Girl Power
Danica Patrick: Why she’ll succeed in NASCAR, and why she won’t
- By: Bob Pockrass
- Thursday February 06, 2010
After months of hype and anticipation, Danica Patrick will finally race a stock car when she takes the green flag Saturday in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona. Though the debate over how she’ll fare in NASCAR will continue beyond Saturday, at least there finally will be a track record.
The great debate is this: Whether the Izod Indy Racing Series star can make the transition to NASCAR. It’s a big question because her racing career has been much like her GoDaddy.com commercials – part accomplishment, part tease.
She will get her first taste of stock-car racing Saturday, but before fans jump to conclusions they should remember that success in ARCA at Daytona is not a great predictor of success in NASCAR. For example, John Wes Townley finished fourth in last year’s ARCA race, but went on to have a rough 2009 season in the Nationwide Series.
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. says 15th-place finishes would be considered successful in Patrick’s 12- or 13-race Nationwide schedule, which will begin either Feb. 13 at Daytona or Feb. 20 at Auto Club Speedway in California. JR Motorsports team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. just wants to see flashes of brilliance and see her run up front.
“She’s got every opportunity in the world,” Eury Jr. says. “She can be as big as she wants it to be. If she goes out and wins the first race, it will be the biggest thing that ever happened in the sport. If she doesn’t, some people will say some other IRL guys tried it [and struggled].”
For fans, her success will be determined by her performance on the track, by whether she can run in the top 20 and, ultimately, whether or not she can win.
But another measure of success will come from her impact on television ratings, attendance and exposure for the sport.
“You take someone with the profile that Danica has and the attention that she attracts, that doesn’t hurt. … It doesn’t hurt us to have good story lines,” NASCAR President Mike Helton says. “And this certainly is a good story line.”
Patrick also has a major marketing machine behind her. She is represented by IMG – the same company that manages megastars such as Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning.
“It’s very big,” says IMG’s Mark Dyer, a former NASCAR executive who handles Patrick’s business. “We love to be associated with elite athletes, great leaders and great figures in the celebrity world and the sports world. The best of the best is what we like to affiliate with. Danica is such a trailblazer as a race-car driver and sports celebrity.”
So will she be successful? That’s the great debate.
Here are five reasons she will. And since the jury’s still out, five reasons why she won’t.
5 reasons she will succeed:
- She’s doing it on her own terms
The more time she spends in a stock car, the better she’s going to be, so she’s not going to learn as much in a 13-race schedule as she would over a full, 35-race schedule. She is taking a long break from the Feb. 27 race at Las Vegas to the June 26 race at New Hampshire.
The 27-year-old Patrick truly doesn’t know if she really wants to do this, so she has created no high expectations for herself. She says she can walk away at any time if she doesn’t like it. That’s easier to do when you are running a limited schedule.
If she were committed full time, there would be more pressure and she likely would wonder if she gave up on her goal of winning the Indianapolis 500 too soon.
Patrick is first and foremost an IndyCar driver, and that’s where she has the most pressure. She’s expected to perform there; that’s what she’s dedicated her life to. Her dreams have been about winning Indy 500s, not Daytona 500s – she didn’t even know until she tested at Daytona last month that the track was 2.5 miles long.
Mentally and emotionally, this is the best way to go. Her approach creates less pressure.
“It’s really just a matter of where my heart is,” Patrick says. “That’s really how I’ve always played it. That’s the only thing I think about – is where do I really want to be and what do I really want to do?
“You have to be that committed to put the right amount into it to do well.”
JRM co-owner Kelley Earnhardt believes if she does well, she will remain in NASCAR.
“There would be greater disappointment in going out there and being very competitive for two years and then her deciding, ‘I know we did good, but I really don’t like it. I like IndyCar better,’” Kelley Earnhardt says.
“That would be very disappointing. … But I think being a driver and having been in race cars, if you are doing well and you’re performing, you’re going to want to keep on going. Look at Mark Martin.”
- She’s with a solid team
JR Motorsports is one of the best Nationwide teams on the circuit. Rick Hendrick is one of the co-owners and the team uses Hendrick engines. It has won eight races in the past two years with drivers Martin, Ron Fellows and Brad Keselowski.
Crew chief, Eury Jr., has been around the sport all his life. He has spent most of it working with Earnhardt Jr., so he knows all about pressure and competing in a spotlight. The competition director is Tony Eury Sr., who won two Busch Series titles as Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief.
“It’s amazing how much I’m learning from Tony Jr. and Sr.,” Patrick says. “I have a tremendous amount of help. … I have given myself the best opportunity.”
- She’ll have no sponsorship issues
GoDaddy.com obviously loves her, and not just for her talent behind the wheel. It is sponsoring both her IndyCar and NASCAR efforts. It is also backing Mark Martin’s Sprint Cup team at Hendrick, a testament to its commitment to NASCAR.
With GoDaddy on board, Patrick won’t have to worry about sponsorship, as IndyCar star Dario Franchitti did in his brief NASCAR career at Chip Ganassi Racing. Her sponsor won’t be pushing her to win, and will get plenty of exposure regardless of her results on the track.
“Danica is Danica,” GoDaddy.com Chief Executive Officer Bob Parsons says. “I suspect she’s not going to be shy about trading paint and that sort of thing.
“I think it’s going to be larger than we expect, I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised and I think we’ll be rewarded greatly as her sponsor.”
- She’s not starting in Sprint Cup
Patrick admits this transition won’t be easy, and her plan of 25-26 Nationwide races over the next two years before deciding whether to go Cup racing is different than that of nearly all the other drivers who tried to make the transition.
Sam Hornish Jr., Scott Speed, AJ Allmendinger, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti had a combined 40 NASCAR starts before they began their first full seasons at the Cup level. The most was Speed, who ran 16 races in the Truck Series.
In the Nationwide Series, if a driver finishes on the lead lap, a top-20 finish is likely. It is also a series in which many drivers are considered “developmental” and mistakes are more easily forgiven.
“You can tell she wants to do it the right way,” says driver/owner Tony Stewart, one of the few drivers to thrive in stock cars after having a base in IndyCar. “She understands how hard everybody’s worked to get to this level here and she doesn’t want to be one of those people that just comes in and gets stuff handed to her. … You’ve got to learn before you get here.”
- She has driving talent
Patrick has one victory in 81 IndyCar starts and is the only woman to win an IRL race. While she has only one victory, she does have 16 other top-five finishes. She also was third in the 2009 Indianapolis 500, the highest finish for any woman in the race’s history. She also was the first woman to lead a lap in the race when she led in 2005.
In her NASCAR tests, she’s shown enough speed to impress Eury Sr.
“I wasn’t ready for what I’d seen,” Eury Sr. says.
Before coming to the IRL, Patrick spent two years in the Toyota Atlantic Series, finishing third in the 2004 standings. She moved to Europe in 1998 after a successful karting career and competed in the Formula Ford championships.
While NASCAR fans might have only become interested in Patrick recently, the open-wheel world has been following her for about 10 years, since she started attracting attention in Europe.
“She’s going to have struggles,” Earnhardt Jr. says. “She’ll have adversities. Everyone makes mistakes. She’ll be learning the whole time, and, hopefully, she picks it up pretty fast. She didn’t get to where she was today without being able to progress and understand and learn with each step, and I think she’ll be able to do that in our cars.”
5 reasons why she won’t succeed:
- She doesn’t have the track record
The fact that three-time IRL champ Hornish hasn’t thrived in NASCAR and is entering a make-or-break season shows that winning in a 1,565-pound, high-downforce Indy car doesn’t translate into immediate success in a 3,450-pound, low-downforce stock car.
Franchitti, the 2007 IRL champ, struggled in Sprint Cup in 2008 before returning to the IRL and winning that series’ title last year. Former CART and Formula One driver Montoya needed three seasons before really hitting his stride in Cup.
And Patrick is no Montoya or Hornish. This isn’t like Jeff Gordon suddenly deciding to switch to Indy cars.
“I think she can come here, but I look at Franchitti, I look at Tony when he first came over from open‑wheel to run the Busch car at the time, I look at Juan, and they are incredibly talented individuals,” says former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty. “Juan Montoya is probably, car-control‑wise, one of the most amazing human beings you’ve ever seen in a car, and he struggled for three years at this level before he got really where he could race.
“And she’s not Juan Montoya, sorry. And she’s not Dario Franchitti. She’s not Tony Stewart. She’s not really shown over there and won races and done the stuff over there, numbers‑wise.”
- Her part-time NASCAR schedule
Jack Roush wouldn’t even consider negotiating with Patrick if she insisted on a part-time NASCAR schedule. Montoya advised against it.
If Patrick drives the Nationwide race at Daytona, she’ll do three back-to-back NASCAR race weekends. The next time she would race back-to-back would be in October. She is scheduled to drive in the final six Nationwide events of the 2010 season.
It will be difficult for her to get into a rhythm, and from June to September she will be trying to jump from one car to the other.
“I wouldn’t be driving both cars to be honest,” Montoya says. “I just wouldn’t. I wouldn’t do it because they drive so different. You’re going to get comfortable in one thing and then you’re going to make it to the other thing, and every time it’s going to be like night and day.
“When I drive the 24 hours [sports-car event] and I get to Daytona, it feels really weird and I’ve been driving stock cars for three years now.”
- She won’t be able to handle the schedule and finishing 15th
This season will test Patrick’s mental fortitude like no other.
Last year, Patrick competed in 17 IndyCar races over 28 weeks. This year, she’ll do 31 or 32 races over 42 weeks. She says she’s prepared to handle the schedule. We’ll see.
When top college athletes go to the pros, one of the most difficult transitions is the number of games they play. They often hit a wall before their first season is over.
Patrick has never had this rigorous of a racing schedule.
“I have no doubt I’ll get used to it, and I have more and more over the years gotten used to a more busy schedule,” Patrick says. “I think there will be slightly more consistency and predictability with this schedule because races won’t just pop up. I’m actually looking forward to that.”
She’ll also have to face the prospect of racing as hard as she can some weeks just to finish 20th. That was one of the most difficult things for Montoya to deal with.
“I hope to go out there and win every single race and we’ll see what happens from there,” Patrick says.
- The car
Back in the days of A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, it was nothing for an open-wheel driver to jump into a stock car and be competitive. But times have changed.
“Those were different times,” says Chip Ganassi, who owns teams in both disciplines. “What happened is all these formulas have gotten so specialized that the days of jumping back and forth between cars is getting more difficult than it used to be.”
The cars are so technical that small changes can make a big difference. And there is no telemetry in stock cars to help a driver calculate changes. Patrick is going to have to relay what the car is doing, especially in the Nationwide Series, where teams typically only get two or three pit stops during the course of a race.
That means she will have to diagnose problems quickly and provide the proper feedback in practice – while trying to learn the track and the preferred line.
“It took us a full day pretty much for her to be comfortable [at the ARCA test],” Eury Jr. says. “When we get to a Nationwide race, we’ve got three hours.”
The problem for Patrick, as she admitted during her test in December, is that she doesn’t know yet how much the car should move in the corners – how loose is too loose?
After a couple of wall-bangers, she should find out.
- Close-quarters racing
One of things Patrick had trouble with in her ARCA test at Daytona was trying to gauge how close she was to the car in front of her – and how much contact she could have with that car.
She must get used to the physical nature of stock-car racing as well as knowing when to let a car pass and when to challenge.
One of the most difficult transitions for Hornish has been learning to race with his competitors, who for a long time had trouble figuring out what to expect from him on the track. Would he remain in the line he had been running, or change lanes without realizing how close another car was to him? Would he race them hard early in the race, or let them go?
“Going fast and racing are two totally different things,” Petty says. “That’s like being a fastball pitcher and pitching. … There are guys that run Cup right now that are just fast, but they can’t drive.”
Patrick also could be targeted, like most rookies, and could be tested by other drivers to see how much beating and banging she will take.
No matter the outcome, JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt believes the Patrick experiment will be worth it.
“I’m just excited if it can be,” Kelley Earnhardt says. “If it’s not, fine. … I won’t be disappointed because I feel like we had the opportunity to do this, and this is the first opportunity that a female has gotten that is the best opportunity you can get in the equipment, resources and the team.
“That’s satisfaction enough to give that opportunity. I don’t care if she’s 25th every week; she’s still making an impact as a female with 42 other guys out there. That’s still success. That’s still something to write home about.”
Comments
43 responses to "Girl Power | Danica Patrick: Why she'll succeed in NASCAR, and why she won't". Post a Comment.
DavyJones said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 11:13 AMLike so many other drivers in NASCAR, Danica has everything (big-buck sponsor, great team, experienced crew chief, etc., etc.), plus one other thing the others don't have: MAXIMUM HYPE!
This deal isn't about a driver who's worked up through the ranks and paid the serious dues it takes to get into NASCAR'S second-tier, the Nationwide series.
No.
This is about hype.
This Danica Patrick thing is just one great big 'glitzy' Madison Avenue-style publicity campaign designed to attract attention to a personality, to create interest and ratings to snatch your money, lots and lots of your money.
If you're okay with the hype, if you're okay with pretending this something about serious competition - you know, real tough fender-to-fender NASCAR-style racin' - knock yourself out and buy the hype . . . plus, be sure to buy the sponsors' products and don't forget the souvenirs!
You can't forget the souvenirs, now can you?
Thanks for listening,
Davy Jones
STP43FAN said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 11:19 AMShe has driving talent? Where? She was given some of the best cars in IRL and she did nothing with them. She got top-five finishes - that was the car and the league's declining competitive depth, it wasn't because of Danifraud's talent. "She'll bring attention to the sport." Where did this translate in IRL to greater attendances, ratings, and sponsor interest? In the five seasons she's been in IRL the league's attendances and ratings dropped and the league itself is in economic turmoil. Danifraud does not have talent - she's here and she's getting opportunities solely because of her gender.
MzVikkee said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 12:07 PMI think its so wrong to judge before she evens drives her first race and even then, it won't be fair to judge her. At the end of the season, take a look & then you can decide if she's been good for the sport. Personally, if she was a man she wouldn't have all this added pressure to succeed that fans & the media are putting on her. I say have fun, race hard & be safe. If it's meant for her to succeed, she will. It's as simple as that.
Phoenix987 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 12:11 PMSTP43FAN: Again, people have to correct this insane idea that Danica has had anywhere NEAR top equipment in IRL. In case people missed it, Ganassi and Penske are the ONLY "top" teams in the IRL, and everyone is second-fiddle to them. Andretti Autosport might have had TK and Dario win the IRL championship within the last few years, but the Ganassi and Penske teams are the ONLY ones that are consistently winning and running for championships. Last year Danica finished FIFTH in points in the IRL, behind yep, you guessed it: the 4 Ganassi and Penske teams. The fact she even finished Top 5 last year- better than the rest of the second-tier teams- is amazing.
vermontcritter-1 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 12:27 PMI'm not sure if STP43 really cares about any driver out there. He or she really doesn't seem to care about anyone that they usually comment on. Like the Phoenix comment stated above, Danica has done a pretty good freaking job with Andretti, and finished 5th in the points last year. I wonder STP if you have the stones she has to step into a car that would blow the doors off a Cup car, and yet manage to keep it under control at speeds I can't even imagine driving. Myself, I hope that she comes out of the gate and either wins, or at least manges to mix it up with the boys and come home with a good finish. Either way I hope she does her best to shut you all up!!
14Patti14 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 12:33 PMI hope she wins too so that those of us who support her can mock the haters. Otherwise anyone who can drive those cars, irl or stock car, has some talent. Whether or not it is enough is to be seen.
You don't have to win tons of races to have talent, or we'd have to say a certain someone with two 8's in his number doesn't have talent.....
People just don't realize that the assertations they make about one driver really do apply to every driver in that case.
jemory said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 1:03 PMDon't worry wheather Danice has any talent or not...
Look at some of the drivers in Cup now that haven't and won't win. Some luck up and win on fuel milage but guys like David Regan, Casey Mears, Paul Menards of the world don't have any talent either.
But they got jobs....big paying jobs but they haven't done jack.
So Danica may fall into that catagory as well but she aint the only one. I guess she'll get her chance because these guys have had their chance....way to long now.
b48orr said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 2:44 PMWe'll see said the zen master!
pjames66 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 3:33 PMi heard her on the scanner she is the real deal a race car driver even though a rookie she is learning the car. I predict a top 10 finish in her ARCA debut. If she finishes in the top 10 she should race in the nationwide series in daytona to get that important track time. good luck to you race driver Danica Patrick
jollymen said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 3:50 PMI´m from Germany and following DP since 2005 ... I watched all IRL races and be very happy Danica is in Nascar this year ... IMO Danica has a huge fan base (in europe too) and dosn´t matter she win or not, in any case her fans are on the stands and Nascar and maybe will earn more $$$ with her name.
michaelgibson said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 3:54 PMI have been a Danica Patrick Fan Since May 29, 2005...
HEAR COMES DANICA sends shivers. I remember going to
Movie Theaters in the 60's and 70's to watch the Indy
500 and have been a Racing Fan since: Her Autobiography,
Crossing The Line, offers Great Insight into Danicas
Spirit and Determination to Succeed.
For Those Who Do Not Appreciate her - It Is Sad...
I Cheer For Her; I Want her To Win; I Pray SHE BE SAFE
wmvjr1960 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 3:59 PMSupposedly there are 8 women entered, which is just fine with me. Danica Patrick, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Milka Duno, Leilani Munter, Jill George, and Alli Owens + 2 more. May the cream rise to the top. Good luck to all.
raganbaby_6 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 4:25 PMJemory- David RAGAN is ten times the driver DP will be! Get his name right too.
We shall see if my prediction of FAIL for DP comes true in time.
jemory said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 5:00 PMOK....#12 Don't get ahead of yourself.
Are you sure he is that much better? I like David but he hasn't done anything. He's been in that 6 car how long?
By the way DP will wreck in the ARCA race.
NickDizzle7 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 5:10 PMStill no Daytona 500 Entry list....what, is it waiting for Danica to make a decision too?
4EVER3 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 5:16 PMI think she will do alright.She has to start somewhere.At least give her a shot before talking her down.
ske1eter said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 5:44 PMShe'll be safe at the back of the pack. It's hilarious listening to her wailing voice over the radio. In that regard I can't wait. And besides, Jr. has some deep pockets to buy more sheet metal.
The objective observers can see that she has limited talent at best in her "home" series of IRL plus her past history in open-wheeled driving. But rather than wait for her to be a star in the IRL, due to great drives vs. just looking hot, she's taking on a new discipline of stock cars in which she has no experience. Sure smacks of "all style and no substance".
sweetthings88 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 6:37 PMNot to change the subject or cause a feud, But why is it you never hear or see her husband? I don't believe I've ever seen her husband at any of the tracks, or seen them together. Just curious.
ROWDY said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 7:17 PMWow, I wouldnt mind bumping her if I knew I would get something in return. Why dont she drive in panties and a bra, thats what got her here to start with!
wmvjr1960 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 7:18 PMThey show the husband once in a while, I saw a pic of him again yesterday in fact. He is a very normal guy. About a foot taller than her. He must be a saint to put up with that ego and snotty attitude of hers. Go Alli Owens !!!
daviclar38 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 8:00 PMI wonder if the seat time she spends in Nascar will help her have more confidence in IRL. The huge difference between the two I think would give her more in open wheel. Because once she realizes how hard it takes to get these cars to "stick" compared to what she's used to I would believe that she may just learn to really push the envelope in IRL and win more races in that series.
Phere said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 8:03 PMAll she has to do is ride around the track, let everybody else crash out, stay out of trouble, drive as hard as she deems comfortable, and she'll be guaranteed a 15th position. Do I think she'll be a top contender? No I do not. I do think she's got drive and determination. With as many people looking at her, she has to do good just to save face. Yeah, she'll try her best to be a competitor but it won't last long. Too many other big egos in NASCAR.
VanVlerah said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 8:49 PMGive her a break she may be good. It will be nice to see a woman racer out there. U GO GIRl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jbbigrod said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 10:28 PMI think Danica will do just fine. A lot better than most who post on here, if THEY were to actually TRY racing.
David Ragan did VERY well in 2008 in Cup. None of the Roush boys did all that well in 2009. But THIS is 2010, watch out boys. Let the men through.
buckshot88 said:
Feb 4, 2010 at 10:47 PMpost #1 and #18, sounds like your issues with her are more about her being a woman,rather than her racing?
xbrownsx said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 4:39 AMI think the key to the whole Danica issue here is she must run at least three seasons as she is doing now, to gain experience. Experience in racing on a track 2-3-4 times will be huge for her and her crew chief.
Then I feel season 4, Danica must run a full NASCAR season fully committed to NASCAR Racing. ARCA, Camping World Trucks, Nationwide or 'CUP. Whatever series she picks as her showcase venue, she needs to run every race as a fulltime regular.
Only then, can Danica, her team, NASCAR and race fans see (whether you are a Danica fan or not), if she has the talent to be as successfull in NASCAR.
Otherwise, we'll always wonder if she can ever, or has ever reached her full potential in driving American stockcars.
Good Luck Danica. -WELCOME- !
Pepper said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 8:15 AMPaul is usually at the track on race day with Danny. He is not one to seek attention.
I would like to see Danny succeed but I just don't think she will. As one comment mentioned...close quarter racing...I have never seen her race that way. She is more of a finesse driver. Of course that's open wheel. Maybe she will get out there and rub fenders and doors. We'll just have to wait and see. What see DOES do well is stay out of trouble and bring the car home in its best finishing position.
raceranalyst said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 10:15 AMDanica Patrick profile including career stats, performance of teammates, performance by venue type on
http://www.autoracinganalysis.com
STP43FAN said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 2:02 PMPHOENIX987 - stop making excuses. Patrick had topflight equipment when she joined Rahal Racing and she had topflight equipment when she joined Andretti-Green. Ganassi and Penske are the top teams in IRL right now; they weren't in 2005-6 or 2007-8 because the league's competitive depth was greater than it is now. What she's done in IRL does by no stretch anything to validate her as a racer.
VERMONT CRITTER 1 - I've closely followed racing long enough to remember when the driver mattered more than the car and how it changed in the 1980s to where by 1989 the car had overtaken the driver, and the technology arms race has only widened that gap. I care about who's a real racer and who's a fraud.
vermontcritter-1 said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 5:04 PMSTP43, you are right when you talk about the difference between driving the car, and the car driving you. Richard Petty, the man you obviously idolize, is a huge example of how well a man can drive when he has superior equipment. During the days when he was driving for his father, they were building superior cars that one a lot of races. The reason they were winning so much, is that the rules weren't as tight as they are now. Once NASCAR caught on and began rules governing engine displacement, body templates, and other important perameters pertinent to building stock cars, the King's wins began to slip away from him. I'm not taking anything away from the King or any of the racers that are part of the old guard, I just wonder how well they would have done racing modern cars. Back in the day the cars had minimal aerodynamics, crappy tires, and were difficult to drive, making it difficult for all but a few to steer them into victory lane. It wasn't uncommon for the winners of races in the old days to lap the entire field 10 or more times. No wonder PE, the Wood Brothers, and other teams were able to totally dominate the series for years on end. In modern times though, the cars are so close as far as horsepower, aerodynamics, suspension systems, etc., and run so close as far as lap times, I have a feeling that the King and others of his era would have really had to work their asses off in order to win races. You can slam Danica and call her a big fraud, that's your right, but who's to say that she doesn't have the finesse,and the stones, to run with the big dogs. Like I said before STP, unless you have the stones and knowledge to actually sit your arse in a stock car and drive it around at speed, then stop saying crap about another driver who hasn't had a chance to prove themself yet!!!!!
buckshot88 said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 8:38 PM#1&18,sorry, some how the post numbers got screwed up,i ment #2&19!
John_Wayne said:
Feb 5, 2010 at 10:07 PMI might be old but I would take her home.
Pepper said:
Feb 6, 2010 at 11:08 AMSTP, AGR, Ganassi and Penske have ALWAYS been up front. You can look it up if you like. In 2009 Danny finished 5th in the IRL points behind the 2 Ganassi drivers, Dario and Scott, and the Penske drivers Helio and Ryan. She finished ahead of ALL of AGR drivers. When She was with Rahal granted she didn't finish well but did finish ahead of her teammate Buddy Rice both years. Like I said above she is not a "Hare" but rather a "Tortise".
Wyatt_Earp said:
Feb 6, 2010 at 2:10 PMCome on Danica, I wait in on ya with my six shooter<>
dale said:
Feb 6, 2010 at 7:08 PMCongratulations on the ARCA race today. Also props to Alli Owens, Alli ran in 3rd for quite a bit of the race. The commentators once again need to cover ALL of the drivers. They pretty much ignored Alli for much of the race. DW even commented that they hadn't said much about her when she was running 3rd and Danica was 5/6th.
Phoenix987 said:
Feb 7, 2010 at 2:35 AMSTP43FAN- are you really trying to say that Rahal was a competitive team when Danica joined them? REALLY? They were- and still are- a middle-of-the-pack team. And Penske was still the team to beat in 2006, considering Hornish won the Championship. AGR won the championship in 2005 (their best season) and 2007, but they aren't a top-tier team right now.
Ganassi and Penske are the only teams that compete for a win every week, and are able to compete for the championship. Andretti's team last year had 0 wins, and the entire team had no shot at a championship.
Right, Danica is in the best equipment that the IRL has to offer.... If she was in a Target-Chip Ganassi or Penske car.
OSUSam said:
Feb 7, 2010 at 11:48 AMThank you PHOENIX987. You know, I can't figure STP43FAN out. He either hates women, hates famous people, is 30 years old and lives at home with mommy and daddy or was dropped on his head as a child.
STP43FAN said:
Feb 8, 2010 at 11:57 AMPHOENIX987 - In 2005 Rahal had come off a season where they won the 500 and elsewhere; they were a topflight team. Danica Patrick joined the team, effectively usurping Buddy Rice. They were winners when Patrick joined them and they declined in the years she raced for them. She joined Andretti-Green, a winning team, for 2007. They declined in the years she's raced for them. She had superb equipment and she did little with a lot. Danica's failures in IRL have to do with Danica - she gets good equipment and sponsorships because of her gender and sex appeal and routinely puts up mediocre numbers.
PEPPER - Rahal was a regular front-runner when she joined them; the same was true of AGR. She got superb racecars. Danica failed because of Danica.
STP43FAN said:
Feb 8, 2010 at 11:57 AMQuestion -
Why should the sport WANT "Girl Power"?
TOOT14ME said:
Feb 8, 2010 at 6:38 PMThe next thing 4 the women 2 try & accomplish is trying 2 b a Mason. What's Next 4 the gals 2 do. 1 thing is 2 stay out of NASCAR RACING. NUFF SAID.
vermontcritter-1 said:
Feb 9, 2010 at 12:15 PMSTP, if AGR has such great top flight equipment, than how come the other drivers on the team were behind Danica in the points? I also noticed that Franchitti the series champ had to jump ship in order to win the series title. It's obvious from your last post that you feel threatend by women who might actually have the talent to race stock cars. She showed a number of us Saturday night that she not only has the talent, but the balls as well to keep up with the boyz.
14Patti14 said:
Feb 10, 2010 at 4:36 PMUhh STP wasn't 2005 her rookie year? I recall hearing that she won rookie of the year that year. Uhh Patti looked it up and if you weren't talking out of your you know what you'd know that. You honest to God expect a rookie to do anything other than finish races? Wow. Anyhoot, we'll see on Saturday won't we?
STP43FAN said:
Feb 15, 2010 at 6:33 PMVERMONT CRITTER 1 - Patrick got the focus of Rahal Racing from the first day; it cost Buddy Rice his competitive career there even though he was better. AGR also shifted its focus to her when she joined them. She didn't finish ahead of them because of talent - there is no talent for her to have. Ansd who's threatened here - the one calling her out for being a phony, or defenders such as yourself who cannot validate the mediocre numbers with superior equipment she puts up?
14PATTI14 - "2005 was her rookie year." So what? She got more in her racecars than rival rookie Tomas Inge yet in talent Inge outclassed her. Few have done less with more than Danica Patrick and it showed again in the Daytona 300 - she had to be told how to draft, had no clue how to improve the car, could not fight for anything, and wrecked.