• Ad Age, Wednesday, June 10, 2009 11 AM

Rich Thomaselli reports that the rumor mill is firing on all cylinders that sultry Danica Patrick is contemplating a switch from open-wheel to stock car racing in NASCAR. If she does, he writes, it could have a huge impact on TV ratings and track attendance and bring in $50 million in new sponsorship money.

Patrick, who has previously pitched Procter & Gamble's Secret deodorant, would likely open new avenues of sponsorship for NASCAR, either with female-oriented products or by bringing her current agreements with such companies as GoDaddy.com and Boost Mobile to the circuit.

Patrick's high profile has been built not just by her moderate success -- she is the first woman to win an IndyCar race and she finished third in last month's Indy 500 -- but also by the careful and somewhat racy nurturing of her own brand. Her Indy Racing League deal with Andretti Green Racing expires later this year, and she is free to start negotiating a new agreement this week. She could not be reached for comment but has done little to quell speculation that she will jump to NASCAR.

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