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Drivers offer Danica advice

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The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 3, 2009

DAYTONA BEACH - Jeff Burton has some advice for Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick as she contemplates a future in NASCAR:

Find out if you can do it before switching.

"She needs to go to a racetrack somewhere and test," he said. "Until you do that, you can't make a determination whether or not you like it and you think you can be effective at it. She could do that under the cloak of darkness and no one would ever know."

Patrick is in the final year of her three-year contract with Andretti Green Racing, and as she did three years ago before leaving Rahal Letterman Racing, she is exploring her options.

Those include re-signing with AGR, moving to another team in the IRL - she has been linked with Chip Ganassi Racing - or moving to NASCAR, where her marketing opportunities would be far greater.

But switching to NASCAR would mean a steep learning curve to heavier, low-downforce stock cars and much tougher competition.

"She has silenced some of her critics the way she has run this year," Burton said of Patrick's solid record this year, which includes five top-five finishes in eight starts. "She is certainly a much-sought-after driver due to the attention she draws."

Tony Stewart, who won a championship in the IRL before moving to NASCAR a decade ago, concurred that Patrick needs to drive a stock car so she can make an informed decision.

"If she's serious about it, she needs to get in a late-model first and run some laps and then get in a radial-tire car," he said.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the Indianapolis 500 and starred in Formula One, said that if Patrick makes the switch, her team owner will have to be patient.

"Open-wheel to this is very different," he said. "When you say she had a top five in an Indy-car race to this - it's very different. A top five here is like three wins in Indy car."

Probably not here

Rookie Joey Logano became the youngest winner in NASCAR's premier division Sunday when he won at New Hampshire at age 19, but Kurt Busch figures he won't be much of a threat in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400.

"I know when I was a rookie, I didn't have a good shot at winning at restrictor-plate tracks because that yellow back bumper signifying rookie status stands out pretty large, and drivers always find some way to get around them," he said.

Logano started the season terribly as Stewart's replacement in the No. 20 Toyota. But he has raced better of late, climbing from 30th to 21st in the past six races.

Hall of Fame class

NASCAR announced 25 nominees for its first Hall of Fame class Thursday night, and the list included the obvious names.

Lee and Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Rick Hendrick, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip head the list. Five will be chosen for the inaugural class.

Also notable

Zephyrhills' David Reutimann, who posted his best finish at Daytona in February (12th), posted the fastest speed in Thursday's second Coke Zero 400 practice session. David Ragan led the first session. Michael Waltrip and David Ragan led the two practice sessions for tonight's Nationwide Series race. ... The weather forecast for Saturday night's race calls for a 40-percent chance of rain.

Tony Fabrizio

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