So far Danica Patrick has been all hype and no substance

Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week the race sponsor trotted out what it calls the Coca-Cola Family of Drivers. For the first time since the marketing ploy began the seven male drivers were joined by their newest member and the first female driver, Danica Patrick.

While the eight drivers do have the Coke moniker in common, there was one thing that the seven other drivers have that Patrick doesn’t; each has won at least one NASCAR race in his career; Danica Patrick hasn’t even come close. True, her foray into NASCAR is in its very early stages, but the addition to the Coke family of drivers, and the huge check that no doubt goes with it, is indicative of Patrick’s time in NASCAR. So far she has been a marketers dream, signing high-dollar sponsors and bringing one with her from the IndyCar Series. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.