Dancia Patrick's first race not so smooth

After the much anticipated hype for Danica Patrick's budding NASCAR career, she took to the Daytona track Saturday in the Nationwide Series.

Danica Patrick's first race on the Nationwide Series didn't go quite as she had hoped. Just the same the 35th place finish as a rookie will give her a lot to walk away learning. Patrick was taken out of the race in a lap 68 in a large pile-up, resulting in a "did not finish" final standing for her. The first thing that Patrick learned was that she might be getting a lot of media attention but that does not stop her from being a part of a big one. The big one being the crash she was a part of in the Nationwide Series today in Daytona. The second thing that she has to continue to work on is the difference between NASCAR and Indy-car language. Patrick repeatedly communicates using her Indy-car lingo. While her team can adapt and she can clarify as to how the car is performing. Still, anyone in NASCAR will tell you that communication is key between a driver and their pit crew, so Patrick will have to work on this some. The third thing she learned was how to trust her instincts. Before the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. told her to trust her instincts and on lap 8 it paid off as she avoided an accident to stay in the race. She held her line and remained calm and steered clear of the chaos. This probably wasn't the NASCAR start that Patrick was hoping for, the media will wait for the next race, but her star should continue to shine for now.