Danica Patrick ready for her Daytona 500 Debut

Danica Patrick, former Indy car driver, is already one of the biggest names in professional racing. She is about to become even bigger as she prepares for her NASCAR debut at the 2010 Daytona 500.

Danica Patrick was first woman to win an Indy car race but finished in third at the Indy 500 in 2009. Her skill behind the wheel coupled with her trademark good looks, have made her a star in the world of racing. It can only be a matter of time before she dominates the most popular and toughest racing circuit.

The move won’t just benefit Patrick. The already popular NASCAR circuit should also receive a boost in interest and attention because of Patrick. NASCAR posted record ratings for an ARCA racing event at Daytona Speedway last week, mainly because it was the stock car racing debut for Patrick, who spun out early in the race, but recovered to race to a respectable finish.

Danica Patrick, still a rookie on the NASCAR circuit, will take a little time to adjust to stock cars and intricacies of the tracks. But given her past successes can there be any doubt she will certainly over come those and become one of the most popular drivers on the NASCAR circuit.

NASCAR Props and Odds

The 2007 Allstate 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pulls into the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and most sportsbooks have driver Jeff Gordon as the favorite.

That makes sense, considering Gordon was raised in Indiana (although he was born in California) and, perhaps more importantly, he has had some of his greatest success at the Indy oval. He won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994, and is the track’s Cup leader in victories (4), top-fives (7), top-10s (10), poles (3) and laps led with 433, which far surpasses second-place Dale Jarrett’s 186.

Last year was an off year for Gordon at the Brickyard, finishing 16th, his first non-top-10 since 2000.

Another driver to watch this weekend is Juan Montoya, who will be making his first stock-car race at the famed speedway. The 2000 Indianapolis 500 champ could make history by winning the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, as no driver has won both races.

NASCAR has been coming to Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1994, and for the first 10 years the race was known as the Brickyard 400. Before ’94, the only race at the Indianapolis Speedway was the famed Indy 500.

The NASCAR Allstate 400 starts at 1 pm ET on Sunday and can be seen on ESPN.

The top favorites at BetOnline are:

1. Jeff Gordon (+400)
2. Jimmie Johnson (+420)
3. Tony Stewart (+600)
4. Martin Truex Jr. (+750)
5. Denny Hamlin (+750)

Nick Bailey