Danica Patrick Surprised Her 2018 Daytona 500 Deal Still Not Finalized

by abournenesn

Jan 5, 2018

NASCAR fans aren’t the only people anxiously awaiting news regarding Danica Patrick’s Daytona 500 bid.

Patrick spoke Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s show “The Morning Drive,” revealing that she wasn’t expecting it to take so long to secure a ride for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season opener, according to RACER.

When Patrick announced her retirement in November, she stated she would run both “Great American Races,” the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. In the two months since, however, there has been little to report on regarding either deal.

“I just kind of thought it would get more simple; there’s less people involved, less sponsors, less things,” Patrick said. “Well, it’s still complicated. So, it’s just taking a little bit of time, but we’ll hopefully have something to announce soon enough.”

In keeping with her “go-with-the-flow” mentality, the 35-year-old said she isn’t stressed about what’s to come and currently is enjoying the growth of her off-track ventures. Her new book, “Pretty Intense,” recently hit shelves, for example, and she has been on a media tour since the start of 2018 to promote it.

What’s more, while discussing her excitement for her one-off drives in IndyCar and NASCAR, Patrick hinted at the fact that she could represent one team in both events.

“I’m so glad for the way it all ended up working out, and so similarly with the teams I’m going to race for, or team, in NASCAR and in IndyCar,” Patrick said, via RACER. “I’m pushing politely but you can’t make things happen before they are ready to happen.”

Shortly after Patrick announced her post-2017 plans, rumors started flying that she could try to land seat with Chip Ganassi Racing for both 500s. Chip Ganassi recently said he’d be open to the idea, but thinks Patrick has a “small chance” at driving for his team, though her comment suggests she might have made headway in discussions with CGR.

Thumbnail photo via Thumbnail photo via Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports Images
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