Danica’s next gig: Hosting awards show

Danica Patrick has been a presenter on celebrity galas from the ESPYs

to the Teen Choice Awards, but she hesitated when contacted about co

hosting the American Country

Awards.

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want to do it,” she said. “It was because I was a little bit scared to do it.

“I tried getting the opinion from everyone else, and I was kind of waiting for someone to say, ‘ Holy crap, are you really going to do that?’ And no one really said that. So I was, ‘ All right, let’s do this.’ ”

Patrick will be paired with Trace Adkins for the show, which will air live Dec. 10 on Fox from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Adkins has hosted the show since it started four years ago, but this will be Patrick’s first time in the primary spotlight of an awards show.

“I’ve never hosted anything before other than parties at my house,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge and the experience of it. I feel like it could be really fun.”

Patrick and Adkins have done rehearsing in Charlotte for the show and also have helped craft scripts to create the vibe and rhythm of the show, Patrick said. “Stuff like, ‘ OK, he’s country, I’m racing. Let’s not beat that to a dead horse. Let’s get it out of the way and then play around.’ ”

Patrick said she played off her cohost well.

“We made fun of me not knowing as much about country and being like, ‘ Travis, we’re going to have a great time,’ ” she said with a laugh. “I was this spunky girl who’s excited about this new country world, and he’s like, ‘ Oh, dear.’ ”

Patrick is optimistic the experience might lead to more hosting offers, perhaps as the second driver to host Saturday Night Live ( Jeff Gordon was the first to host the show in January 2003).

“I hope so,” she said. “SNL, here I come, right? Everybody’s been working on that one for a while. I’d love to do that.”