Patrick Still in the Rumor Mill

Danica Patrick is still in the rumor mill as a potential NASCAR driver in 2010. SportsIllustrated.com is reporting that Rick Hendrick has confirmed JR Motorsports is in discussion with her to run a handful of Nationwide and ARCA races next year.

Our View With sponsor GoDaddy.com in the mix, this sounds like the most likely rumor we've heard so far. This would allow her to develop before getting tossed into the highly competitive Cup series.

More Nationwide newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers
More ARCA newsbreakers

Patrick mum on 2010 plans

Last week it was reported that Danica Patrick had signed a three-year deal with Andretti-Green Racing. Not so fast, it seems; Patrick has been mum on the subject.

Our View According to the Associated Press, "Patrick refused Wednesday to confirm widespread reports that she's agreed to a three-year extension of her IndyCar contract with Andretti Green Racing. Asked specifically about the extension, Patrick simply shook her head, not saying a word."

Come on over, girl – diversity needs to be served.

More Cup newsbreakers
More IRL newsbreakers

Danica staying in IndyCar

According to the Indianapolis Star, Danica Patrick will be staying in the Indy Racing League for three more years after signing a three-year deal with Andretti-Green Racing.

Our View One has a sense that this story is not complete yet. Could we still see Patrick in one of the junior NASCAR series during the next three years?

That would allow her to truly decide if she wants to race the heavier stockers and make her a more well-rounded driver.

IRL: Briscoe wins Chicagoland nail biter

Ryan Briscoe narrowly edged Scott Dixon in a chase for the checkers to win the Peak Antifreeze 300. The margin of victory was slight; in fact, this was the fourth closest race in IRL history. Last year's edition of this race boasted the second closest victory and now Chicagoland has three of the top four margins.

Our View After winning the pole and posting consistently fast practice speeds, we told fantasy players to make him the anchor of their roster, and the Penske pilot proved us correct.

More IRL newsbreakers

IRL: Briscoe wins Chicagoland pole

Ryan Briscoe proved that his fast speed in practice was no fluke. He posted the fastest speed in time trials as well with a lap of 215.364 and will lead the field to green Saturday night.

Our View Briscoe should anchor your fantasy lineup this week. Helio Castroneves will start on the outside of the front row and he was also quick all day Friday.

Lineup

More IRL newsbreakers

IRL: Briscoe tops Happy Hour

After posting the second fastest time in the first practice session for the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300, Ryan Briscoe jumped to the top of the charts with a lap of 217.553.

Our View The other fast drivers from that session failed to back up their morning speeds. Helio Castroneves was only 12th fastest and Danica Patrick was 15th fastest. The leader of the first session, Scott Dixon was fourth fastest in Happy Hour, but that gives the edge to Briscoe nonetheless.

Complete Results

More IRL newsbreakers

IRL: Dixon tops Chicagoland practice 1

Scott Dixon posted the fastest time in Friday's practice for the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway with a lap of 217.460.

Our View Ryan Briscoe was second fastest and Helio Castroneves came in third, but fantasy owners might be particularly interested in the fourt-place driver. After struggling on the road courses, it appears that Danica Patrick is back in top form with a lap of 216.284.

Complete Speeds

More IRL newsbreakers