DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Danica Patrick is grateful and humbled by the popularity and platform she has had over four seasons of Sprint Cup racing. She desperately wishes for success to go with it.Patrick expressed frustration this week at her inability so far to become a consistent top-15 finisher.I feel a certain amount of responsibility slash guilt when things dont go better, Patrick said. Its always fun to cheer when someone is doing well. There are times I dont feel like Im delivering that.I want to give them something to cheer for, she said.The hard-driving Patrick remains one of the series most popular and marketable figures. When Go Daddy ended its sponsorship of Patricks Stewart-Haas Racing car, Natures Bakery quickly took over as primary backer this season. Patrick enjoys seeing young girls at races in her T-shirts and understands she has probably convinced plenty of dads its okay to let their daughters dream and pursue racing glory.Now, after almost four seasons of mostly middle-of-the-pack finishes, she wants some for herself.Patrick had success in open wheel racing, winning the Indy Japan 300 in 2008. She jumped to NASCAR and the new Stewart-Haas program after 2010, cutting her teeth in the Xfinity Series with a few tries in Sprint Cup before making the full-time jump in 2013.But things havent always gone well for the ultra-competitive Patrick.She had a career-best finish of sixth in 2014 in Atlanta, but has not qualified for NASCARs season-ending playoffs or ended better than 24th in the driver standings. Patrick sits 24th again this season without a top 10-finish with five races left before the championship Chase.Were in that phase now where were finishing 20th every weekend and I wish I were delivering more, she said.Team owner Tony Stewart told Patrick when she joined NASCAR it would take longer than she thought to get up to speed.Is she getting close?I mean, somedays yes and somedays you are like, `What happened? said Stewart, a three-time series champion who is retiring after the season. But you look at my career. I was on top and won a championship in 2011 and I couldnt even find the gate to get out of the racetrack in the years after that. So many things can change and its just not as easy as everybody thinks.Patrick was in Darlington on Tuesday to show off her culinary skills -- she helped prepare lunch at South of Pearl restaurant, complete with a black Darlington apron -- and stuff back-to-school backpacks with supplies for area children.Patrick has her outside interests. Shes launching an activewear clothing line next year -- It started because of merchandise sales at NASCAR, drivers make so little money off merchandise sales, she says -- and hopes to publish a cookbook of her favorite recipes. She detailed a domestic side, of how shell wake up first at racetracks to make breakfast for herself, then her dogs, then boyfriend-driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Its fun for me, she said.Patrick, 34, has thought about a family and what it might mean for her career. She has seen her friends have children and wondered about it herself.Of course, Im a girl, Patrick said. But its not anything in the urgent department yet.But, she added, Im not married and I have a job.Id like to have some great years in NASCAR and I feel like I havent had them yet, she said.New Darlington President Kerry Tharp has seen Patricks poise grow during her NASCAR stint.Its a big learning curve coming to stock car racing and she embraced that, wasnt afraid of that and has worked very hard at that, he said.Patrick will return to the area in a month for the Southern 500, one of the sports most difficult tracks where shes struggled to get around because of its slippery surface and misshapen corners.Patrick believes her best performances are ahead and that her communication with her No. 10 team and crew chief Billy Scott are as strong as ever. Her immediate goal is getting fast enough to make the jump to a top-15 finisher. Patrick knows if she accomplishes that, her opportunities to win would increase.That would make a huge difference on the overall year, Patrick said. That can and will happen. But nobodys patient -- including me.---AP Sports Writer Steve Reed from Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Custom Falcons Jersey China . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Cheap Custom Falcons Jersey . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. http://www.customfalconsjersey.com/ . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Falcons Jerseys China . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Cheap Falcons Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. LOS ANGELES -- Tom Nickoloff, a receiver who played on Southern Californias 10-1 team that beat Wisconsin in the 1953 Rose Bowl, has died. He was 84.The university said Wednesday that Nickoloff died on Oct. 23 of complications from Alzheimers disease in Woodland Hills.Nickoloff was captain of the 1953 USC football team that defeated the Badgers 7-0 in the Rose Bowl game. He had seven catches for 73 yards in the win.He led the Trojans in receiving in 1952 and 53. Nickoloff caught 25 passes and had three touchdowns as a junior. All of his scoring catches that season came in the game against Stanford. As a senior, he had 15 catches and twwo touchdowns.dddddddddddd He played in the 1954 Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game before being a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1954.However, he never played in the NFL because of injuries sustained in a car accident.Nickoloff went on to work as a civil defense attorney.He is survived by Betty, his wife of 59 years, and children Tim, Kevin and Laurie.---This story has been corrected to show that all of Nickoloffs scoring catches in his junior year came against Stanford, not all of his catches. ' ' '