In what appears to be our “All Danica, All the time” theme….

Open-wheel star preps for Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 during Speedweeks 2010

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Open-wheel racing star Danica Patrick turned her first laps in a stock car on Friday at Daytona International Speedway, the first day of a three-day test for the ARCA Racing Series presented RE/MAX and Menards in preparation for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Patrick, behind the wheel of the No. 88 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, turned only four laps in Friday’s 35-minute session that was cut short due to rain showers. She was 12th on the speed chart with a lap of 51.095 seconds, 176.142 mph.

Continue reading “Danica Patrick Takes First Laps Around Daytona In Stock Car”

Danica and the Power of NASCAR

Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

Today, I went online and ordered a No. 7 Danica Patrick T-shirt.

Let’s just make one thing perfectly clear from the outset — I am not a person who is inclined to wear hot girls on my T-shirts. I have a shelf full of Tony Stewart and Brian Vickers T-shirts, and if they make one with Gerard Butler on it, count me in, but that’s it. In a perfect world, I’d be wearing a hot girl IN my T-shirts, but that’s another dream for another day.

Because today we’re talking about someone else’s dream, an early Christmas wish come true for NASCAR. On December 8, all the speculation that’s been going on for months, even years, finally reached its conclusion when Danica Patrick, the face of the IndyCar Series, formally announced a two-year NASCAR Nationwide Series deal with JR Motorsports.

Continue reading “Column: Danica and the Power of NASCAR”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – JR Motorsports will leave it up to Danica Patrick as to when she will make her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut.

Patrick definitely will race in the Feb. 20 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway in California and the Feb. 27 Nationwide race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway but could wait until after the Automobile Racing Club of America event Feb. 6 at Daytona International Speedway before deciding whether to race in the Nationwide event Feb. 13 at Daytona.

“The race is basically a Cup race – some 30-odd drivers from Cup [are] running that race, and is that the right time for me to start or not? I’m really not sure,” Patrick said Thursday at JR Motorsports. “You only get one grand opening, as I’ve heard. We want it to be the right opportunity. We want to make sure everything is going the right direction, and everyone is on board with that.

“There is support across the board if I do or don’t do it. It’s just really a matter of time when we make that decision. We don’t want to overcommit and underdeliver.”

Continue reading “Danica Patrick to race at California and Las Vegas”

Caterpillar Celebrates 80th Anniversary of New York Stock Exchange Listing; Chairman and CEO Jim Owens to Ring Opening Bell

PEORIA, Ill. – To mark the 80th anniversary of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) being publicly traded on the world’s foremost securities marketplace, Chairman and CEO Jim Owens will be ringing the opening bell today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The NYSE is considered the world’s foremost securities marketplace, and Caterpillar is among the two percent of companies that have been listed on the NYSE for more than 80 years.
“For decades, our customers have counted on Caterpillar products to help them achieve success in their businesses,” Owens said. “Caterpillar has also forged a strong reputation with stockholders for performance and financial strength in both good times and challenging environments such as those facing the global economy during the last year.”

Continue reading “Jeff Burton's CAT Car at NYSE”