UPDATE Roush Fenway Racing offered Danica Patrick, whose introduction to NASCAR was a Ford Racing test several years ago, an opportunity to run NASCAR when her Indy Racing League contract was up three years ago and have entertained her as a guest at Sprint Cup races. But co-owner Jack Roush isn't interested in Patrick if she remains in IndyCar which apparently is a condition for any NASCAR team interested in signing her. "She'd like to drive her IRL car and on off weekends come drive a Nationwide or Sprint (Cup) car, and that's not going to work," Roush said Tuesday at RFR headquarters. "Those of us who understand how difficult this business is know that. This is really, really, really, really hard to do. She may be able to do it or she may not. I hope that she can, but she certainly won't be able to do it with distractions or a minimized effort. If she wants to do this, she'd need to come in with all her heart and soul and commitment and make that determination of what was possible. I'm not sure it's possible. It's potentially possible, but I'm stopped short of saying it's likely that she can do this, based on what she's done. She's talked to us a couple of different times, and there was no timetable on getting back to us. I told her if she wanted to do this, she should do a Nationwide or truck program first with great enthusiasm and then she should reconsider and take stock of things and decide what the timetable should be for a full Cup program. As long as she's got an interest in running the IRL with priority in her schedule, she doesn't have the time for a concerted effort. And without that, she will not be successful."
USA Today
10/10/09 All-in or not at all.
That's the message Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson had for Danica Patrick and her plan to give NASCAR a shot.
Patrick is hoping to work out a deal with JR Motorsports to run a few Nationwide races next season while continuing to race full-time in the IndyCar Series.
"I wouldn't be doing both cars, to be honest with you," Montoya said Friday. "That's my advice. The cars are so different. You will get comfortable [in the Nationwide car] and then go to the other thing, and every time you come back will be like night and day."
Johnson, who was listening when Montoya gave his opinion on Patrick's plan, shook his head in agreement.
"I think that's a valid point," Johnson said. "The overall thing she needs to accomplish is getting seat time. That's everything in learning these cars and these tracks. She may have raced at some of these tracks, but not in a closed-body vehicle. So it boils down to seat time."