Danica Patrick on Friday rejected skeptics who say she is incapable of switching from driving lighter, aerodynamic Indy cars to the much bulkier and heavier stock cars used on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Patrick, 27, is in the last year of her contract with the IndyCar team Andretti Green Racing and is evaluating options for next season.
Patrick last year became the first woman to win a major U.S.-sanctioned open-wheel race when she won the IndyCar race at Motegi, Japan.
She already had become a major sports figure after nearly winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2005, her rookie year. Now the IndyCar Series' most popular driver, she finished third in this year's Indy 500.
During a visit to Los Angeles to attend the ESPY Awards, Patrick also talked about her recent visit to Tony Stewart's NASCAR shop, the prospects of her moving to the Formula One series and other topics in a question-and-answer session:
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It's been suggested that you're not capable of driving a 3,400-pound Sprint Cup Series stock car competitively, especially in 36 races on NASCAR's various kinds of tracks. Do you reject that notion?
"Of course I do, because I believe in my ability. Any time I've been tested and put in a car, in something I've never driven before. . . . I've always done really well. It's going to take some getting used to. But I can't make everyone think I'm a good driver.
"I used to be more intimidated by the length of the season, but I spend so very little time at home and I am always on the road. I'm much less intimidated by that."
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Would you want to be in a Cup car from the start, or would you be willing to drive a few races in NASCAR's secondary series?
"Probably a while ago when I started thinking about the future a little bit and what I was going to have a look at . . . I definitely thought you'd go straight from the top of one sport to the next. But in [listening to] people's advice and what they think is right, they say take your time and they say you need to start a little slower than that. People want me to do well, if I ever do it, if I get to Cup.
"At some point you have to stop being naive and stop being stubborn and listen to people, so if that's the route I go, I would be open to doing some lower-formula stuff. I would take that advice."
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You recently visited the shop of NASCAR Cup team Stewart-Haas Racing. What was your impression?
