For the longest time, NASCAR has tried to attract a bigger demographic to its sport but while some of their drivers s have their own following, there’s not a lot of them in the sport that can draw the mainstream audience.

That of course has changed now that Danica Patrick is headed to NASCAR in 2010. According to the Associated Press, the highly-popular IRL driver has reached a deal with JM Motorsports to be one of their drivers.

Although no announcements have been made, a source said that Patrick is scheduled to participate in some races for next year’s Nationwide Series while splitting time with her forays in the IRL with Andretti Autosport.

Whatever schedule Danica Patrick does have in NASCAR next year, the sport should nevertheless be grateful to have somebody like Patrick – a proven commodity both on and off the track – on its fold.

Maybe then, the sport can attract a whole new demographic of fans altogether.

Photo courtesy of IRL.

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