Danica Patrick Channels Her Inner Ricky Bobby During Impressive Daytona Drive

Danica Patrick was in full Ricky Bobby mode during Friday's NASCAR Subway Jalapeno 250 Nationwide race at Daytona, even dropping a line from the movie over her driver radio.

While talking with her crew chief Tony Eury Jr. (TJ) during caution period toward the middle part of the race, Danica said ...

"How does it go in the movies? 'Sling shot .. engaged.'" She even gave it the Ricky Bobby accent so it sounded like this ..

(Link) Seriously. I heard it with my own ears and had a major BEER SPEW because of it thanks to the MOST excellent free track scanner service provided by Nationwide Insurance. Aside from some trouble connecting, once hooked up to the service via NASCAR.com, fans can pick any of the Nationwide drivers to listen to.

It's hard to overstate super awesomeness of this scanner service. It caused me to watch the race on TV, Mr. NASCAR, so good for you, and it made me glad my house is insured by a Nationwide-owned insurance company, Mr. Nationwide, so good for you too.

During the race, Danica was first pushed by Tony Stewart. After the two got separated, she was pushed by her teammate Aric Almirola. Note: At Daytona you have to do the goofy two-car draft as photographed above to have any shot to win anything. I think it's goofy, but I'd be lying if I said this race wasn't super entertaining, largely because of the aforementioned free scanner service.

Danica and Aric (Darica?) took the lead on lap 96 of 100 causing a roar from the crowd I could hear clearly on TV. But then got got shuffled and briefly lost contact on the last lap. Eventually the two recovered and ran into the top five, but Mike Wallace got fishy causing Danica to bash into the outside wall. Wallace's dirt tracking set off a festival of twisted sheet mettle that featured cars, including Danica and Almirola, sliding across the finish line.

Joey Logano won the race, edging out Elliott Sadler at the line. Danica said after the race she kept the throttle flat as she pushed Aric through the carnage across the line. Danica finished tenth, Almirola ninth. Full results from USA Today HERE.

Other Danica radio hits from the evening plucked from my twitterfeed (@pressdog) in chronological order ...

-- Danica is going to try to talk directly to Tony on her radio. Exchanging recipes, etc. Telling Tony how great IndyCar is, I'm sure.

-- Danica got Kenny Wallace on the radio instead of Tony. (Danica said) "He's like, who's this?" --

-- Danistar "It's so much easier in the lead. So much less to worry about."

-- "Danica -- damn that was a nice open lane to go take the lead."

-- Irony savored. Danica had to wait to talk to Tony because he was doing a media interview. HAR. Nice.

-- Danistar is throwing some openwheel moves out there. Rock that shit.

-- Somewhere in a bar in Key West an unshaven Todd Harris is screaming "SALLY RIDE!!"

-- Danica new dance partner is 88 (Aric Almirola).

-- So it's Daric? (Danica and Aric put together.)

-- Danica .. I don't know if I ever started a race before and backed off. It's weird. ... welcome to NASCAR!

-- Danica describes them as "throttle jockey starts."

-- Danica sounding like Red Leader there. "We're going inside."

-- Danistar LEADS. Danica "down to the bottom."

-- Copy gold leader, you are clear clear clear for your trench run.

-- Aric has to bust out to to the right to get some air. Focus the sparkle pony schwerve.

-- Danica is doing her Star Wars Wedge impersonation.

-- Danica "go high go high" Aric "I'm good. Go."

-- Danica "Stay on me. Stay on me" Bow chicka bow bow. She's calling the bank, choosing the hole, taking care of some shit.

-- Danistar "back on it back on it we're going to to low."

-- Danica and Aric are going to swap here in a second.

-- Swapping ... engaged.

-- no. swap aborted. they separated for a while but now are back together. HAR

-- Danica "Go. low. gotta go low. "

-- Switching. Flipping. Engaged.

-- No video of Danica pushing for some reason. What up?

-- Danica BEER SPEW. "How does it go in the movies? Sling shot .. engaged." RIGHT OUT LOUD. I am WEEPING.

-- Danica "is there a reason the 16 is running next to me?" Pit "Ah he doesn't now what he is doing."

-- I am in awe that Danica quoted Ricky Bobby on her radio. Woman of pressdog® moment, baby.

-- Let's get er done, Danistar.

-- Gold leader back in front.

-- Aric not quite as good leading as Danistar.

-- Danica is seriously impressive leading and talking Aric through it. Seriously.

-- TJ .. You go girl. Keep directing. Keep it up.

-- She's putting on a clinic here. Even haters gotta say "damn."

-- If Danica says "I'm about to come at you like a spider monkey" it'll probably kill me.

-- IF IndyCar finally gets Marco into victory lane and then Danistar wins Nationwide. That would be too Delish.

-- Let's blow this thing and go home Danistar.

-- IF I didn't already have Nationwide insurance on my house, I'd probably have to get it just for their sponsorship of this scanner

--SHUT UP

-- She could win this thing.

-- CLEAR. BITCHES. Danica leads. (Lap 96 ish of 100)

-- She may win this. "Just get in behind me and let's go."

-- Danica. "We got em everywhere so you just follow my ass."

-- Danica slides across the line. We were going for gold, baby. We were going for the off-the-wall darlington win.

-- Danica -- I really bent up your car this time. TJ -- Keep driving them like that I'll keep building them. Danica -- sounds good.

-- The most impressive part of Danica's drive was her directing the show. "we're going high .. going to check up a little ... let's go" Nice.

-- Danica said "it looked like a bit of a cluster" then said she kept her foot in it despite the carnage. Major ovaries.

-- Based on how much fun it sounded like Danica was having .. Slingshot, ENGAGED ... buh bye IndyCar.

-- Every NASCAR race I've listened to Danica's scanner channel she sounds like she's having a great time.

-- Danica on the radio to Mike Wallace "I'm about to come at you like a spider monkey." Kidding.

-- Danica dropping f bombs in interviews. Slamming brew post race. If she shows up in a wife beater t shirt her assimilation is complete. (The referenced interview is here.)

Danica tweeted (@danicapatrick) later ... "Holy crap that was a fun race. I think I had the fastest car. Thanks team! And thanks Tony and Aric for pushing!"

Listening to her radio it sounded like Danica was having a ton of fun at this race. That contrasted greatly with the pretty businesslike Danica on her radio when I listened during the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway last weekend.

As I tweeted during the race, the most impressive part of the whole deal was Danica talking directly to Aric, which we could hear, and Tony Eury Jr. (TJ) telling her to "Direct it, Danica. Tell him what's going on" then standing back. Danica responded by talking Aric through what she was going to do .. ie "We're going high; slow car low ahead," etc. ... since the pushing car can't see jack squat back there and has to rely on the leading car for directions.

Some good quotes from Danica in this story from Nate Ryan HERE. Quotes from Danica peppered with some faithfully reproduced f-bombs in a story from Jeff Gluck HERE.

Comments

[Deke]

Does anyone have Danica saying the slingshot line recorded? That'd be awesome to hear!

[Ron Ford]

Watching these Nascar tag-team races reminds me of watching serioulsly bad movies like the musical western featuring all midget cowboys, or the classic "Attack of the Killer Tomatos". You continue to watch them simply because they are SO bad. However, after they are over you feel like you need a shower. Same with NASCAR.