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Nationwide Insurance Adds Danica Patrick to You and Me Both Junior Team

Move over ‘You and Me Both Junior’ as there is a new girl on the team. Nationwide Insurance announced today that Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports, will join her boss and the Earnhardt family as part of the Nationwide promotion team.

[media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”257″][/media-credit]Patrick, who is also a Nationwide customer as are Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt, met with the media at Daytona International Speedway to announce the new partnership.

“We are thrilled to be here to talk today about our relationship with JR Motorsports,” Jennifer Hanley, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide, said. “We have been in a relationship from a motor sports perspective for four years.”

“One of the nice things that happened when we came together is that we learned that the Earnhardt family has been long-time customers of Nationwide,” Hanley continued. “In fact, the relationship spanned over thirty years. So, it was a great story for us to tell together.”

“With the addition of Danica now to JR Motorsports, it gives us a fresh, new opportunity to talk about new products and services that our company has,” Hanley said. “One of those new products is the vanishing deductible. We were able to bring Danica together with Dale to bring some humor to a spot that features both racers.”

The commercial, shot on location at Charlotte Motor Speedway, shows Jr. and Danica on pit road. Danica encourages Junior to “Go Long” and tells him to “Keep Going” until he vanishes from the picture, all the while explaining the benefits of Nationwide’s new Vanishing Deductible plan.

As Danica rambles on, the commercial turns to Dale Junior driving away from the track, sharing the fact that something else has been vanishing besides his presence on pit road. In fact, Junior shares that Danica’s ride home as just vanished, as he smirks in a self-satisfied way and drives off pit road.

The commercial was previewed in the media center and drew an enormous laugh, particularly after Junior’s wicked grin and ditching of his protege.

“Thank you for laughing because that really was the reaction we wanted,” Patrick said. “It was really fun to shoot.”

“Dale and I had worked together on a music video but it’s been a while,” Patrick said. She and Junior had shot a Jay-Z music video “Show Me What You Got” in Monaco in 2006.

“So, it was nice to do that and nice to do that with my boss as well,” Patrick said. “I really like the commercial and I felt like I was getting it as we were doing it. I think that in any successful campaign the product is good too.”

“I’m honored to be with Nationwide now,” Patrick continued. “But being with Dale is icing on the cake.”

For his part, Junior also enjoyed his time shooting the commercial with Danica.

“I expect the ‘Go Long’ TV spot will be one of the most popular,” Junior said. “This was my first commercial with Danica Patrick so everyone will have to determine who played their role the best.”

While both of the ‘stars’ were praising each other, they both acknowledged that shooting the commercial was quite a bit of work. They still worked through it in record time, completing their task in about four hours.

“Well, we did many shots,” Patrick said. “Dale did his share of running. He got himself a work out.”

Patrick also joked that the filming had to be completed expeditiously on her account.

“It’s really about my hair,” Patrick said. “It’s about the hair blowing in my face, so it was about getting it out of my mouth.”

As does her boss, Patrick too has absolute faith that the commercial will be a hit, especially as she watched the reaction of all in the media center. Nationwide is also sure that the commercial will benefit their product.

“In pre-market testing, the 2011 ad featuring Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Danica Patrick has shown double digit increase over the 2010 ads.” Hanley said. “We think NASCAR fans will enjoy the banter between the two superstars.”

Kelley Earnhardt also echoed the commitment of JR Motorsports, as well as the Earnhardt family, to Nationwide Insurance.

“Pretty much what it means to our family is an authentic long-standing relationship,” Earnhardt said. “To have this partnership has been a win win for JR Motorsports and Nationwide. We’ve done a lot of fun things together and it’s been fun to add Danica to that mix.”

Dale Junior added his appreciation to Nationwide Insurance, not just from a business perspective as sponsor of the Nationwide Series, but also on a personal level.

“One of the best things that I can do is align myself with companies and brands that I actively use,” Junior said. “This is a partnership that is as genuine as they come.”

“Nationwide was recognized by NASCAR this past year for their marketing achievements and TV campaigns,” Junior continued. “It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

The new Nationwide commercial will debut nationally on ESPN during the Daytona Nationwide race. It will also be run for audiences outside of motor sports, which is intended to reach an even broader audience.

February 18, 2011
Danica Patrick’s Success or Lack Thereof is a Tough Decision, There are No In-Betweens

When it was first announced that IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick would be officially making her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the 2010 season, the internet exploded with blogs pertaining to what type of impact she would have on the sport.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]There were many unanswered questions because of her lack of experience behind the wheel of the heavier stock car and the fans began to take sides once they realized she was serious about her attempt to compete in a series, which is nowhere near the type of cars she grew up racing in.

With most of the talk being centered on her IndyCar results which were less than stellar at best, many still believed she is what NASCAR needed during a time when attendance was at an all-time low.

Before long, the first of many unsupportive jabs were thrown, when Kyle Petty kicked it off with this rant.

“She’s not Dario Franchitti and she’s not Tony Stewart. She’s not really shown over there [in the Indy Racing League] and won races and done stuff over there numbers-wise,” said Petty during the Sight and Sound which marked the unofficial start of the 2010 NASCAR racing season.

Petty also added, “She’s just a marketing machine. Let’s look at the facts and be blunt about it. If she gets in that car and doesn’t win races, it’s not the car, it’s not the engines and it’s not the team.”

Petty finished with, “The only impact she’ll have on the sport is she wasted two or three years on a car that a good driver could have been in and could have been developing.”

Janet Guthrie, who was the first woman to reach the top level of open wheel racing and NASCAR in the 1970s, along with being a member of NASCAR’s appeal panel said, “She should stay where she is in the IndyCar Series.”

Guthrie also added, “She is in the best possible situation, and in the catbird seat with one of the few teams [Andretti Autosport] that is capable of winning.”

Earnhardt Ganassi driver Juan Montoya, who made his first start in 2006 coming from the open wheel ranks said, “Danica, I think she’s got the talent and everything but I don’t think she knows what she’s getting into.”

Montoya finished with, “They’re so different to drive, and it’s not the same feeling. I wouldn’t be doing both cars, to be honest with you, that’s my advice.”

The fact of the matter is, the only reason she has gotten this much publicity is because she is a high profile female trying to make it in one of the most popular motorsports today.

Not only is she a female, but because in the sex-sells society that we live in, her success that she has had in the IRL falls more on the heels of selling herself as a sex symbol than a race car driver.

You can’t blame her sponsor GoDaddy.com for coupling their marketing skills with the racy commercials to sell not only their product, but Patrick as well.

“We’re thrilled to expand our long-standing relationship with Danica into NASCAR,” said GoDaddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons.

Parsons also added that, “This is not only big news for NASCAR fans; it has all the ingredients for some major GoDaddy-esque marketing magic.”

Parsons thrust Patrick into the limelight with his unique marketing strategy, while just about closing the door for any female to have a chance in the series unless they are willing to follow his technique with the focus pointed at teasing members of the opposite sex.

Each fan who chose to shared their opinion pertaining to the success that she could have in the series, and she will continue to be scrutinized until she can prove that her career is not based off her marketing power, and more on her driving abilities in NASCAR.

Skepticism ran rampant as the season progressed, and Patrick herself made it hard for the fans to gauge if indeed she had what it took to compete at this level, since her results reflected her lack of experience.

With each passing race, we heard the watered down versions of why she might become an overnight success, with most of them based on her one victory that came in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Patrick ran a total of 13 races in 2010 without a top-five, or top-10 finish, and only finished one race on the lead lap.

With all the hype and expectations that followed her into the Nationwide series, she only lead four, and completed 2040 of the 2355 laps she ran during the year, which to most was a big accomplishment given the fact she only competed on a part-time basis.

Until Patrick makes a decision to drive full-time in the NNS, or continue her career in the IZOD IndyCar Series, she will continue to be put under a microscope of uncertainty concerning her driving abilities in NASCAR.

The consensus around the internet has gone both ways, as far as how much success she could possibly have if indeed she chose the NNS over her open wheel career, with no in-betweens.

January 14, 2011
Danica Patrick’s Ford 300: A Race of Learning the Ropes to Finish 19th

When Danica Patrick started this year, her number one goal was to learn about driving stock cars and everything she needed to know about it.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]As near the end of the year, she is still working at that, though slowly improving on track also.

Patrick’s Ford 300 on Saturday was a race where she showed that she wanted to learn the ropes and learn more about stock cars. Listening to her conversations on the radio with crew chief Tony Eury Jr., spotter TJ Majors and fellow JR Motorsports driver Aric Almirola showed the qualities of somebody who is looking to learn.

A look back through her day would allow us to see how much she learned.

Patrick started the day fifth, though dropped back early as Eury Jr. wanted her to follow the leaders and learn the proper line.

The first caution of the race came out on lap 11 when Jeremy Clements got loose while under her and spun. She reported the car at the time being tight in the center of the corner.

The caution then came out again on lap 23, which Patrick stayed out to gain the lead to lead her first laps in NASCAR. She lost the lead quickly after the race went back to green as Justin Allgaier passed her.

The third caution of the race then came out on lap 30 when Carl Edwards, Almirola and Kasey Kahne wrecked. Patrick barely snuck by, though had some interesting words on the radio about the incident.

“Who hit me coming out of Turn 2?” She asked on the radio. “When I @#%!ing darted down to bottom of the track it was because someone hit me.”

Eury Jr. explained it was the No. 32 of Reed Sorenson and the fact that she was slower on the restart due to the older tires.

Almirola’s day officially went from bad to worse on lap 41 as he blew a flat tire. This turned out to be a good thing for Patrick as Almirola came back out with the damage fixed, giving her tips while on track.

On lap 68, Almirola told her that she needs to move up the track a lane to a lane and a half where there was more grip.

Under a following caution for debris, Patrick continued her step of learning as she asked where most cars were running to be able to pick up the best line.

“From middle to top.” Majors told her. She also made a pit stop, getting some more adjustments as she was looking for more front grip.

The rest of the race continued to go calmly for Patrick, yet she kept showing signs of working into a better driver.

With 90 to go, she tried the line that everybody was talking about, though reported that she had a bad push. However, she had improved her lap times by two tenths from the last run under green.

“I can’t get down there.” Patrick told the team with 74 to go.

“Just keep searching and finding a way.” Majors told her, referencing for her to work on how she was driving the car into the corner.

The caution then came out on lap 135 as Trevor Bayne got into the wall. Under the resulting the caution, Patrick continued her learning experience with making sure to ask Eury Jr. questions.

Danica Patrick: It is pushing. That was a good change for a while but then it went away. It seemed like it did when the tires got hot. How many laps?

Tony Eury Jr.: 65 laps.

Patrick: So we’ve still got another stop after this?

Eury Jr.: No, you can make it from here. I’m just debating what to put on – stickers or 20 laps. I’ll probably put the stickers now

Patrick: 10-4. Just free me up a little more.

This was also when Almirola started showing more influence as he came on the radio under caution to give her more advice.

Aric Almirola: Danica, you got to enter higher into three as there’s more grip there. At about where the caution lights are, you should try to enter the middle from there on.

Danica Patrick: 10-4. Thanks a lot for the help

Almirola: You can run wherever you want in one or two, you can run wherever you want on older tires. Just move up in three and four.

A quick caution after that also allowed Almirola to continue his explaining as he showed her on the track what he was talking about.

Aric Almirola: You come in on the gray, which is fine. You then turn down away from it. You should try to stay along this black seam, unless you’re tight off.

Danica Patrick: I’ve been tight in the center. If I try to stay up there, it just pushes further up.

Almirola: 10-4 See right here on this spot, I ease off the brakes and then here I drive off.

Patrick: Thanks for showing me, Aric. I really appreciate it. I’m just trying to learn out here.

Patrick tried to follow Almirola’s advice, still finding issues, in which Majors addressed with her under a caution with 27 to go. The conversation proved the sentiments once again that she’s working at it as she displayed not minding the words of advice coming from her spotter.

Danica Patrick: I was trying to run the top there. I am going to try to run the bottom a little more till it’s gone away and then go higher.

TJ Majors: I know you may not like me telling you this but you need to be patient. You got to try to roll the center longer as I know you want to get back to the gas quick.

Patrick: I have no problem with you telling me to be patient. The worst thing is that we maintain, best thing is that we gain.

With Almirola out there showing Patrick the proper spots to run, it allowed her to pick up on it more and be able to start finding that feel.

It goes back to what she said a couple weeks ago from when she spoke with Mark Martin. She is looking for that person to possibly step up and help her find that feel. Martin also said that she needs someone to show her what the car is supposed to feel like. Almirola did that in sharing his set-up and then showing her where to run on track.

This in exchange helped Patrick get her first top 20 in NASCAR competition, concluding her year of learning. If she can continue down this pathway, she could become a competitive driver.

One thing that could be advised is helping her to learn how to drive a car when it’s on the loose side as one of her biggest complaints was it being tight all race.

Eury Jr. probably didn’t want to push it loose due to knowing she probably didn’t have a good feel for it, however it is something that’s needed if she wants to continue to progress. It’s something that you notice all top 10 drivers being able to do as loose is fast and allows the driver to drive the car in.

Considering she had no prior stock car experience and she’s in the second top series, she has proved herself well as she has continued to take steps in the learning process. Homestead-Miami Speedway is a fine example of that with what occurred throughout the race.

November 24, 2010
This Week In NASCAR: It`s back and so is she

There are two big news items as we roll into New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend — it’s, meaning the Chase, and she, meaning Danica Patrick, are both back.

Starting with “it,” the Race to the Chase is a ten-race prelude to NASCAR’s version of a ten-race playoff, entitled the Chase for the Sprint Cup — you know the thing that Jimmie Johnson has won for the last four years … yeah, that thing.

Johnson, currently second in points, says the Race to the Chase has actually taken some of the emphasis of leading the points before the start of the final ten races away. Although, he and his team still would like to lead it as much as possible.

“It’s definitely a goal,” Johnson said. “I was very excited about having the lead when we did earlier in the year and hated to see it slip away. It’s kind of a funny thing though, if you’re not leading and you’re still in a comfortable spot in the Chase, I guess you start telling yourself, ‘I don’t want to lead right now.’ At the end of the day, we all want to lead as often as possible and as much as possible. I think it’s good for the team to experience that pressure and to have that mindset on the outside chance that it sends a message to the garage area that you could potentially be in the other competitor’s heads, I think it’s an advantage. I think (Kevin) Harvick has done a great job this year leading the points and making a statement that he and his team are championship contenders this year.”

[media-credit id=2 align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]“She” is Danica Patrick, a NASCAR media phenomenon that has only raced in three Nationwide Series events but has had more stories written about her than Jimmie Johnson has — I think you are beginning to remember her.

“I’m eager to learn the Nationwide car,” Patrick said. “And I think that — I think that the best thing I can do for myself on the NASCAR weekends is really come up with some realistic expectation levels instead of having them be like IndyCar expectation levels where I’m hoping to win and I’m hoping to finish on the podium, those kinds of things.”

Obviously the cars used in NASCAR are much different than those using in the IndyCar Series, leaving Patrick to believe that switching back and forth between the two won’t cause her any issues. She also doesn’t believe that racing in the Nationwide Series has hurt her IndyCar Series efforts.

“I don’t see how racing cars can make you a worse race car driver,” Patrick said. “So I put every ounce of effort into everything that I do. And you know the IndyCar Series has become the most difficult field I’ve been in. The drivers are so good and everybody’s so equal out there that you have an on weekend, and like at Texas for me last weekend, or the weekend before, I almost won the race. Then you have an off weekend and you find yourself in 15th.

“I guess it’s a little bit maybe more like NASCAR. The fields are so good and everybody’s so close, and everything needs to go right. So I’m enjoying the two of them. I think it’s best — I think it’s good for any race car driver to be in the seat a lot, and that’s definitely what I’m doing.”

June 23, 2010