Photo courtesy of Denbow's Flickr photostream

Danica Patrick is a race car driver.  She’s also a brand name (see shirt in photo above).  Since entering Indy car racing a few years ago, she has won one race and finished in the top ten of the Indy 500.   These are great accomplishments.   One question that seems to surround her, though, is whether Danica is a racer who happens to model and promote products, or is she a model who happens to race.   In other words, is she “just another pretty face,” or is she a real racer?  Now that Danica is entering the world of Nascar beginning this week, we should get a better answer to that question.   Of course, time will tell.  Danica will run some ARCA and Nationwide series races this year and the racing world will be watching intently to see how she does in each race.   As a Nascar fan myself, I hope she does well.   It would be good for the sport.

Two things I like about following well-known people are: 1. getting a glimpse about their life away from their chosen profession; and 2. getting the inside scoop regarding their chosen profession.   I want to know the person better so I can relate to them on a human level, and I want to hear interesting tidbits about their work that I won’t get anywhere else.   I like to read their take on an event they were a part of, direct from the source.   On Danica’s Twitter page, you get a fair amount of her personal life, which is fine.  But not as much “inside scoop” on her racing life as I would like.   Perhaps that will change as the 2010 racing season unfolds.   Plenty of people will weigh in on how they think she’s doing in Nascar-type cars.   I want to know how she thinks she’s doing, and whether she’s encouraged, frustrated, excited, or whatever.

Here are her best tweets from the end of last year’s racing season to just before the beginning of this one:

• Its race time people! I cant believe it is already here.  -  10:17 AM Feb 1st   from web

• http://twitpic.com/zuwvi Last night I gave my makeup brushes a home with this (homemade) roll up case!   – 10:26 AM Jan 26th   from web

• The sun shines again in az! I am picking a font for my name on my perfume bottle and box, where should I look?  -  12:20 PM Jan 23rd   from web

• I bought about 30 yards of fabric to start playing with…..well 10 of those yards is for a curtain. Am I a geek? Wait dont answer that.   -  4:12 PM Jan 16th   from web

• Obviously since I got a sewing machine(its a Project runway limited edition one too) I am totally excited about the start of project runway!   -  11:35 AM Jan 13th   from web

• Well I can finally say I have really run a stock car and that I enjoyed it even more that I thought I would! This is going to be a fun year!  –   11:13 PM Dec 20th, 2009   from web

• a yearly tradition- an amazing bottle of 03 pride reserve cab and pizza as we decorate the tree…..then dexter later!!!!   –   7:18 PM Dec 13th, 2009   from TinyTwitter

• Wow ESPN was all over me yesterday! I guess thats a good thing… thanks for all your support!   -  8:35 AM Nov 5th, 2009   from web

• @mw55 OK, this is tweet business is sucking me in and I was going to go to bed. I am really going this time! Thanks for being funny!   –   11:36 PM Oct 13th, 2009   from web  in reply to mw55

• So the season is over! Glad Dan taking me out in the pits didnt hurt my championship standing. I guess I am pleased with it overall.    -  11:44 AM Oct 13th, 2009   from web