"Danica-mania fuels big rise in IRL's ratings" vol.8 iss.23 pg.33 by Sarah Zdesar

All of NASCAR and some of its' fans may not completely like the idea of a girl racing, but they can not deny the fact that ever since the 23-year-old Danica Patrick "raced" onto the seen she has boosted ratings in a seious way. Along with the serious push that Patrick has given to the Indy Racing League's (IRL)television viewership, they have also tried to role with that success by condensing and reevaluating the schedule for 2006. Instead of their usual 33 weeks of racing with 17 reaces spread out in their, they have put 14 races into 25 weeks. By shortening the time in which these races are held, they have taken away alot of competition that often ensued when it came to the NFL and college football. With this shorten time of racing, I think it allows race fans to increase their love of racing, which in turn increase the ILR's ratings. I think with Patrick and the new schedule, and the fact that ILR is reaching out to more fans, increases the sport likeability and fondness from even people who weren't the biggest fans to begin with.