Although she was consistently a fan favorite in the IRL and holds the highest podium finish for any woman in the series, 24 year-old Sarah Fisher had trouble attracting the top-flight teams and big-bucks sponsors necessary to be consistently competitive. Just as Danica Patrick has become the story of the year in open-wheel racing, Fisher's taken her show to NASCAR. But not to the top-flight NEXTEL Cup Series, or even the Busch Series; rather, Fisher's running the Grand National West Series; short-track races in less-sophisticated cars.
However, Fisher claims that she's not bitter about the success afforded Patrick, noting that she was tossed into the IRL while Patrick was training in Formula Atlantic. Plus, if Fisher's able to successfully break into the Busch Series and eventually move on to Cup, it'll ultimately prove to be a bigger coup, with more exposure and more ducats than one can shake a stick at.
With NASCAR heavy Richard Childress' weight behind her, it seems like Fisher could be poised to set the stock car world on its ear; personality and backstory seem to be as important in NASCAR as the ability to win races, as sponsors trip over themselves trying to find drivers that'll stand out from the pack, but not too much. Although she's a wild card right now, if Fisher's able to adapt successfully to stock car racing, she could end up being another ace in the pocket of a team well-stocked with aces.
Fisher Starting From Scratch in Stock Cars [SFGate]
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When Red Turns to Blue: Nascar Takes Manhattan [Internal]