Danica Patrick should do just fine in NASCAR, endurance racing legend Hurley Haywood said Thursday while taking part in the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance. Haywood, along with driver Boris Said, was on hand for Test and Tune Day at the Savannah Harbor track.
Haywood, who revealed he will return to the 50th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January to go for a sixth win, has seen a lot of racers since he took his first 24 Hour win at Daytona in 1973. Haywood said of Patrick, who left IndyCar behind two weeks ago to transition to NASCAR, “I think she will do a good job and it’s certainly good for the sport and the sponsor.”
Patrick will run full time in the Nationwide series for JR Motorsports in 2012 and a limited schedule in 2012 in the Sprint Cup series for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).
Sitting trackside in a golf cart with the roar of engines in the background and the engine running on his race car, it was obvious Haywood was ready to get in his car and on the track. But he politely answered all this reporters questions and when asked about Patrick's affiliation with SHR, he said, “Those guys run a first-class operation so they will give her great equipment.” He added that he thinks everybody wants Danica to succeed.
Haywood says the weight of the cars and the car’s response to the driver are the biggest challenges Patrick will face as she goes from IndyCar to NASCAR but Haywood says Patrick is a racer and she will adapt and her previous experience in the Nationwide car will help in the transition.
The soft-spoken Haywood, who has been around race tracks for over 40 years, said Patrick is a marketing dream and JR Motorsports and Stewart-Haas will arm Patrick with the equipment she needs to make a successful transition from IndyCar to NASCAR.
He said she is beautiful to look at, competitive and can run with the guys so that is the perfect scenario. In addition, he pointed out, she has always been lucky to be with a good team.
Haywood knows that good equipment is only one part of racing success and Patrick will be the other part of the equation. “When the green flag drops, all the talk stops,” Haywood said with a smile. And with that, this reporter let him do what he loves best--get in his race car and take some laps around Savannah's road course.