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I get it.  Kimi Raikkonen is a Formula 1 champion and believes he should be racing with NASCAR’s best.  If there is one thing race drivers are often not short on, it’s confidence in their ability.  It’s commendable that he wants to move up as quickly as possible, but if Raikkonen really wants to succeed, he needs to slow down.  One Truck Series test coupled with a 15th place finish in a truck race does not qualify one for the Nationwide Series.  And at this pace, when is he expecting to make a Cup attempt?  Kansas?

You certainly would have hoped that Raikkonen and his advisers did a little research before they started writing checks.  There are numerous examples over the last several years of other open wheel drivers thinking they can make a NASCAR career happen, only to find out that driving in circles isn’t as easy as it looks.  Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Speed, Dario Franchitti, and Patrick Carpentier are all examples of of guys who’ve come and gone.  And it could be argued that all were brought along too quickly.  Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger experienced similarly quick paths to NASCAR, but it took both several years to be able to run well, consistently.  Hopefully Raikkonen isn’t on his way to being the next flame out.

It’s ridiculous to think that a guy like Raikkonen would be able to come in and immediately be competitive against guys who’ve been on circle tracks their entire lives.  I’m fully aware of Raikkonen’s pedigree, and his immense talent behind the wheel, but it takes a completely different skill set to be successful in a stock car.  Not only that, but it would appear the young Fin isn’t even aware of NASCAR’s rules.  Crew chief Rick Ren had to explain the “lucky dog” rule to him mid-race last Friday night.

I don’t want this post to come off as me hatin’ on Kimi.  Worldwide interest is great for the sport, and drivers like Raikkonen open up NASCAR to new fans.  I think it also helps NASCAR when guys from around the world want to come race here.  It does nothing but add to NASCAR’s legitimacy.  And how cool would it be to see a guy put a Cup Series championship on his resume next to his F1 title?  Raikkonen could be the first.  But it won’t happen if his development is rushed.

A few years back I heard a story about an open wheel driver I won’t name.  In an early test session in his career, this driver supposedly told his guys over the radio that stock car racing was “child’s play.”  Needless to say, he would find out later that this wasn’t the case.  Hopefully Raikkonen isn’t under a similar delusion.  He’s got plenty of talent and the resources to be here for a long time, but Kimi just needs to give himself the chance to learn how to be successful.

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Now that the IndyCar season is in the books, Danica has turned her full attention to the Nationwide Series.  Her start last Saturday at California kicked off a stretch run that will see her compete in every NNS race to finish out 2010.  Coming into Fontana, Danica hadn’t done much outside of running in the back and creating a ton of ridiculous hype.

At the Auto Club Speedway on Saturday however, something may have changed.  From a starting position of 14th (her best to date), Danica was able to run in the top-20 all day, and was looking to finish there before she was tagged in the right rear down the backstretch late in the race by James Buescher.  The move appeared to be payback, and it ended Danica’s day.  Now, as we head to Charlotte and the final NNS COT race of the season, was her performance a sign of things to come, or just a fluke?

For me personally, I think it would be huge if Patrick was actually showing signs of being competitive.  A competitive female driver would be huge for the sport.  But before I jump on the Danica bandwagon, I’ve got to see more.  Remaining on the schedule are Charlotte, Gateway, Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead, all of which are tough race tracks.  It would be a big step in the right direction if she could somehow find a way to do more then be a moving chicane.

Just so we are straight though, I am not naive enough to think that after just eight NNS starts, Danica has somehow figured it all out and will now become a weekly top-20 finisher.  I do think she still has a ton to learn about how to actually race in NASCAR, and her incident with Buescher showed that.

What I want to see is for her to run well and be consistent during practice sessions, effectively communicate her car’s handling characteristics to Eury Jr. and Co., qualify decently, and make laps during the races without tearing up race cars.  If she can do that, she just might convince me that success is possible for her.

It is no doubt a huge leap to go from open wheel to NASCAR, and Danica will definitely have a rougher go of it because she just isn’t as talented as guys like Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger.  However, with the proper guidance, the willingness to learn, and a little luck, she just might figure it out.

What do you think?

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