Postby Sacchetto Boutique » February 23rd, 2013, 3:48 pm
Welcome to the Danica 500.
When the Daytona 500 kicks off Nascar’s Sprint Cup season this Sunday, all (or at least most) eyes will be on the bright green car, number ten. Danica Patrick, the head turner who turned even more heads by winning the pole race this week, will be lining up at the head of the pack.
The prime starting position doesn’t mean Patrick will win on Sunday – the spot has only translated to victory about 20% of the time, historically. But the buzz surrounding her prelim is bound to draw more viewers to this year’s Daytona, mainly from casual fans who want to see if the 30-year-old can come up with her first major win since moving to the Nascar circuit.
Over the past few years, Patrick has formulated a pretty unique marketing niche for herself. As a driver, she doesn’t win major races but she does well enough to compete. As a female, she’s avoided the up-and-down whims of the marketplace that many tennis players and golfers are subject to, depending on their latest tournaments. Those athletes are competing purely against other women – to stand out, you need to win (the same goes for men). But as a woman competing in a male sport, Patrick inherently stands out. She’s widened her sport’s audience. That’s likely to continue for as long as she stays competitive on the racing circuit, even without any checkered flags.
“She is setting the bar among females,” says Darren Prince, who reps the commercial interests of many prominent athletes. “She’s attractive, and she’s also smart in the car and knows what she’s talking about.”
No question she’s towed a smart line in mixing racing ability and sex appeal to win over an audience. While some object to calling attention to a female athlete’s looks, claiming it obscures their accomplishments, Patrick has embraced it. The fact is that the two attributes aren’t mutually exclusive – she gets that.
All the more reason that she’s more likely to laugh off, rather than complain about, a headline from Friday’s Onion: “Danica is living proof that there is no obstacle a good looking woman cannot overcome.”
Last July, Patrick placed third on Forbes annual list of highest paid female athletes with an income of $13 million, her move to Nascar bumping her up from $12 million the previous year. You know you’re an icon when you’ve become a Super Bowl Sunday regular, a status Patrick has achieved with her GoDaddy.com spots.
While a win in the Daytona 500 would be worth mega millions, a top ten finish is plenty to keep Patrick earning eight figures. Top racer or not, she’s the reason many people will be watching.
