Can Danica drive to Victory Lane at Daytona? More NASCAR mailbag

Danica Patrick will begin her 10-race Sprint Cup schedule at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26.

Jason Smith/Getty Images

Can she do it?

This is the question that I've been asked the most in recent weeks, both in conversations with NASCAR fans and on radio shows: Can Danica Patrick actually win the Daytona 500?

My answer: Absolutely. In fact, I think her best shot at taking a checkered flag in her 10 Cup races this year will be in the season opener at Daytona. There are four reasons.

First, she loves big, fast ovals. In IndyCar her best track was Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where she felt comfortable cruising around at 225 mph. If you've watched her closely at Indy over the past few years, then you know that she was as adept as anyone in that series at maneuvering through tight spaces at the Brickyard.

Second, she'll be piloting elite equipment. Her owner, Tony Stewart, receives his engines and chassis from Hendrick Motorsports, and no expense will be spared in getting her No. 7 Chevy ready for the big show.

Third, Stewart has already said that he'll be Patrick's drafting partner in the Great American Race. Most drivers agree that we won't see as much two-car tandem drafting in this year's event, but I'm guessing that in the final laps you'll see plenty of two-car breakaways, because during the recent Daytona test it appeared that two cars drafting together were faster than cars on single runs. And Stewart is as good as anyone in NASCAR at riding the draft.

And finally, Daytona is a breeding ground for upsets. Last year Trevor Bayne, at age 20, took the checkered flag -- and essentially hasn't been heard from since. Winning the 500 often has as much to do with racing luck as with pure skill, and if Patrick can catch a few breaks, then yes, she could pull off what surely would be one of the most stirring victories in the history of Sprint Cup racing.

This leads us to the first question in this week's mailbag ...

Will Memorial Day 2012 make history as the first year there is a woman in both the Indianapolis 500 & the Coca-Cola 600?

-- Chris Fiegler, Latham, N.Y.

The first woman to start the Coke 600 was Janet Guthrie in 1976, when she finished 15th. The next year Guthrie shifted her Memorial Day attention to the Indy 500, where she came in 29th.

The answer to your question: Yes, this will be the first time in history that there will be at least one female driver in both the Indy 500 and Coke 600. No woman has started the 600 since Guthrie in '76 -- making Patrick just the second female to take the starting command at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May -- and there will be several females in the field at Indy.

Now that drivers, sponsors have had a full year to digest the one championship rule, will we see more drivers halting their Nationwide commitments a la Carl Edwards?

-- Matt, Lexington, Ky.

Yes. Kyle Busch has already said he's dramatically scaling back his Nationwide schedule in 2012 -- though that's mainly because of his late-season meltdown in the Cup Series, which many have attributed to mental and physical fatigue -- and many other Cup drivers have told me that there's no point in running a full Nationwide schedule if you can't win the championship.

I think this is a good thing. Several of the elite drivers on the Cup circuit are aging -- Stewart and Jeff Gordon are 40 -- and there is dramatic dearth of young talent in the Nationwide Series right now. The Nationwide circuit needs to become a developmental series where talent can be cultivated. By deterring Cup drivers from dropping down for races, NASCAR is opening up more starting spots for young drivers who desperately need seat time.

Should NASCAR retire numbers?

-- Kate Floyd, Tampa, Fla.

I don't think so. Numbers mean so much to NASCAR fans, and imagine the excitement level in 2013 when Austin Dillon, the grandson of Richard Childress, drives the No. 3 Chevy onto the track for the Daytona 500 (which will happen, by the way).

Will the NASCAR media and fan base give Danica a fair shake during Speedweeks/the rest of the season, as a good race car driver (which she is) or have they already made up their minds about her as an all-marketing/no-talent sideshow who doesn't belong in NASCAR no matter what she does during Speedweeks/the rest of the season?

-- Damon, Hilliard, Ohio

As I mentioned above, I think Patrick's talent is underappreciated. But as you pointed out, there is definitely a good ol' boy network in the garage and, frankly, in sections of the media. These are the people who want to see her fail. I've heard several prominent media members, while safely talking in the land of "Off the Record," absolutely rip Patrick for being nothing more than a marketing machine.

Well, she's not. As someone who's written extensively about Patrick -- including an SI cover story -- I can report to you that she's absolutely earned everything she's got. And, again, I wouldn't be surprised if she authors a memorable race in the Daytona 500.

Where will Brian Vickers end up? Is the former Nationwide champ, two-time Sprint Cup victor destined for start-and-park?

-- Chris, Phoenix, Ariz.

It's looking that way. Vickers' antics in recent years -- re: aggressive driving -- have clearly rubbed a lot of people in the garage the wrong way. He needs to go to a second-tier team, display respect on the track, keep his mouth shut in the garage, and hope for one more chance with an elite organization.