Danica’s win boosts ticket sales for Detroit Grand Prix?

UPDATE A reader adds, Did anyone besides me stop to think that the increase in ticket sales had more to do with the two series being united and less with Danica's win? Or, at best, a combination of both? Loretta in Jackson

04/26/08 [Editor's Note: Ever notice that whenever Danica does something good, the NASCAR guys try to make it their story by talking about her racing over there? This story is going to kill the boys down in Daytona.]

Danica Patrick and the Indy Racing League won't be racing in Detroit until late August, but ticket sales for the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix have been brisk.

Sales got a bit of a boost Monday and Tuesday following Patrick's victory in Japan as she became the first woman to win an Indy car race.

"We experienced a slight increase in ticket sales following Danica's win over the weekend," said Merrill Cain, public and community relations director for the race, which will be Aug. 31 on Belle Isle. "Interestingly, we are way ahead of ticket sales overall from where we were last year."

Since Patrick won last Sunday, reports from Kansas City, site of this weekend's IRL race, have indicated her victory has generated more excitement for the upcoming event. But because the track only sells tickets in packages that include the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in September, it is difficult to tell just what Patrick's victory has meant in terms of ticket sales.

Patrick's win has had an impact on the Aug. 24 IRL race at Infineon Raceway in northern California, however. The speedway reported this week it has seen an increase of more than 400 percent for the first three days of this week, compared to the same time period last week. Detroit News