Could the most successful female driver in NASCAR history end up back where she got her top level racing start?
Danica Patrick might have an uncertain future in NASCAR, but she’s left little doubt about what she wants to do next: continue racing in the Cup Series, and only the Cup Series. Ultimately, though, that decision might be out of her hands.
Her name recognition would be a boon to the XFINITY Series, which will see the Cup Series drivers less often in 2018. But she’s not willing to take what would certainly be a step backward, and you can understand why.
So would Patrick instead consider returning to open-wheel racing, where she first became a household name? It’s a topic that hasn’t been broached all that often, but it’s something she wouldn’t rule out when speaking to ESPN’s Bob Pockrass.
"As far as a return to IndyCar, Patrick: “I’m not planning on anything going back to IndyCar but never say never.”"
There’s no argument that Patrick had more success in IndyCar. She finished fifth in the 2009 series standings, way above her best NASCAR Cup Series best season finish of 24th, finished on the podium in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 and won a race in Japan in 2008.
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Would going back to IndyCar also be giving up some of the career progress she’s made? Maybe a little, as the top American open-wheel series lags behind NASCAR in both popularity and attendance, though that gap may be closing ever so slightly as stock car racing experiences ongoing declines.
Regardless, if Patrick wants to be competitive and run up front, IndyCar may offer her a better chance to do so, depending on where a seat might open up. Her desire to win doesn’t seem to have dimmed just because her time with Stewart-Haas Racing has run out, so if things don’t come together for her before the end of Silly Season, don’t be surprised if a return to her roots is a rumor that picks up more steam.