WRAL Sports Fan

NASCAR

Earnhardt says Danica Patrick will join NASCAR next year

By SceneDaily.com

Nov 5, 2009

LAS VEGAS – Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Wednesday night that his JR Motorsports team is still negotiating with IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick about driving a partial Nationwide Series schedule in 2010 and that he still believes that there’s competition to land Patrick.

“We’ve been talking to her,” Earnhardt Jr. said during an appearance in Las Vegas. “Other teams are talking to her as well. She’s really serious about coming to NASCAR. A lot of people, I guess, thought that it was just a media hoax or her kind of blowing smoke.

“She’s really serious about it, and she’s going to do it with somebody. We’re working on details and trying to be part of that puzzle. We’ll know more in the future.”

JR Motorsports is considered one of the leading candidates to land Patrick because both Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick have had sponsorship agreements with GoDaddy.com, which will sponsor Earnhardt Jr.’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin at the Sprint Cup level next year.

Patrick is expected to run full time for car owner Michael Andretti in the IndyCar Series next year and also to begin testing the waters in NASCAR.

Earnhardt Jr. has said that Patrick would be driving in a part-time role in a car that he would drive in select races as well as possibly other drivers. Patrick has one IndyCar victory in her career, winning in Japan last year. She finished fifth in the IndyCar standings this year.

JR Motorsports will field a car full time for Kelly Bires next season as well.

Mentioned Drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.