Patrick still has interest in open-wheel racing (video)

NEWTON - This has always been an important race weekend for Danica Patrick.

Instead of being focused on a track she hasn't run in her NASCAR Nationwide Series car, the former IZOD IndyCar Series driver until this year had been completely consumed by Pole Day at the Indianapolis 500.

Patrick, who split time between the two series in 2010 and 2011, has devoted her entire attention this week to Nationwide competition for JR Motorsports, but still managed to watch some of the qualifying action after Saturday's practice for the Nationwide Series Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 at Iowa Speedway.

Open-wheel racing has been a passion for Patrick and still holds her interest.

“I'm curious,” Patrick said. “Of course I am. I spent my whole childhood watching open-wheel racing. It's been in my blood for (more than) 20 years."

Making it even more compelling, James Hinchcliffe, who assumed Patrick's GoDaddy IndyCar sponsorship, recorded the fastest time during early qualifying Saturday.

“He killed it,” said Patrick, whose Nationwide ride is sponsored by GoDaddy. “It's great to see the GoDaddy car in front. I always want my sponsor to win."

She has yet to find victory lane in the Nationwide Series but has claimed one pole position and a top-10 finish. She entered this weekend 10

^th

in points. Still, she has experienced some hard racing and some bad luck in her nine starts.

“There's been some great stuff that's happen,” Patrick said. “Unfortunately, I feel like only race stuff that's happened hasn't necessarily materialized to a great result in the race. Sometimes it's just your qualifying effort, sometimes it's you're really good in practice, doing things I wasn't doing before.”

Patrick said she holds realistic expectations, jokingly asking Ricky Stenhouse if he could make sure she finishes on the lead lap. She is optimistic about how the race weekend opened at Iowa Speedway, feeling very comfortable with how the car handled in practice.

“I think that coming into today, being my third straight track I haven't been to yet, could have been a learning curve,” Patrick said. “We got off to a good start.”