NASCAR Gets Jolt of Girl Power

Female racing phenom Danica Patrick confirmed today that she's going to race in NASCAR events next year. Patrick will make the jump to stock cars while maintaining her presence on the IndyCar circuit, where she is a certified star. But the best part of this new deal is that she's joining JR Motorsports, which features Kelley Earnhardt—sister of Dale Jr.—as a team owner, writes Jay Busbee.

"That's right—in a sport derided by its detractors as backward-looking, the hottest new team in NASCAR will have at its center two women," writes Busbee of Yahoo Sports. "The truth is that Patrick and Earnhardt will make for a powerful tandem regardless of their gender ... and, to an extent, regardless of Danica's immediate success on the track." (More Danica Patrick stories.)