In a star-crossed meeting, NASCAR neophyte Danica Patrick and veteran newswoman Katie Couric collided (figuratively speaking) yesterday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track. Outfitted in the popular driver’s Go Daddy attire, Couric took a spin around the IMS oval with Patrick at the helm of her No. 7 ride. See shots of their photo-op here and here.
“I was very, very, very, very, very quiet,” Couric said in response to the racecar’s power. “I was nervous at first, but I had a lot of fun.”
Their laps on the track’s 2.5 miles are a precursor to Patrick’s return to racing at the Speedway on July 28. She will debut her stock-car skills in the Indiana 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race that Saturday.
“It feels really good to be at the track,” Patrick said in a press release. “I enjoyed the laps that I made out there. I really, really enjoyed coming out of Turn 4 and coming down the front straightaway and seeing everything again.”
More from Couric: “I’m a huge fan of Danica’s and have watched her career for many years now, and it was fun for me to get to spend some time with her and learn a little more about what makes her tick and about some of the choices she’s made and things she’s done in her life. I’m very impressed.”
Me & @katiecouric at @IMS we are getting ready to take the @GoDaddy car out for a spin twitter.com/DanicaPatrick/…
— Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick) July 10, 2012
Patrick last raced in Indy in last year’s 500, finishing tenth. In 2005, she finished fifth in that “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
Tickets are on sale for the Kroger Super Weekend at IMS this July 26-29. You can order at www.imstix.com and at the IMS Ticket Office at Georgetown Road and 16th Street, 8 a.m.–5 p.m, Monday–Friday. Call the IMS ticket office at 317-492-6700 or 800-822-INDY (4639) for more info.
Photos via Couric and Patrick’s Twitter pages
