Danica Patrick

Just six months ago, Danica Patrick was a NASCAR rock star. She dazzled the crowd at media day at Daytona. Onlookers, journalists and photographers joined together in a paparazzi feeding frenzy. Short of scenes involving guys named Earnhardt, I hadn't seen anything quite like it. Flash forward to the dog days of summer, and the rock star's entourage has lost a little bit of that energetic infatuation. The click-click-click now is accompanied by the blah-blah-blah. That's a good way to document Patrick's presence on the NASCAR scene.

Is there any question NASCAR's "It Girl" is serious about hanging with the big boys? News flash: Danica Patrick is skipping the Indianapolis 500 to race in the Coca-Cola 600 in May. That shows a serious level of engagement for Patrick, who has dabbled in NASCAR before making a full-time commitment to race a full Nationwide Series schedule and 10 Sprint Cup races this season. "It was her decision," said Tony Stewart , her team owner at Stewart-Hass Racing. "We didn't tell her she couldn't run the Indy race.

Some Danica Patrick haters felt redeemed after her 31st-place finish Saturday in Fontana, Calif. That's a little ridiculous. The experiment hasn't failed. It's just getting started. Daytona was the easiest race Patrick will have this season and thus the perfect place for her to start. She better get used to ignoring her finishes and focus only on improvement. If she doesn't improve, go ahead and crow that she failed. The process will take at least a year. Reunion: Carl Edwards' Nationwide team got some good news this week.

Love 'em or hate 'em, the Busch brothers are always in the mix when it comes to contentious relationships in NASCAR. Kurt Busch had to be restrained by team members along pit road in Richmond after an incident with NASCAR.com reporter Joe Menzer . Menzer asked Busch — who had some issues with Jimmie Johnson at the Richmond night race — "Kurt, can either you or Jimmie win the Chase?" Busch cut him off and then said: "How did I see you were going to come with that?

Juan Pablo Montoya said in January he thought Danica Patrick would have pretty smooth runs in her first NASCAR Nationwide races. "You don't want to be the (jerk) that wrecked Danica," Montoya said, smiling. Well, on Saturday, Michael McDowell became "the (jerk) who wrecked Danica," even though that was only partially true. It was Patrick's last NASCAR Nationwide race for a few months as she heads back to the IndyCar Series. On Lap 83 she collided with McDowell, whose car already was damaged from a blown tire.

Danica Patrick couldn't quite believe what was happening Thursday evening. There she was, riding in a golf cart, taking a tour of the city's new 2.03-mile temporary street course, trying to get a feel for the new track that will host Sunday's inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, when all at once she found herself in the middle of rush hour traffic. "If I was in a car, I think I would have been pretty ticked off," Patrick said. "The light changed and they sent us right into the traffic.

In her 50th race, Danica Patrick, the speed world's golden girl, had a golden ride. Nursing her fuel tank so that she had a few extra RPMs when she needed them, she flew by Helio Castroneves on the high side just a few laps from the finish and cruised to victory in the rain-delayed Indy Japan 300 over the weekend, thus making history as the first woman to win a major auto race. For Patrick, the whirlwind is just beginning. In an interview on ESPN after the race she said she had initially intended to spend an evening enjoying Tokyo but that winning Saturday's race changed her plans.

Two of the most important car owners in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi, sat beside each other Saturday afternoon to discuss the rivalry between their teams as the IndyCar season heads toward its finish. Penske's Will Power and Ganassi's Dario Franchitti are locked in another tight points battle. Franchitti has the 26 point lead going in to Sunday's Baltimore Grand Prix, but Penske said that might be the key to Power winning the title.

Some say it's because she's an attractive woman and a sponsor's dream. Some say it's because she's hurdling barriers no other woman has in racing. Some say she lacks talent. Others say she has already proven that isn't true. But one thing is undeniable. Anywhere Danica Patrick goes, excitement follows. Autograph seekers, adoring fans and detractors do, too. Any event in which she participates - even if it's just a visit to a NASCAR Sprint Cup team's race shop - matters. Any race in which she competes is relevant to more than just the fans of that race.

INDIANAPOLIS - This was Danica Patrick at 12. "She was leading the race, and I was running second," recalls Sam Hornish Jr., who was 15 then and now drives for Team Penske. Hornish is a two-time Indy Racing League champion. "I went to pass her. She tried to block me, but I was already there," he said. Their go-karts collided. Hers flew off the track. To this day, neither will accept blame. She returned to the race with Hornish in the cross hairs of those dark eyes that can blaze with purpose.

They ran a Grand Prix through the streets of Charm City recently, and if you looked closely, some people say, those were dollars you saw spewing from the exhausts of those high-performance engines. Those are the kinds of dollars that spread all throughout the downtown area, to local establishments and small businesses. Soon, we'll begin to hear the story of the economics of the Izod IndyCar event. I'm told we should be interested in that story - the one about economics and racing.

As Danica Patrick makes the transition from the open-wheel world to NASCAR nation, she will have an excellent mentor. Tony Stewart will be her team owner while she races a select number of Cup races. Another mentor couldn't hurt. Mark Martin, anybody? It seems like a great fit. Martin will be looking for a part-time ride after he steps aside for Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports. "I would love to have him," Stewart said. "The biggest thing is us getting the financial backing to run the remainder of those races.

Here are five things to look for in today's Baltimore Grand Prix, the inaugural IndyCar race for the city: 1. Is the track/course ready for its IndyCar debut? Drivers have politely pointed out over the weekend that there are some issues with the course. We say politely because the drivers don't want to bash a city hosting its first IndyCar event. But if cars are stacked up like overturned Matchbox cars at Turn One today, or there is a crash in the pits, we can assure you the politeness will go away.

Among the tens of thousands of fans who came this weekend for the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix were a large number of racing rookies. They were attracted for a variety of reasons — fast cars, a party atmosphere and the idea of supporting their hometown. For Tim Trochimowicz of Pasadena, it was the free tickets he won in a raffle outside the local Giant supermarket. "There was a band playing outside the Giant and people were putting their cards in for a raffle," Trochimowicz recalled.

Simona De Silvestro stepped out of her hauler Saturday afternoon after an intense meeting with her race team, only to be greeted by a pleasant surprise. A green and white birthday cake covered with candles. De Silvestro, who was born in Switzerland, actually turned 23 on Sept. 1, but her week leading up to the Baltimore Grand Prix had been such a mad rush there had been little time for celebration. Even this moment wasn't exactly ideal. She had just wrapped up qualifying — finishing a respectable 12th, one of her best of the year — and was trying to squeeze in a quick interview before she ran to an autograph session.

Two of the most important car owners in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi, sat beside each other Saturday afternoon to discuss the rivalry between their teams as the IndyCar season heads toward its finish. Penske's Will Power and Ganassi's Dario Franchitti are locked in another tight points battle. Franchitti has the 26 point lead going in to Sunday's Baltimore Grand Prix, but Penske said that might be the key to Power winning the title.

She might not have known that racecar driver Danica Patrick was in the process of making history at the Indianapolis 500 yesterday, but she had a pretty good excuse. Adia Cotten was busy blazing her own trail - around a go-kart track in Elkridge. Just 10 years old, Adia started her last go-kart race of the day at Rounding Third Family Entertainment Center yesterday afternoon from behind. But lap by lap, she picked off one driver after another, boys and adults, until she was leading in the last lap. Coming around the final curve, though, she got bumped from behind by another driver and spun around, watching as all the other drivers beat her to the finish.

A burgeoning sex symbol led the Indianapolis 500 with six laps to go, and for the first time in a long time, the Indy Racing League was accelerating in the television ratings. Danica Patrick's fourth-place run in Sunday's race earned a 6.6 overnight rating, the highest the race has drawn since 1996. She helped the venerable event score a higher rating than NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 for the first time in four years. ABC Sports, which broadcast the Indy 500, was "thrilled" with the rating, said spokesman Mark Mandel.

Danica Patrick couldn't quite believe what was happening Thursday evening. There she was, riding in a golf cart, taking a tour of the city's new 2.03-mile temporary street course, trying to get a feel for the new track that will host Sunday's inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, when all at once she found herself in the middle of rush hour traffic. "If I was in a car, I think I would have been pretty ticked off," Patrick said. "The light changed and they sent us right into the traffic.