Danica Patrick likes working with 'rednecks'

FORT WORTH -- Another side was revealed of the transcendent driver who has modeled bikinis, endorsed designer watches and perfume lines and gushed about her fondness for enjoying vintage red.

Danica Patrick also likes working with NASCAR's self-described "rednecks" such as new crew chief Tony Gibson -- and she hopes embracing that old-school mentality will bring a turnaround in her lagging results since moving to stock-car racing.

"Doesn't that seem funny?" Patrick said with a laugh Friday during her first news conference with Gibson. "I'm kind of fancy. I buy fancy things, eat in fancy restaurants, drink fancy wine."

"Opposites attract," Gibson said with a chuckle.

After leading Ryan Newman to three victories and two Chase for the Sprint Cup berths over the past four seasons, Gibson will helm Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet in Sunday's AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and next week at Phoenix International Raceway in preparation for Patrick's full-time leap to NASCAR's premier series in 2013.

Patrick has struggled in her first full NASCAR season since leaving IndyCar. She is ranked 10th in the Nationwide Series standings with three top 10s in 30 starts and has posted a best of 25th in eight starts in Sprint Cup.

Gibson is optimistic about improving those results because he is cut from the same cloth as Tony Eury Jr., who had developed a strong bond with Patrick as her Nationwide crew chief from 2010-12.

"I think the biggest thing is Tony Jr. and Danica got along very well," Gibson said. "I've worked together with Tony Jr. for several years at DEI (Dale Earnhardt Incorporated). (Working with Patrick) is a better fit. It's a really good fit. We're old-school, redneck racers.

"We're the Tony Jr. style of racers, and I think that fits Danica pretty good. We're going to grow together and grow fast. There'll be some bumps, but my team is ready for that."

Said Patrick: "I think about how well I get along with Tony Jr. and how he is definitely a little more old school. The personalities are just cool, laid-back and get down to business and still have fun. That's a great attitude to bring to the track, and it gets a really good team to rally around them."

Patrick said the old-school philosophy recalls her career origins in go-karts, and that she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed its lexicon and style.

"That sort of style is also why I love NASCAR in general," she said. "Everything from the language to describe the car to the style of people and camaraderie. It just reminds me of growing up and racing all over the East Coast and the South.

"It's more normal to me than what I did for 10 years with seven years of IndyCar and three being in England. I guess I realized how European style IndyCar was when I came to NASCAR. How everybody gets along and how much fun we have together (in NASCAR). How much racing we do. In go-karts, we did 40-50 races a year. In NASCAR, we do a tremendous amount, and it's just more normal to me than what I was doing. From the (first NASCAR test in 2009) at Orlando, I felt comfortable and just felt I was where I was supposed to be."

She seems to have meshed just as well with Gibson and her new crew, which had a choice on whether to move with Gibson from Ryan Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet to Patrick's No. 10 in 2013.

"It took them like 30 seconds to answer back that they were on board, and everybody was excited for it," Gibson said. "Hopefully, that is comforting to Danica and just sends a message to her that we are behind her 110 percent and ready to move forward."

Patrick said the team's decision "speaks volumes" as did Gibson's vow that he wanted to adapt his setups to her driving style.

"That's something you hear from someone who is open and ready and smart and knows every driver has a different style," she said. "It's just a matter of how to maximize that. It's music to my ears as a driver. I hopefully can convey exactly what I need and be able to point them in the right direction."

Texas and Phoenix will be the building blocks in constructing a rapport between Patrick and Gibson, who also is planning testing during the winter.

"These two races will be crucial in gaining a head start," he said. "She's a winner, so we don't have to teach her how to win. We just have to make sure that our race team is solid and can give her the things she needs to win in the Cup Series."

The objectives will be incremental in charting Patrick's progress with a series of "achievable" goals, Gibson said.

"There's no pressure on us," he said. "I think the communication will get better and smoother. I'm not putting any pressure on her or any set, 'We've got to win a race,' or 'We've got to run a top-five,' so I'll judge everything off how we are getting along, how our team is building more than results."

In her most recent Cup race at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago, Patrick was embroiled in controversy after she wrecked her car while trying to exact revenge on Landon Cassil. She was chided for the move by Greg Zipadelli, the Stewart-Haas Racing director of competition who served as her crew chief for her first eight Cup starts.

Gibson, though, said Patrick deserved credit for her feistiness, particularly as a permanent fixture in the limelight.

"I don't want her to lose that fire," said Gibson, who understands high-profile scrutiny after working with Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (for five races at the end of 2007). "That's the fire you need. There has been guys that have spun people out when they are rookies and nobody talks about it, but being a female it gets blown out of proportion. I hope she keeps that fire and desire, and we'll work on the rest of the stuff."

Gibson will become the fourth crew chief to work with Patrick since she began racing in NASCAR national series three seasons ago. She said she's learned to appreciate certain qualities in a team leader.

"It's not necessarily a specific person as much as it is their demeanor and their openness to listen and going down the paths that I go down sometimes in practice, and being ready to just kind of adapt and trust me, and want to be there," she said. "I think that may be one of the biggest things. When someone wants to be there it just gives me confidence and gives me comfort. It makes me feel better. No matter what I've been doing that's one thing I've learned, the person has to want to be there.

"I really get that feeling from (team owner) Tony (Stewart), that he wanted to be here and from his guys. I just think that's like a perfect remedy for success moving forward."