Danica Patrick

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.

Welcome to the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. I'm Mike Conway, and I'll be your unofficial tour guide for the weekend's events. I'll be writing three more blogs for The Sun, so I'll be here to explain things and help you enjoy the race. I'm sure that by the time it's done, you're going to love this event as much as I do. But first, let me introduce myself. I'm 28 years old, grew up in England -- Bromley, Kent, to be precise -- and live in Miami during the racing season. I'll be driving the No. 27 Buffalo Wild Wings car owned by Andretti Autosport.

Few IndyCar drivers are more reserved and soft-spoken than Mike Conway, a 27-year-old Englishman who prefers to let his driving do the talking. His skill spoke loud and clear Sunday as Conway, rebounding from serious injuries suffered in a horrific crash at last year's Indianapolis 500, won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach — his first victory in the Izod IndyCar Series in 26 starts. "The car was just on fire, really, at the end," said Conway, who drives for Andretti Autosport, the team co-owned by former racer Michael Andretti.

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.

NEWS ITEM: Fourteen Formula One drivers pull out of Sunday's race in Indianapolis with a legitimate gripe and spark mass protests from race fans, who demand - and are refused - refunds. News item: Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli gets himself thrown out of Sunday's game at Camden Yards for arguing an umpiring decision that turned out to be correct and gets a standing ovation from the big Father's Day crowd as well as rave reviews from the clubhouse. What's wrong with this picture? I don't know, but I agree with the crowd on both counts.

IndyCar launches its 17-race schedule at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Sunday. The teams owned by Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske are expected to dominate the series once again. Drivers to watch Dario Franchitti: Going for his third championship in a row and fourth overall, Ganassi's Franchitti won the title last year by five points over Penske's Will Power and by 55 points over third-place Scott Dixon, Franchitti's teammate. Franchitti won three races last season, including the Indianapolis 500. Power is the defending champion in St. Pete.

Let me start by saying I'm rooting hard for the Baltimore Grand Prix. I hope this weekend's big IndyCar race through the downtown streets is a huge success that drowns out all the whiners. I hope the city makes money and the bars and restaurants make money and we don't see any cars crash and go spinning into the Inner Harbor, which tends to upset the tourists climbing onto their water taxis. I hope race organizers get the 120,000 or so spectators they're hoping for and Baltimore becomes known for throwing a great road race, instead of for how many bodies they find on our streets.

James Hinchcliffe has slipped comfortably into Danica Patrick's former race car, if not specifically into her driving shoes. IndyCar's 2011 rookie of the year has taken the Michael Andretti Autosports car driven by Patrick to a 10 t h -place finish in the points last year, and become a regular top five finisher and legitimate contender for the series title. In the process, he has displayed a sense of humor, going so far as to don a woman's black wig at introductions for the opening race of the season.

It's certainly tempting to take a swipe at auto racing legend Richard Petty for his latest rant about the supposed inability of women to compete behind the wheel, but I'll just let Danica Patrick do the talking today in Indianapolis. Petty was just saying what pretty much all the old-school NASCAR types probably think whenever they see a woman in a firesuit (right after they think "Ooh, nice firesuit," of course): "Auto racing has always been a man's game, little lady, so why don't you just go down to the picnic area and whip me up some cornbread?"