Danica Patrick's status as a bona fide celebrity has been cemented through her pioneering success in professional auto racing.
But does her status only as a "pioneer" qualify her for the NASCAR Hall of Fame?
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Steven Cole Smith of Motorsport.com says a resounding "yes."
"Like it or not, it's Danica Patrick. She is the first woman driver to genuinely make NASCAR her career," he writes. "And a pretty good career: According to Racing-reference.info, her NASCAR winnings in Sprint Cup, XFINITY and K&N Pro total $11,852,305.
"And that doesn't include (T-shirts) and endorsements."
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Of course, her endorsements are as much a product of her beauty as her unique profession as a female race-car driver. Should that be taken into account when discussing such a prestigious accomplishment as a Hall of Fame?
Nascartalk.nbcsports.com reports that Patrick currently has 97 career starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. She has a meager six top-10 finishes with an average finish of 24.5. She does have a 2013 Daytona 500 poll to her résumé.
Hardly Hall of Fame-worthy numbers on its own merit. That's where the "pioneer" factor enters the equation, Smith writes.
"The fact that she has been the first female driver to prove that a woman - particularly a woman that isn't built like a roller derby jammer - can survive season after season in what has always been, and still is, a man's sport," Smith asserts.
"All that said, yes, Patrick doesn't have a win, but look at her stats this season: As we approach the halfway mark, she is 19th in points, ahead of Greg Biffle (20th), Sam Hornish Jr. (25th), her car owner, Tony Stewart (26th), and her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (28th).
"That shows competence. And for a slot in the Hall of Fame, I contend that's plenty for a pioneer. I'm not remotely saying that her situation mirrors the struggle that Hall of Famer Wendell Scott faced as the first black driver to make a living in NASCAR, but there are similarities. ... Whatever she does from here on out is, frankly, irrelevant. She has proven that a woman can compete in NASCAR, can run consistently, can handle a stock car for 500 miles, can deal with the brutal schedule."
Smith also points to the attention Patrick has brought to the sport and argues that she has been excellent for racing in general and NASCAR in particular.
But without any victories of which to speak, does she have a claim? Even in 61 Xfinity Series races (Indy-Car), she has seven top 10s with a best finish of fifth.
NASCAR Talk conducted a poll, asking readers whether she deserves a Hall of Fame bid, and the early results indicate 85 percent say no.
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