Danica Patrick returning to NASCAR

You’d better enjoy the nice, quiet, normal Nationwide Series coverage this weekend on ESPN, because it will be the calm before the storm. Danica returns to the JR Motorsports #7 on June 26th at New Hampshire.

Through the first three Nationwide Series races of the season, you may not have even realized there were 42 other drivers in the field. Or really, you may have thought Danica was the only NASCAR driver there was. Danica Mania hit NASCAR hard, with constant coverage of her during the races, and plenty of stories about her to read about online. Since her last race at Las Vegas in February however, the hype has died down.

The hype is about to get shocked back to life.

While she’s been away from NASCAR, Danica has been busy working on a very mediocre Indy Car season. Through seven races this season she has one top five and three top ten finishes. She currently sits 11th in the points standings, and her average finish is the worst she’s had since her rookie year in 2005. Some have gone so far as to suggest that her foray into NASCAR has taken something away from her open wheel skills this year.

The Danica haters have been quieted a little in recent weeks, as she finished sixth at Indianapolis, and then followed that up with a second at Texas on June 5th. Jumping back into a Nationwide Series car right when it appears she has the open wheel ship righted might not bode well for her, however. Couple that with the fact that her summer NNS starts are coming at New Hampshire, Chicagoland, Michigan, and Dover, and it might be a tough summer for Ms. Patrick. NASCAR Insiders