Daytona Postscript: Why NASCAR Is All About Danica

Time, Feb 26 2013 - You have to call it the Danica 500 now. Although she faded to eighth place on Sunday, the moment Danica Patrick won the pole position for the Daytona 500 — a week before the green flag — the Great American Race revolved around her. Jeff Gordon, one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, officially became The Guy Next to Danica when he qualified second to earn the first-row starting spot adjacent to hers. http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/02/26/daytona-postscript-why-nascar-is-all-about-danica/

Photo by Irwindale Speedway: A very young Danica Patrick on an oval track driving one of the original prototype Ford Focus machines