Danica Patrick unveiled her new No. 7 race car today, which is sponsored by Boost Mobileand Motorola.
We chatted with the 27-year-old Patrick, touching on her sponsors, swimsuit covers and Twitter.
Darren: You've had Motorola before. How did Boost Mobile come in?
Patrick:I think Motorola has always been looking for a partner that would be part of an Indy car and when Boost Mobile came along it was perfect because they represent what I'm all about -- being young, fun and edgy. It was a perfect little partnership.
Darren: Well, mobile phones and phone services certainly have mass appeal.
Patrick:Definitely. I saw a kid who was probably eight or nine years old with a cell phone and he asked me to sign the phone. It's so amazing that cell phones have trickled down to that age. And, think about it, cell phones are even now taking the place of phones at your house.
Darren: Obviously this will get the Boost Mobile brand out there.
Patrick:This will definitely "Boost" the brand. We're going to do some fun stuff with the commercials and doing viral things to push Boost, Motorola and the Clutch phone.
Darren: Viral marketing seems to be very important these days.
Patrick:Viral is one of those things that is cost effective and it's just the way to touch young America. I feel a little out of the loop. I don't know about that stuff. I don't do Twitter.
Darren: So DanicaPatrick on Twitter with more than 1,000 followers is not you?
Patrick: It is. As soon as it hit, they put me on there. But I haven't done anything. I just don't get it. I don't want people to know where I am all the time. I don't think it's healthy or safe.
Darren: Your contract expires at the end of this season. I have to ask the obligatory, "Are you going to NASCAR?" question.
Patrick: There's a certain time when I can start doing things and talk to other teams and that time is not now. But I'm always keeping my options open. I have to keep in mind my driving, the platform and the sponsors. There are a lot of factors. But I think, in the end, the choice is going to be obvious. It will be natural.
Darren: How hard do you think the IRL has been hit from the economy?
Patrick:I don't feel like we've been hit as hard as NASCAR has, but they have a lot more sponsors. So the shock might be easier to absorb.
Darren: Just saw you on the cover of Shape Magazine, fresh off being in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Patrick:Keep in mind I did Sports Illustrated in November and Shape in December, so I didn't eat anything for all of Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm 27. I don't know how many more of these opportunities I'm going to have. As long as I have the opportunity, it's probably good to do this type of thing every year.
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