JOLIET, Ill. -- Danica Patrick could become the next star driver to defect from another major racing series to NASCAR.
"I'm trying to get her here [into NASCAR]," said T.J. Patrick, father of the woman who dazzled the motor racing world last year by nearly winning the Indianapolis 500, but has struggled with a mediocre Indy Racing League car ever since.
T.J. Patrick, who has managed his daughter's career since her childhood, was at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, holding exploratory talks with some Nextel Cup teams and sponsors about the possibility of Danica leaving the IRL for NASCAR as early as next year
Her contract expires with the IRL's Rahal-Letterman Racing team, co-owned by TV comic David Letterman, at the end of this season. In addition to considering NASCAR, the Patricks are negotiating with other IRL teams -- and appear unlikely to renew with Rahal-Letterman next year.
Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman racing, declined comment through a spokesperson.
The Patrick family is from Roscoe, Ill., but Danica, 24, now lives in Phoenix with her husband and wasn't at Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 NASCAR race.
T.J. and Danica's mother, Bev, came to the Joliet track because "we've had some inquiries" from NASCAR teams, T.J. said.
Young American open-wheel drivers have been steering steadily away from IndyCars and into NASCAR for the past decade -- from Jeff Gordon to Tony Stewart to Ryan Newman to Kasey Kahne.
They come for much more money, fame, what they consider more intense competition, and the sheer volume of racing.
The Patricks were in the Nextel Cup garage area as guests of the powerful Roush Racing team, which fields Fords for Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin.
There have been other women in NASCAR.
Janet Guthrie, also an Indy-Car pioneer, was the first, competing in 33 Winston Cup races between 1976 and 1980 with five top-10 finishes.
Patty Moise of Jacksonville raced in the Busch Series in the 1980s.
Shawna Robinson ran a limited Winston Cup schedule in the late 1990s. And Erin Crocker is a promising developmental driver who currently competes in the Craftsman Truck Series.