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You rarely hear the phrase “sex appeal” in a sentence that also has the “NASCAR” acronym in it, but now you have and soon you will more and more.
Danica Patrick is dipping her toe in the stock car waters, beginning with an ARCA race at Daytona in February. Throw in a few Nationwide Series events in 2010 — thanks to JR. Motorsports and a GoDaddy.com-sponsored Chevy — and a sport that has seen declining TV ratings and faltering attendance gets an immediate boost.
But what demographic will find her most appealing?
Kelley Earnhardt, co-owner of JR Motorsports, thinks it’s all about “girl power.”
“Obviously, there are lots of demographics in NASCAR,” Earnhardt said. “Females are the ones who are buying products and taking care of the homes, and supporting a lot of the brands that are in NASCAR. I’m excited about the young girls and bringing them up as fans in the sport, and really just the power of women in general. So they can look at somebody like Danica, or myself, and say, ‘Hey, that’s something I want to do.’”
That’s one way to look at it.
Then again, Patrick has marketed herself as a sex symbol. She’s posed for revealing photos in various magazines, most recently in the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
That’s a different approach in the stock car world. I mean, you never would’ve caught Junior Johnson leaning over the hood of a car wearing a thong. (Although he does produce a line of fried pork skins and country ham, so use your imagination with that advertising campaign.)
Anyway, while Patrick could and should appeal to NASCAR’s female fans, she has no problem showing her feminine side to the males.
At her press conference in Phoenix announcing her plans, she was wearing some sort of outfit she obviously borrowed from Catwoman.
And GoDaddy.com has made a name for itself with lowbrow commercials that objectify women.
Even the name is a little creepy.
But Patrick doesn’t seem to have a problem with it, and the approach has served her well so far.
This driver is an attractive woman, no question about it. She’s no Ellie Mae Clampett but then again, who is?
Still, what I’d really like to see is for her to become competitive in NASCAR. Run up front, be on the lead lap at the end of the day — earn the respect of her peers by showing what she can do on the racetrack instead of the runway.
Who knows? Maybe in a few years we can talk about her for being good instead of merely good looking.
After all once they put on a fire suit and helmet, they all pretty much look the same anyway.
