Danica faces more than 'outside' label issue in NASCAR juggling act

Danica Patrick will be just the latest driver to come into NASCAR having to overcome the "outsider" label.

The NASCAR world has been territorial nearly from the beginning when it began as a Southeastern sport and pretty much stayed that way for nearly 30 years.

Stepping into the two different kinds of cars will be a big adjustment for IndyCar driver Danica Patrick. (AP)

Whenever a new driver from outside the Deep South tried his hand in NASCAR, he was looked upon with great disdain by not only fans but also most of the garage area and, in some cases, even the media.

Anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line was viewed as a "Yankee" and an infiltrator to the guarded world of NASCAR. It didn't matter if someone established himself in another division such as USAC or was a perpetual winner at a track in Illinois, New York, Indiana or Pennsylvania; entering NASCAR was certainly viewed as heading into enemy territory.

The same mentality held true when open-wheel drivers decided to try and make the switch to running with a roof over their heads. Even the most successful IndyCar drivers were met with great skepticism when climbing behind the wheel of a stock car.

This was especially true during the recent spate of open wheelers crossing over to NASCAR as the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Max Papis, Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti -- all successful and respected drivers -- fought to find acceptance in NASCAR as they worked through their career moves.

And it wasn't just the difficulty of learning the nuances of a new car that challenged these established drivers.

Fitting into the NASCAR lifestyle was equally a test.

"You have to be completely dedicated to NASCAR because the season is so long and the commitment is so great," said Franchitti, who returned to the IndyCar Series and became the 2009 champion after his NASCAR shot was cut short by sponsorship issues. "Not that we're not dedicated in IndyCar racing but NASCAR is a 10-month grind and the minute you slow down you fall behind the rest of the garage area. It's really a 24/7 mindset and hard to find a way to completely get away."

That may be one of the biggest hurdles for Patrick as she attempts to make a transition to stock cars in 2010. Although her complete schedule has not been announced, it's assumed she'll drive a JR Motorsports entry in 10-12 Nationwide races next year while competing on the entire 17 race IndyCar slate.

While it appears the NASCAR starts will fit in before and after the IRL campaign, the jumping back and forth between two cars that couldn't be any less similar, will be a major obstacle in many people's eyes.

"Look at Juan Pablo Montoya," said NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series regular Colin Braun, who will run a full Nationwide Series schedule in 2010 for Jack Roush Racing. "He was a world class racer and it took him three years to run competitively on a regular basis in NASCAR running the full season. I'm not saying she can't do it but that's going to be very difficult I'd imagine splitting time between the two kinds of cars."

Tony Stewart did take a similar path as Patrick in the mid-1990s when he progressed from Sprint Cars and Midgets to the IRL and into the then-Busch Series. Stewart ran both the open-wheel division and a stock-car schedule in 1995 and 1996. So making a successful transition has been done in that way.

Patrick will attempt to follow suit and learn to be competitive in a brand new discipline while hoping to be accepted by the NASCAR world.

It's going to be a monumental task to say the least.

Garage chatter

• Kyle Busch will officially announce his plans to be a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner at a news conference on Friday at which time he'll introduce former Ron Hornaday crew chief Rick Ren as the man who will oversee the new operation. Busch will reportedly field two trucks in 2010 with previous series champion Johnny Benson a candidate for the other ride. Busch has secured Miccosukee Resorts as a sponsor, which ironically backed the trucks he piloted for Billy Ballew Motorsports.

• Richard Childress Racing will field the No. 07 Chevrolet in next year's Daytona 500 despite the team losing sponsor Jack Daniels after the 2009 season. Casey Mears will pilot the car, which has a guaranteed starting spot in the season-opening race unless he finds a new ride prior to the start of the new campaign.

• Bobby Labonte will drive the TRG Motorsports Toyota full time in the Cup Series next year and he'll also pilot the team's entry in next month's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race. Labonte, who has three Rolex 24 starts, will join the defending GT winning #67 TRG Porsche GT3 in the 2010 race, co-driving with Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly and Tim George Jr.