Danica Patrick

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.

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.

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 10th-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.

Jay Davidson is, admittedly, no gear-head. But as the president of the Baltimore Grand Prix, Davidson has been living and breathing all things IndyCar the past several months. The inaugural race will bring dozens of high-speed open-wheel cars to Baltimore on Labor Day weekend, competing on a roughly two-mile course through downtown. To prepare, city workers have had to shut down sections of major roads for repairs, angering many commuters. But the race and the festival that surrounds it will be worth all the aggravation, Davidson promises.

As Danica Patrick resumed her NASCAR racing this weekend in Southern California, the popular IndyCar driver acknowledged that she's struggling with stock cars and now needs a driving coach. "I really do need help," Patrick said in an interview. Her coach could be Mark Martin, the veteran driver in NASCAR's top-tier Sprint Cup Series, when his schedule permits, and other experienced drivers as well, according to both Patrick and Kelley Earnhardt, general manager of JR Motorsports, which provides the cars Patrick drives in NASCAR's second-level Nationwide Series.

Good morning --Michael Andretti-- Now that you've signed Danica Patrick, can you give her directions to Victory Lane?

Calendar NASCAR NEXTEL CUP Pepsi 400 Site -- Daytona Beach, Fla. When -- Saturday, 7:55 p.m. TV -- Chs. 45, 5 (7:30 p.m.) Trac -- Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile tri-oval) Distance -- 160 laps, 400 miles 2005 winner -- Tony Stewart 2005 pole-sitter -- Tony Stewart INDY RACING LEAGUE Kansas Lottery Indy 300 Site -- Kansas City, Kan. When -- Sunday, 1 p.m. TV -- Chs. 2, 7 Track -- Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Distance -- 200 laps, 300 miles 2005 winner -- Tony Kanaan 2005 pole-sitter -- Danica Patrick FORMULA ONE United States Grand Prix Site -- Indianapolis When -- Sunday, 1 p.m. TV -- SPEED Track -- Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.6-mile road course)

She'll be good enough Tania Ganguli Orlando Sentinel Danica Patrick won't have great success on the NASCAR Nationwide circuit, but it won't make a difference to her stock car career. After all, Jimmie Johnson was a middle-of-the-pack Busch Series racer and now he's basking in an offseason as the only driver ever to win four consecutive series titles. Patrick will struggle through her first few races, she'll learn as she goes, and then by Year 2, she'll have a feel for the tracks and how different stock cars are. Then, once she and GoDaddy.

Did you know IndyCars get less than 2 MPG? Here are some fun facts.   2 Miles of the Baltimore Grand Prix course 13 Number of turns on the IZOD IndyCar series Baltimore course 650 The number of tire pallets that line the circuit $3,007,055 Racer Dario Franchitti's 2010 IZOD IndyCar series earnings $367,305 Racer Danica Patrick's 2010 IZOD IndyCar series earnings...

Good morning --Kyle Boller -- Watch David Carr run for his life today. That's you if Jonathan Ogden doesn't come back next season. Question of the day Do you expect the Orioles to make any moves during the winter meetings? Selected responses to today's question will be printed tomorrow on The Kickoff page. Please e-mail your answer (about 25 words) to sports@baltsun.com by 3 p.m. today. Include your name, address and a daytime telephone number for verification purposes. THEY SAID IT "Random thought while watching the Steelers and Colts on Monday night: Troy Polamalu hits everything but the barber shop."