Danica finds the spotlight during Nationwide weekend in Iowa

Danica Patrick doesn’t always run up front. But when it comes to drawing attention – and money – to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, it’s clear that all other drivers are drafting off of her.

If you’re expecting her fellow competitors to resent the publicity that Patrick inevitably draws, think again.

“Sure, Danica’s going to get her time because she is a focal point of our sport and should be. She’s something new and she brought a lot of attention to our sport, so it’s something people are going to talk about,” Nationwide driver Michael Annett of Des Moines said. “But if you’re doing your job, they’re going to have to talk about you when you’re sitting in victory lane.”

Complete coverage of the Pioneer H-Bred 250

Victory lane is a location the 30-year-old Patrick – who will race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 — has experienced only once in a racing career now in its eighth season, winning an IndyCar race in Japan in 2008. But her appeal is undeniable – as a woman competing fiercely in a sport dominated by men, and as an athlete not afraid to flaunt her girl-next-door magnetism in a series of popular ads for GoDaddy.com.

The latest Q score ratings that measure name recognition found that 76 percent of the public is familiar with Patrick. Indeed, when she tweeted a photo of herself and her “cute hair do” during a commercial shoot Tuesday to her 591,000 followers, the picture quickly accumulated more than 10,000 views.

This isn’t the fan following of a typical driver in NASCAR’s top minor-league circuit. And Patrick, in an exclusive interview with the Register this week, said it’s no secret that she sees herself as an athlete and someone who bursts beyond the boundaries of her sport.

“I am a brand and a human being, of course,” she said. “Being a human being is what I bring to the brand. I like the opportunity to really sit down and talk about what things you stand for and how you want people to view you. They’re one and the same for me.

“I would like people to know that I’m definitely one of those people who wants everyone to reach their full potential. So believe in yourself, and embrace what is unique about you. I’m genderless in my opinions. I’m cheering for people to step out of their comfort zones, and as soon as you find your passion, go after it.”

Danica Patrick’s 2012 race log

ON THE FAST TRACK

For Patrick, that passion was fast vehicles. Her parents, Terry and Beverly, were into snowmobile racing in her native Wisconsin. By the time she was 10, she was racing go-karts and spent some of her teen years driving in England.

At age 23, she was a rookie on the IndyCar circuit, finishing fourth in that year’s Indianapolis 500 while becoming the first woman to ever lead a lap at America’s most famous race. She may have won only one race in seven seasons, but she was often in the hunt in her open-wheel career, including top-10 finishes in the IndyCar points standings each year from 2006-09.

She started dabbling in the stock-car world in 2010, fueling constant speculation that she would shift gears by jumping to the higher-profile NASCAR circuit. But it wasn’t until this year that she actually did, and she said the move wasn’t as inevitable as some people portrayed it.

“It’s something that just came about. I think it was always an idea. But due to the sort of changes in IndyCar, and the fact that I liked driving a stock car, I decided to do it now,” Patrick said.

Does she have regrets?

“I don’t miss it right now,” she said of IndyCar. “I’m really happy with my decision to move into NASCAR.”

The feeling is mutual. NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said Patrick has been able to straddle a unique line as a highly hyped newcomer to the sport who has been embraced, not spurned, by its existing fan base. On top of that, Patrick brings along her own legion of followers.

“We asked NASCAR fans about her and I think some ridiculous number like 87 percent of our existing fans hope she does well,” Phelps said. “That kind of appeal to an established fan base, for a newcomer coming in with a lot of fanfare, that says a lot about her. She appeals to young people and old people, men and women.

“People want her to do well. And she’s got such great passion and fire, such an intense desire to win.”

Phelps said it was too early to measure the exact impact of Danica-mania. But TV ratings are up 7 percent over 2011, with an average audience of 2.5 million this year, according to the Nielsen Co.

“Is that all attributable to Danica? Probably not. We’ve got some great story lines,” he said. “But you look at her licensed merchandise sales, she’s in the top 10 of all drivers. She’s a media darling.”

Just as important, Patrick carries an impressive amount of corporate backing into the Nationwide Series. Sponsorship is the lifeblood of successful auto-racing teams, and Patrick has never lacked for that. And some of it is new money.

GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons told Yahoo Sports before the season: “I did not sponsor Danica because I wanted to get into racing. I got into racing because I wanted to sponsor Danica. I’m not sure I’d be involved in racing.”

OLD OVAL WILL HAVE NEW FEEL

Patrick raced in Newton five times on the IndyCar circuit, with a best finish of sixth, but said that experience won’t necessarily help her this weekend. The difference in the style of race car makes every track an experiment since drivers need to find new lines to race on. She is hopeful that Iowa Speedway, with its incremental banking, will be conducive to better racing for stock cars.

Patrick enters Sunday’s race 10th in the Nationwide standings after nine races. She was asked if she was OK with descriptions of her as an “aggressive” driver.

“Sure. That would be great,” she said. “I would describe myself as methodical and I would hope calculated and smart. From a perspective of making passes happen, taking care of my equipment, making sure the tires last.”

It’s all part of the learning curve on ovals across America for Patrick, suddenly a rookie again, almost as green as her GoDaddy firesuits.

“I started off the year thinking to myself that I was going to hit the ground running. But the bottom line is there’s a lot of guys that have been around stock-car racing a lot more than me,” she said.

“It’s just getting familiar with the limits of (a stock car), knowing how hard you can drive it at what times.”

In the meantime, her fellow drivers are getting to know Patrick, whose notoriety preceded her.

“She’s a lot cooler in person than I thought she was going to be – that probably comes out wrong. But I didn’t know what to expect,” Nationwide newcomer Travis Pastrana said. “Everybody is like, ‘She gets too much media (attention)’ and she’s like, ‘I know, I try to stay away from the cameras, that’s why I’m so quiet. I just want to race.’”

A CHAMPION OF MANY PRODUCTS

Patrick has earned $233,376 this year for her on-track performance, which includes just one top-10 finish and three laps led. But her endorsement portfolio revved up last week when she signed on to pitch Coke Zero, the first female driver in the Coca-Cola family.

This is on top of the $12 million that Forbes.com estimated she earned last year, which would have placed her eighth among all NASCAR drivers (Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the pack at $28 million). In addition to GoDaddy.com, Patrick has contracts with Nationwide Insurance, Tissot watches, Chevrolet, Peak Antifreeze, William Rast clothing and Hot Wheels.

But the multi-year deal with a soft-drink company pushes her farther into the mainstream. She’s thrilled about the possibilities, and already practiced at selling the no-calorie cola.

“Have you tried it?” she asked a reporter. “It tastes just like real Coke. I’m not just saying that.

“(The endorsement deal is) a big shot in the arm. It’s really great to know that companies like that find value in me.”

Patrick was hard-pressed when asked to define her appeal to consumers.

“I don’t think I want to answer that question. That’s a better question for someone else,” she said. “I don’t know. I mean, I feel really fortunate that I’ve always been able to be myself and be natural. And I think people can see that and feel that.”

Patrick said she’s felt her fame growing gradually, particularly over the past five years. She described it as “a snowball effect. And it’s a slow snowball.”

So she’s back at Iowa Speedway this weekend, taking laps and moving product. She seems content to put in the time needed to move up the ranks in this challenging new circuit, and fellow rookies like Austin Dillon praise her for “learning a lot in a short amount of time, and going about it the right way.”

Still, there’s a left side of her brain yearning to be exercised. It’s what she calls the “creative, artsy side of me.”

Patrick, who has walked many red carpets, has long had an interest in being a fashion designer.

But does she ever get tired of wearing green during her day job?

“Never,” Patrick replied quickly. “There are so many beautiful shades of green. And I’m bright and easy for people to see on the track.”

Register staff writer Andy Hamilton contributed to this story.

Article source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120517/CAROUSEL/305170079/1003/

Auto racing: Danica Patrick finds home in NASCAR

Danica Patrick doesn’t always run up front. But when it comes to drawing attention – and money – to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, it’s clear that all other drivers are drafting off of her.

If you’re expecting her fellow competitors to resent the publicity that Patrick inevitably draws, think again.

“Sure, Danica’s going to get her time because she is a focal point of our sport and should be. She’s something new and she brought a lot of attention to our sport, so it’s something people are going to talk about,” Nationwide driver Michael Annett of Des Moines said. “But if you’re doing your job, they’re going to have to talk about you when you’re sitting in victory lane.”

Complete coverage of the Pioneer H-Bred 250

Victory lane is a location the 30-year-old Patrick – who will race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 — has experienced only once in a racing career now in its eighth season, winning an IndyCar race in Japan in 2008. But her appeal is undeniable – as a woman competing fiercely in a sport dominated by men, and as an athlete not afraid to flaunt her girl-next-door magnetism in a series of popular ads for GoDaddy.com.

The latest Q score ratings that measure name recognition found that 76 percent of the public is familiar with Patrick. Indeed, when she tweeted a photo of herself and her “cute hair do” during a commercial shoot Tuesday to her 591,000 followers, the picture quickly accumulated more than 10,000 views.

This isn’t the fan following of a typical driver in NASCAR’s top minor-league circuit. And Patrick, in an exclusive interview with the Register this week, said it’s no secret that she sees herself as an athlete and someone who bursts beyond the boundaries of her sport.

“I am a brand and a human being, of course,” she said. “Being a human being is what I bring to the brand. I like the opportunity to really sit down and talk about what things you stand for and how you want people to view you. They’re one and the same for me.

“I would like people to know that I’m definitely one of those people who wants everyone to reach their full potential. So believe in yourself, and embrace what is unique about you. I’m genderless in my opinions. I’m cheering for people to step out of their comfort zones, and as soon as you find your passion, go after it.”

Danica Patrick’s 2012 race log

ON THE FAST TRACK

For Patrick, that passion was fast vehicles. Her parents, Terry and Beverly, were into snowmobile racing in her native Wisconsin. By the time she was 10, she was racing go-karts and spent some of her teen years driving in England.

At age 23, she was a rookie on the IndyCar circuit, finishing fourth in that year’s Indianapolis 500 while becoming the first woman to ever lead a lap at America’s most famous race. She may have won only one race in seven seasons, but she was often in the hunt in her open-wheel career, including top-10 finishes in the IndyCar points standings each year from 2006-09.

She started dabbling in the stock-car world in 2010, fueling constant speculation that she would shift gears by jumping to the higher-profile NASCAR circuit. But it wasn’t until this year that she actually did, and she said the move wasn’t as inevitable as some people portrayed it.

“It’s something that just came about. I think it was always an idea. But due to the sort of changes in IndyCar, and the fact that I liked driving a stock car, I decided to do it now,” Patrick said.

Does she have regrets?

“I don’t miss it right now,” she said of IndyCar. “I’m really happy with my decision to move into NASCAR.”

The feeling is mutual. NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said Patrick has been able to straddle a unique line as a highly hyped newcomer to the sport who has been embraced, not spurned, by its existing fan base. On top of that, Patrick brings along her own legion of followers.

“We asked NASCAR fans about her and I think some ridiculous number like 87 percent of our existing fans hope she does well,” Phelps said. “That kind of appeal to an established fan base, for a newcomer coming in with a lot of fanfare, that says a lot about her. She appeals to young people and old people, men and women.

“People want her to do well. And she’s got such great passion and fire, such an intense desire to win.”

Phelps said it was too early to measure the exact impact of Danica-mania. But TV ratings are up 7 percent over 2011, with an average audience of 2.5 million this year, according to the Nielsen Co.

“Is that all attributable to Danica? Probably not. We’ve got some great story lines,” he said. “But you look at her licensed merchandise sales, she’s in the top 10 of all drivers. She’s a media darling.”

Just as important, Patrick carries an impressive amount of corporate backing into the Nationwide Series. Sponsorship is the lifeblood of successful auto-racing teams, and Patrick has never lacked for that. And some of it is new money.

GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons told Yahoo Sports before the season: “I did not sponsor Danica because I wanted to get into racing. I got into racing because I wanted to sponsor Danica. I’m not sure I’d be involved in racing.”

OLD OVAL WILL HAVE NEW FEEL

Patrick raced in Newton five times on the IndyCar circuit, with a best finish of sixth, but said that experience won’t necessarily help her this weekend. The difference in the style of race car makes every track an experiment since drivers need to find new lines to race on. She is hopeful that Iowa Speedway, with its incremental banking, will be conducive to better racing for stock cars.

Patrick enters Sunday’s race 10th in the Nationwide standings after nine races. She was asked if she was OK with descriptions of her as an “aggressive” driver.

“Sure. That would be great,” she said. “I would describe myself as methodical and I would hope calculated and smart. From a perspective of making passes happen, taking care of my equipment, making sure the tires last.”

It’s all part of the learning curve on ovals across America for Patrick, suddenly a rookie again, almost as green as her GoDaddy firesuits.

“I started off the year thinking to myself that I was going to hit the ground running. But the bottom line is there’s a lot of guys that have been around stock-car racing a lot more than me,” she said.

“It’s just getting familiar with the limits of (a stock car), knowing how hard you can drive it at what times.”

In the meantime, her fellow drivers are getting to know Patrick, whose notoriety preceded her.

“She’s a lot cooler in person than I thought she was going to be – that probably comes out wrong. But I didn’t know what to expect,” Nationwide newcomer Travis Pastrana said. “Everybody is like, ‘She gets too much media (attention)’ and she’s like, ‘I know, I try to stay away from the cameras, that’s why I’m so quiet. I just want to race.’”

A CHAMPION OF MANY PRODUCTS

Patrick has earned $233,376 this year for her on-track performance, which includes just one top-10 finish and three laps led. But her endorsement portfolio revved up last week when she signed on to pitch Coke Zero, the first female driver in the Coca-Cola family.

This is on top of the $12 million that Forbes.com estimated she earned last year, which would have placed her eighth among all NASCAR drivers (Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the pack at $28 million). In addition to GoDaddy.com, Patrick has contracts with Nationwide Insurance, Tissot watches, Chevrolet, Peak Antifreeze, William Rast clothing and Hot Wheels.

But the multi-year deal with a soft-drink company pushes her farther into the mainstream. She’s thrilled about the possibilities, and already practiced at selling the no-calorie cola.

“Have you tried it?” she asked a reporter. “It tastes just like real Coke. I’m not just saying that.

“(The endorsement deal is) a big shot in the arm. It’s really great to know that companies like that find value in me.”

Patrick was hard-pressed when asked to define her appeal to consumers.

“I don’t think I want to answer that question. That’s a better question for someone else,” she said. “I don’t know. I mean, I feel really fortunate that I’ve always been able to be myself and be natural. And I think people can see that and feel that.”

Patrick said she’s felt her fame growing gradually, particularly over the past five years. She described it as “a snowball effect. And it’s a slow snowball.”

So she’s back at Iowa Speedway this weekend, taking laps and moving product. She seems content to put in the time needed to move up the ranks in this challenging new circuit, and fellow rookies like Austin Dillon praise her for “learning a lot in a short amount of time, and going about it the right way.”

Still, there’s a left side of her brain yearning to be exercised. It’s what she calls the “creative, artsy side of me.”

Patrick, who has walked many red carpets, has long had an interest in being a fashion designer.

But does she ever get tired of wearing green during her day job?

“Never,” Patrick replied quickly. “There are so many beautiful shades of green. And I’m bright and easy for people to see on the track.”

Register staff writer Andy Hamilton contributed to this story.

Article source: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120517/SPORTS1401/120517015/1003/

LETTER: It’s sad to see Vikings sail off into sunset

The end of the Viking era has come, at least for the Vikings of Holmen Ambassador group.

Due to our aging membership, lack of interest or desire for plunder and the demise of the Miss Holmen pageant, the group decided to park the ship in a fjord and hang up their shields and swords. But we hated to see our beloved ship Reisende lie in dry dock. So we have now decided to sell our ship to the community in Westby. Quite fitting I think since that was always our first parade of the season and they had coveted our ship for many years.

The ship was built in 1995 in Rolf Hanson’s garage on a snowmobile trailer. The Miss Holmen organization needed something better for appearances in parades. But it wasn’t all about parades. Since many of our members were educators our organization gave talks about Viking history for school and community groups. The group has appeared at Yes Holmen, a Renaissance banquet, Norskedalen and other events.

Over the years many other community organizations have contributed to the ship’s decoration, upkeep and storage. Expensive and authentic carvings were commissioned for the figure head and tail. The Lions Club paid for the insurance, the American Legion stored it in their shed, many other community groups gave us money to repair the waves and improve its sound system. Most groups that contributed to the Viking organization got a shield on the side of the ship. They included the Lioness Club, American Legion Auxiliary, Grandview Garden Club, Sons of Norway, Holmen Rod and Gun, the Rotary Club, Holmen Civic and Commerce Association and the Holmen Area Foundation, among many others.

When the Vikings disbanded in 2009, we divided our plunder among groups that had supported us over they years. Once again we will do so with the money Westby is giving us for the ship. This time donations will be made to the Holmen Lioness Club, Holmen American Legion, the village of Holmen and the Holmen Area Library building fund.

We will miss your smiles and waves as we came down the streets of area communities. We will also miss the pre-parade tailgate menus. Remember the saying: unless you provide food, no one will come.

Sue Stranc was president of the Vikings of Holmen Ambassador group.

Article source: http://lacrossetribune.com/courierlifenews/news/opinion/letter-it-s-sad-to-see-vikings-sail-off-into/article_80ebadf2-a029-11e1-a0d5-001a4bcf887a.html