Danica Rules ARCA Headlines

February 8th, 2010

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick dominated the headlines leading up to the running of the ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, with the stock car debut of the accomplished IZOD IndyCar Series driver even attracting the attention of several journalists credentialed to cover the following day’s Super Bowl in Miami.

Patrick qualified 12th in the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet fielded by JR Motorsports. She ran the race without the help of co-owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

“I really don’t have the urge to give her a bunch of advice,” Earnhardt said. “She’s a smart racecar driver and probably has a great game plan already built up in her head. She doesn’t need to have people telling her what to do so that she starts second-guessing herself.”

While Patrick garnered the lion’s share of the attention, there were plenty of other noteworthy happenings in the ARCA paddock.

- Nelson Piquet, Jr. qualified seventh for his stock car debut, driving the Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota. The son of three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet, the 25-year-old Brazilian had 28 Grand Prix starts.

“Today was my first day in a stock car,” Piquet said on Friday. “I’ve tested a truck twice, at New Smyrna Beach and Radford, Va. “Obviously, driving and qualifying was interesting, but driving the race will be very different.