The joke won’t be on the Indy Racing League.
But it might be on Danica Patrick, who in signing to race with Andretti Green Racing will join a playful bunch next season.
“She’ll get her share of pranks, but I have a feeling that she’ll be able to dish them out to us as well,” said Tony Kanaan, who drives for Andretti Green.
After announcing she would leave Rahal Letterman Racing – effectively canceling a jump to NASCAR – Patrick’s current and future teammates weighed in on her decision to drive for Andretti Green, which has won back-to-back IndyCar Series championships and earned 22 victories since joining the league in 2003.
With a lineup of Patrick, rookie of the year front-runner Marco Andretti and former series champion Kanaan, Andretti Green is solidifying its position as a strong threat to 2006 powers Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing. Andretti Green struggled this season until Kanaan picked up the team’s first victory Sunday in Milwaukee.
Patrick, 24 , has endured a season marked mostly by frustration.
Despite consecutive fourth- place finishes, Patrick is seeking her first victory. Since bursting onto the scene in 2005 and becoming the face of the league, Patrick has four top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes, three poles and has led 63 laps.
“She has shown she has ability on the track, and that’s the key,” Kanaan said. “Andretti Green is not about marketing, but on-track performance, and she’s shown she can compete with any of us.”
Added Marco Andretti, 19, in a teleconference Wednesday: “This team is continuing to make awesome calls. It’s great for the future of our team, because you bring a name like that, it’s only going to be better. Plus, not only the name, but she’s a darn good driver.”
Andretti and Kanaan are under contract through the 2008 season, and their current teammates, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta, have deals that end after this season. It is likely that either Franchitti or Herta will sign elsewhere, because Andretti Green has been fielding four cars.
Patrick’s departure raises questions about Rahal Letterman’s plans for next season. The team has three cars. Rahal Letterman rookie Jeff Simmons, who began driving the No. 17 Ethanol car after Paul Dana’s death at Homestead-Miami Speedway, addressed speculation Wednesday that Rahal Letterman might consider leaving the IRL.
“I heard that rumor … but as far as I know, Team Ethanol will be back with Rahal Letterman Racing next year,” said Simmons, who added that Rahal Letterman might field only two cars.
Simmons said he was somewhat surprised that Patrick changed teams, saying, “I thought she would try to stick it out a little bit through the bad times, since she’s had so many good times.”
Formula One: Fernando Alonso has the lead. Michael Schumacher has the momentum.
Schumacher is on a two-race winning streak. A win at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim on Sunday would allow him to further reduce defending champion Alonso’s lead at the top of the Formula One drivers’ championship.
After 11 of 18 races, the Spaniard has 96 points and Germany’s Schumacher has 79. A win is worth 10 points.
“This race is a little bit of an extra motivation for every German driver,” said Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One champion, who has won three times at Hockenheim.
“Even when it’s not obvious from lap times, the psychological effect is definitely there.We always get so much support from the fantastic fans at Hockenheim. It’s no secret that we are going to go for the hat trick.”
Schumacher’s wins in the U.S. and France snapped Alonso’s four-race winning streak. The Renault driver has won six races this season.
