IndyCar Vows to be “Way More Interesting than ARCA” in 2010

Izod IndyCar officials asserted Monday that their series “is not worried about playing second fiddle to ARCA.”

The statement came after buzz started to build for the February 6 ARCA stock car Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

“We’ve heard some of the talk about Danica Patrick running the ARCA race against up to nine other women, maybe including the fiery Milka Duno, eco-exotic Leilanli Münter, and fast-with-something-to-prove Alli Owens, and we’re not too concerned,” said an IndyCar official. “We’re pretty sure our fifth-straight season of the same two or three teams bitchslapping the field every race and lapping the field in the finale will hold its own in the battle for fans’ interest, ratings points and entertainment dollar.”

Patrick’s participation in the Dec. 19 and 20 ARCA test at Daytona attracted media attention beyond that given to any given IndyCar race, a sliver of which spilled over to the nine other female participants.

Among them were the fastest woman at Daytona, Owens (read her thoughts on the test HERE), Münter who tried mightily to get into an Indy Lights car before putting together an ARCA deal and going P7 at the test, (news release here), and Duno, who was faster than Danica on day one.

Duno and Patrick have some history, including a famous towel-throwing argument at Mid Ohio in 2008…

The prospect of the fiery-yet-much-maligned Latina and the driver known among detractors as “Princess Sparkle Pony” duking it out in an ARCA festival of paint swapping has some fans admitting privately that they’re looking forward to the Daytona ARCA race more than the road-and-street heavy start of the Izod IndyCar series.

“That may be exciting,” countered an IndyCar official, “but I would remind fans that our series busts out with a huge, exciting bang on March 14 where we’ll have an edge-of-your-seat street race in São Paulo, Brazil. Our research shows clearly that nothing gets American race fans more excited than a street race in a foreign country.”

The official said four straight road and street courses — Brazil (3/14), St. Petersburg (3/28), Barber Motorsports Park (4/18) and Long Beach (4/18) — will get the season off to a “roaring start” with “average race speeds exceeding 132 mph.” Officials hoped to see at least five on-track passes during those four events combined.

“IZOD chose the IndyCar series in part because of intense speed,” said the official. “We think we’re delivering that in spades with the first four races. Some of those corners at Barber we’ll be taking at the break-necks speed of 56, 57 mph. That’s brand activation action right there.”

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