NASCAR racing doesn't even start until next week and already Danica Patrick's presence has helped the sport.
The IndyCar star's deal at JR Motorsports brought in sponsorship dollars that saved about a dozen jobs and helped the organization remain a two-car Nationwide Series team with the No. 5 and No. 88 Chevrolet running full seasons, as well as Patrick's No. 7 on a part-time basis. As a company that knows the value of celebrity and knows how to market it, her progress might well align with JR Motorsports progress.
It would make perfect sense for Dale Earnhardt Jr. the owner and Patrick the driver to rise together.
"You win one race, you want the next one; it's like a drug," Earnhardt said. "Once you get a taste of success, you want more of it. Eventually we have to take our program to Cup to get that enjoyment and exhilaration out of the success part."
Patrick's deal wasn't the only thing that financially energized JR Motorsports. While other Nationwide Series teams struggled last season, Earnhardt made more money than expected. They'll use that profit to keep the No. 88 team running. Earnhardt might race a few of those and have a developmental driver for the rest.
The team has about one-third of the season's races sponsored for Kelly Bires No. 5 Chevrolet at the moment.
"We have two teams that we wanted to keep," Earnhardt said. "Didn't want to downsize the company any more like the year before. The Danica program really justified having two programs and keeping our employee count. That was awesome to have that."
Nationwide teams aren't built to make money - in the first year of JR Motorsports' existence, the team lost money. Breaking even means success.
"We started this team for reasons like Keselowski and Kelly Bires and guys like Mark McFarland and Shane Huffman that needed opportunities," Earnhardt said.
It worked for Keselowski, who will debut as a full-time Cup driver this season for Penske Racing.
The marketing behemoth that would be a Sprint Cup car owned by Earnhardt and driven by Patrick might well be on its way.
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