When it comes to IndyCar, Danica is indispensable

Danica Patrick – not the best driver, but certainly the most popular

Mark Scheuern/AutoRacing1

Danica Patrick roars into Edmonton as the poster girl for the Indy Racing League, the hot story, the highest-paid driver, the most sought-after interview.

Contrary to popular belief, she is not the only driver on the grid for Saturday's Rexall Edmonton Indy. Nor is she the best driver or the points leader. Such is the Danica dichotomy, which she does her best to quiet.

"It takes a whole series to put on a show and make the fans excited. If I was the only one who showed up at the track, I'm pretty sure the fans would be bored by that and there would be nothing to see, so you do need everybody," Patrick said during an interview last week from her home in Phoenix.

But there might not be an outcry if Enrique Bernoldi, Townsend Bell, Mario Moraes, Vitor Meira and Ed Carpenter defected en masse to NASCAR. If Patrick crossed the street to run with the good ol' boys, IRL would suffer. And she is smart enough to leave that door open just a crack, in case anybody wants to take her presence for granted.

"I always keep my options open," she said when asked about NASCAR or F1 aspirations. "You're foolish as an athlete and a business person to eliminate anything from your possible career path. But I love open-wheel racing. This is what I grew up watching and I'm happy here. I'm with a fantastic team. All I can say is it would have to be with a first-rate organization. I've always said, I'll race anything as long as I can be in a car that can win races. That's my rule."

It ought to be written down in the IRL handbook that they do whatever necessary to keep Patrick from jumping to NASCAR. Because she's running near the front, she's American, 26 and beautiful, Patrick is indispensable to the IRL. Everybody knows it and some people are willing to pay for it. That's why it's no surprise to hear she makes more money than any other driver. Crusty Canadian Paul Tracy said Patrick earns $5 million per year, $2 million more than her Andretti-Green teammate Tony Kanaan and points leader Scott Dixon, who drives for Target Chip Ganassi.

"I don't necessarily know if it's true," said Patrick. "That's quite private within the league and nobody talks about how much everybody is getting paid. All you can do as a business person is get what you can. Present yourself well. Hopefully you have a lot to offer and people in turn will reward you for that." More at National Post