Danica Patrick has made herself a household name because of her involvement in motorsports, with roots beginning in go-karting when she was just 10 years old. The 2005 Rookie of the Year for the 2005 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series has already proven that she can drive an open-wheel car, and she has a few other credits to her name as well, including her 2008 win in the Indy Japan 300 – making her the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race.

Patrick attracts fans to the sport, but is that all she has to offer NASCAR?

If you didn’t know Patrick from motorsports, you might now her as the spokesmodel/spokesperson for GoDaddy, and she has several commercials and appearances to her credit in both print and television. Her 2009 Super Bowl commercial was said to be the most watched commercial that year. We’re not sure how people watched that commercial more than the others that aired that day, but that’s beside the point.

If you’ve watched Patrick in NASCAR, you’ve either done so because you’re a fan or because you had no choice, as she’s been labelled a “marketing machine” by some, including Kyle Petty. There have been harsh words about Patrick from almost any direction, and many feel that she is using her assets for publicity and is not good for NASCAR because of the publicity. Some will come to her defense, and others will always wonder whether it’s because of her skills – or because of those assets.

Petty: “If she’d have been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track.”

But recently, “The King” was asked about Patrick’s chances of winning a Sprint Cup race and Richard Petty responded that the only way she would win is “if everybody else stayed home.” Petty, apparently, feels that she doesn’t possess the necessary skills to win a race, but according to ESPN he has said that she is good for PR, bringing more fans to the races and drawing more attention to the sport.

Petty, who has won over 200 races in his career, feels that the publicity is good for everyone, but is that enough? Shouldn’t a Cup driver with so much airtime and attention be a better finisher than an average of 26.1 in 36 starts during her first year? Granted, she has had one top-ten finish in the Daytona 500, but so have other drivers who don’t look so good in a bathing suit posing next to a musclecar. Some guys like her, some guys wish she would stick to open wheel and stay out of NASCAR.

So there you have the paradox: she’s good for marketing purposes, but many don’t feel she could ever win. If you’ve ever seen her antics in the pits after a wreck or dismal finish, she does come off as a spoiled brat at times, blaming her crew for her failures – but never herself. What do you think about her – does she have what it takes to be a true competitor in motorsports, and eventual winner, or should she hang up her steering wheel and stick to using her assets for bikini pictures?

Is this how you envision a NASCAR champion? She may be winning hearts, but races? Richard Petty says only if everyone else stays home.