Danica has a guaranteed spot for the Daytona 500?

•Danica to get owner points from Baldwin? Reutimann in the #10? Danica Patrick will be a guaranteed starter in the 2012 Daytona 500, using owner points from Tommy Baldwin Racing. Multiple sources say a deal is nearly complete to make Patrick a guaranteed starter in Stewart Haas Racing's #10 Chevy in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season opener, using owner points accrued last season by driver Dave Blaney in TBR's #36 Chevy. Blaney will now be forced to qualify for the "Great American Race" on time. Patrick is scheduled to run approximately 10 Sprint Cup races this season, and TBR driver David Reutimann will run many of the events Patrick does not; also in the #10 machine. While Patrick will drive Stewart Haas cars purchased from Hendrick Motorsports in her 10 races, Reutimann will steer Baldwin's cars in his outings. TBR will reportedly receive technical and pit crew support from SHR as part of the deal.(Sirius Speedway)(1-30-2012)

•Danica to get owner points from Baldwin? Reutimann in the #10? Danica Patrick will be a guaranteed starter in the 2012 Daytona 500, using owner points from Tommy Baldwin Racing. Multiple sources say a deal is nearly complete to make Patrick a guaranteed starter in Stewart Haas Racing's #10 Chevy in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season opener, using owner points accrued last season by driver Dave Blaney in TBR's #36 Chevy. Blaney will now be forced to qualify for the "Great American Race" on time. Patrick is scheduled to run approximately 10 Sprint Cup races this season, and TBR driver David Reutimann will run many of the events Patrick does not; also in the #10 machine. While Patrick will drive Stewart Haas cars purchased from Hendrick Motorsports in her 10 races, Reutimann will steer Baldwin's cars in his outings. TBR will reportedly receive technical and pit crew support from SHR as part of the deal.(Sirius Speedway)(1-30-2012)

Beat me too it Annalee
Wonder if SHR has a hand shake deal to help him qualify during the twin races as well?

Wonder if SHR has a hand shake deal to help him qualify during the twin races as well?

I hope so, or my old racing buddy is going to be mighty unhappy. We attend nearly all races together. He is an old friend of Lou and the Blaney family. He scored for many years at Sharon Speedway in Ohio.

i think tommy baldwin is getting the short end of the stick here, i can not see why tony couldnt give up his points, he has a guaranteed spot bein the current champ, but they bough their way into the 500, who didnt see that coming??

i think tommy baldwin is getting the short end of the stick here, i can not see why tony couldnt give up his points, he has a guaranteed spot bein the current champ, but they bough their way into the 500, who didnt see that coming??

Well it could have been Steven Wallace buying his way into the 500 again.

i dont have a problem with steven wallace, if his old man does mind losing money from torn up race cars, why should i care, i just feel tony could have transferred points from his car, and he would have nothing to worry about, everything has to be a big production in nascar....

I'm looking at this deal in a different way, besides the one where an owner is taking care of a big sponsor

Getting tech support is huge for small teams, as well as "spare parts" for a pit crew.

And what is going rate for receiving someone else's top 35 points? Considering the top 35 rule only applies to 1st 5 races.

Let's face it, the return on your investment on Danica is much bigger than Steven Wallace....if he's worth doing this for (as well as many others including Dario Franchitti & Sam Hornish Jr) then she's worth doing this for as well. And if I get money, tech support, and manpower to help run my small race team then I'd say "where do I sign?"

I wouldn't think TBR would have trouble getting and keeping their machines in the top 35 after race #5 with this deal...esp considering the competition after the top 20 drivers.

and what happens if TBR doesnt make the race, would you think he still made out? lets face it last place at that race is a couple hundred grand, and that would go far for a team like his, so he has a lot to risk as of right now, where as if tony transferred his points to the 10 and if needed has the current champ provisional so he would have nothing to lose........

I believe TBR had to qualify based on time for every race last year, so it's not like they're taking a huge step back. Now they get to do it with some "benefits" and maybe even do better than the 26th place finish they got last year in the 500.

Like I said before--I dont like this buying points crap. If a driver cant earn their starting spot by qualifying on time they dont belong in the race. By allowing teams to buy one driver in the race, it will always knock another, possibly more deserving driver out.

I can be sure this is part of the Godaddy contract where SHR has to do everything possible to get Danica in these Cup races, as Danica not qualifying for races would make their brand and hers look bad. Course in my opinion and iam sure her critics, it also gives them kind of a bad image as buying her way into the races. Actually qualifying to get in the race would be far more credible far as Iam concerned and iam sure others but--Oh well.

I realise this has been going on for a long time but I'd like to know what the reasoning was in the first place when Nascar originally decided to allow this point buying crap? Nascar has lots of dumb rules and this one takes the top spot in my opinion.

What happenned to "we only want the best drivers in our series" --Oh wait--thats a quote from the Indycar series. Course they dont follow through either as anyone with a "check" can drive in their series. The bottom line is auto racing isnt about the best anymore, as money and power, and manipulation talks and those drivers/teams without it---well--too bad for them.

My question is Go Daddy sponsoring the #10 all season or just in the 10 races Danica is driving? If it is only for the 10 then TBR has to find sponsorship for both Dave's (Blaney & Rooty).

The #10 car is only sponsored by Godaddy for the 10 CUP races PT. They are already sponsoring Danica FT in NNS as well and thats reportedly around 15 million just for the NNS races.

Its already been mentioned that Tony has been trying to get more sponsors for her 10 car to keep it in the points with another driver, but no luck so far. I dont know what this other team plans on doing for sponsorship, as its just reported they will try to put a driver in it to help keep it in the points if possible? Unsure about alot of it so far as maybe Speedtv or ESPN will have more on this story, as it is about the Champ and Danica so it will make the news at some point..

Just Edited as found this story today:
http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/st ... aytona-500

Balwin will be on Race Hub to discuss this today apparently.

to MJ, the cash value of making the race, I am sure TBR has already made by selling his points. So if by chance they didnt get in, they have already been paid. The points not racing is the bigger hurdle. With the teams racing right now, I bet a team that hasnt raced in all 36 races will be in the top 35. Also sure with SHR help, TBR will be in the top 35 again. With a team that was starting & parking, & struggling to complete full races, the money they will save not paying for the pit crews & whatever other deals Tony has made will help that team in the long term this year.

To Racer, it doesnt make Danica look bad. She has absolutely zero say in this. This is about ownership & sponsors, & Sponsors want zero risk to get into the Daytona 500, & yes they will pay to have that zero risk, no matter how likely the team would have or wouldnt have gotten in. Cant blame Danica for the move at all.

As for buying points, I think it is BS as well, but it is what it is, & until they change it, it will be BS we got to deal with (kinda like the Chase LOL)

Jayski has "Rooti" driving the other 26 races Danica is not driving. WOW! That is great news for David Reutimann. I know it is only part time, but in great equipment. No Toyota, only Chevy! I know he is happy. We are going to have to have another forum for David.
Schmoopy, I can't believe I beat you! It was purely just luck.

well we shall see how it all plays out, and it seems people are choosing to miss a point im making, but whatever, if what u say is true about all the teams, than danica shouldnt have a problem making it on her own merit, she actually does well on that track.