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Danica Patrick has a lot on her shoulders as she begins her first full NASCAR season at the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
In addition to making a name for herself as a woman in a male-dominated sport, she will also be tasked with an entirely different style of racing.
Sure, Patrick has three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but she has yet to take on a NASCAR event as big as this.
It's only natural for a driver to struggle as a rookie at the Daytona 500. Asking anything else of Patrick headed into the big event is asking too much.
There is all kinds of electricity surrounding Patrick this year. As one of the most popular drivers in the IndyCar series throughout the years, she brings a lot of star power to NASCAR, even if some claim it's mostly off the track.
In my mind, Patrick will pull off some surprising finishes in 2012, but to say she's going to win a NASCAR race is a bit far-fetched. She'll be competing with the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and defending champion Tony Stewart. Those drivers overwhelm most competitors in NASCAR, let alone Patrick, who will have to adjust to the style and level of the circuit along the way.
Some believe Patrick has her best chance of winning in 2012 at the Daytona 500. I disagree. I believe she's going to hit plenty of speed bumps in the early-going, as so many have in their first full seasons at NASCAR.
Given the hype that accompanies Patrick, I get the feeling that some will deem her a failure if she doesn't win a race this season. I don't look at it like that. I think if she progresses, getting some top-10 finishes along the way, it should be deemed a success.
But she will struggle.
To say she won't is to not give credit to the level of competition she is facing.
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