danica patrick

Sometimes referred to as America's Monaco, the Izod IndyCar Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach typically means sun, surf, stargazing and sensational street racing action in one weekend-long party. The 2010 edition looked to be no exception as the weather was beautiful and there were plenty of stars in attendance. Some were competing in the weekend's well-known Pro/Celebrity race while others were competing or managing in other series, and others were just there as fans.

Kyle Busch, reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champ and the polesitter for today's 2010 season opener in Daytona, has a bone to pick with the media. Busch is irked that the overwhelming majority of the Nationwide Series TV coverage during the runup to the 2010 season kickoff has focused primarily (and not at all unexpectedly) on Danica Patrick's impending stock car debut. He calls the lopsided coverage "horrible," according to SceneDaily.com.

Danica qualified 12th for her first NASCAR race, the ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 held at Daytona Raceway. After a lot of bumping, a few runs through the infield, a skid or two, a race stoppage, a lot of time in the pits and a lot of running on the outside line, she finished the race in sixth.

Ironically her biggest off came courtesy of the also-new-to-NASCAR Nelson Piquet, Jr.. He qualified seventh and climbed up to sixth at one point, but bumped Danica and sent her down to 24th when she rejoined after having her car repaired. Piquet would find more ways to get in trouble before the chequered flag and finish in 27th.

The "Will she, won't she" debate is over - Danica Patrick is headed for closed-wheel racing in 2010. Patrick will race a partial schedule in next year's National Nationwide series in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, and she will also participate in one ARCA race. As a driver on the No. 7 team, she will be signed through 2011 to the JR Motorsports team that's owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Rick Hendrick, Kelley Earnhardt and Tony Eury, Jr. through 2011.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, racing superstar Danica Patrick got herself into a bit of hot water when the subject of performance-enhancing drugs came up. When asked if she would take illegal drugs if she would not get caught, she responded by saying "Well, then it's not cheating, is it? If nobody finds out?'' She also spoke of exploring gray areas to gain an edge on her opponents, saying "You're trying to find where the holes are in the rule book.'' That, apparently, wasn't the answer U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart was looking for.

Go Daddy commercials are well known for two things: 1) Having little to do with web hosting and domains, and 2) Making use of attractive women in suggestive situations. During the Super Bowl, Go Daddy threw racer Danica Patrick into a shower with a college German instructor. The two girls theme continues with a new spot that places Ms. Patrick in a vintage Ford Mustang convertible with a sultry female police officer that seems quite excited about web hosting.