Fair enough if Dale Jr isn't considered the best driver out there, but he has a shitload more credibility that what Patrick has. He's light years ahead. If Patrick looked like she was building up a record, similar to what Dale Jr has, it's then she'd shut a lot of people up.
Tony Stewart, you mouthy fat bastard, NEVER take the King's name in vain!
- Thread starter Rey C.
- Start date
It comes down to the fact that she is in some of the best equipment that he sport has to offer and everybody else on her team does much better in it.
Shes had a year to 'figure it out' and now its put up or shut up time.
Honestly I hope shes got what it takes because its good for the sport in general and shes just a hot little lady.
Shes had a year to 'figure it out' and now its put up or shut up time.
Honestly I hope shes got what it takes because its good for the sport in general and shes just a hot little lady.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
Yeah, why would Richard take a shot at Jr.? :dunno: While Dale, Jr. isn't the very best driver in Sprint Cup, he does have a very good racing resume, which Danica does not - it's not even close. He's a two time Busch/Nationwide Series champion and he's won 23 races in Busch/Nationwide (had to look that up - I just remembered that it was a lot). And even before the other night, he was already a Daytona 500 champ. He was 29 when he won Daytona the first time. Danica is knocking on 32 and the only win she has was under (to be polite) odd circumstances. So there's no reason or basis for Petty to talk about Jr. in the same light as someone who has just never gotten it done.
All Richard did was say out loud what deep fans of auto racing have been thinking for years. These days you're supposed to be politically correct. But he's from a different era. Maybe he could have said it differently or better - but true is true. Too bad Tony Stewart got his panties in a bunch over it. But if he didn't have Princess Sparkle Pony delivering suitcases of cash to him, I bet he'd have said the exact same thing.
Personally, I'm pulling for Simona de Silvestro to make it in F1 next year or in 2016. But you won't be seeing her doing cheescake pics for magazines. She's a true racer. Not a model who races.
Mayhem
Banned
Danica doing some modelling is just rubbing you all the wrong ways. :1orglaugh
Me? I'd be disappointed if she hadn't. It's the same sort of thing that we had with Anna Kournikova. What do we care if she's not winning? She's smokin' hot!
And plenty of male drivers through the years had their "shot" and little or nothing came of it. Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Jeremy Mayfield and quite a few more. Where's the hate for Kenny Schrader?
Me? I'd be disappointed if she hadn't. It's the same sort of thing that we had with Anna Kournikova. What do we care if she's not winning? She's smokin' hot! And plenty of male drivers through the years had their "shot" and little or nothing came of it. Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Jeremy Mayfield and quite a few more. Where's the hate for Kenny Schrader?
Ace Bandage
The one and only.
She has 7 top tens in 4 years in IndyCar. She's never been higher than 13th in points. Simona has no business trying to make it in F1.
Yeah, she's such a true racer, much more so than Danica... who had 63 top tens in 7 years and finished in the top ten in points 5 times. Or we could compare Indy 500 results: Danica had 6 top 10 finishes in 7 years. Simona's best finish is 14th in her rookie year. In the 2013 Indy 500, Simona's teammate won the race, and she finished 17th. So it's not like she didn't have the equipment to compete.
I like Simona, but as much as I hate to say it, she doesn't have Danica's results yet. They aren't in the same league.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
I only know who Ward Burton, Ricky Craven, Jeremy Mayfield and Kenny Schrader are because I follow auto racing. Outside of their home towns, no one would be able to pick any of them out of a lineup (even if the store they robbed had surveillance footage). They've all won a number of races and even lower level championships, but they're not famous - not by a long shot. Nobody outside of NASCAR talked about them one way or the other. Nobody cared. And both Richard and Kyle Petty simply made the (truthful) point that Danica is a marketing machine, more so than a racing driver.
One of the F1 executives (McLaren or Mercedes , I believe) summed it up nicely: since Danica came on the scene, it is now pretty much a requirement that a female who wants to race has to be attractive. And her looks will affect her ability to get a ride as much (or more than) her talent. If people are fine with that, then I'm fine with it too. But it means, despite Susie Stoddart-Wolff's fantasy that she's going to get to race in F1, she's only going to get to run some free practice sessions because she's a female, she's pretty, she's showed her goods in a bikini photo set, her hubby is a Williams and Mercedes bigwig and Frank's daughter, Claire Williams, can make the decision to put a female in a car (but only to test). And it means that a girl who actually does have some natural talent, but who isn't pretty (Simona de Silvestro), will remain as nothing more than an "affiliate driver" at Sauber. Simona couldn't take on Lewis Hamilton or Vettel. But in equally prepared formula cars on a road course, she would absolutely destroy Princess Sparkle Pony, IMO. She's not there to be eye-candy. Simona is there to race.
I'm fine with Danica being the cat's meow in the IRL or NASCAR. But F1 is the pinnacle (despite the ride buyers that pollute the paddock), so as long as F1 never joins this affirmative action plan to promote half-cute, semi-talented girls into race seats, just because they look OK in bikinis (with sufficient airbrushing), my world will continue to be right. But more than a few women (and quite a few men, I'd say) may take issue with the message: don't worry about winning or being able to drive, just sit there and look pretty... Honey. The men on the team will take care of winning and driving. Use your expense account to go buy some new shoes while your teammate sets up your car for you.
One of the F1 executives (McLaren or Mercedes , I believe) summed it up nicely: since Danica came on the scene, it is now pretty much a requirement that a female who wants to race has to be attractive. And her looks will affect her ability to get a ride as much (or more than) her talent. If people are fine with that, then I'm fine with it too. But it means, despite Susie Stoddart-Wolff's fantasy that she's going to get to race in F1, she's only going to get to run some free practice sessions because she's a female, she's pretty, she's showed her goods in a bikini photo set, her hubby is a Williams and Mercedes bigwig and Frank's daughter, Claire Williams, can make the decision to put a female in a car (but only to test). And it means that a girl who actually does have some natural talent, but who isn't pretty (Simona de Silvestro), will remain as nothing more than an "affiliate driver" at Sauber. Simona couldn't take on Lewis Hamilton or Vettel. But in equally prepared formula cars on a road course, she would absolutely destroy Princess Sparkle Pony, IMO. She's not there to be eye-candy. Simona is there to race.
I'm fine with Danica being the cat's meow in the IRL or NASCAR. But F1 is the pinnacle (despite the ride buyers that pollute the paddock), so as long as F1 never joins this affirmative action plan to promote half-cute, semi-talented girls into race seats, just because they look OK in bikinis (with sufficient airbrushing), my world will continue to be right. But more than a few women (and quite a few men, I'd say) may take issue with the message: don't worry about winning or being able to drive, just sit there and look pretty... Honey. The men on the team will take care of winning and driving. Use your expense account to go buy some new shoes while your teammate sets up your car for you.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
Not making excuses for her, but what's the best team that Simona ever drove for? What's the worst team that Danica ever drove for? Danica's worst team/equipment would have been a welcome sight to Simona. When Simona was with HVM (with that cracked, dog chassis and a Lotus engine) she was seconds off the pace. When Danica was with Andretti in her last year, she was seconds off the pace too (on road courses - which is all that matters when talking about either being in F1)... while her teammates were running up front. Even in a spec series like the IRL, even the best driver can't overcome bad equipment. And if your teammates are running up front while you're peddling around at the rear of the field, that's an indicator of talent (or motivation) too. The big change (IMO) for Danica was losing her set-up slave, Tony Kanaan. Kind of odd that she got a rock tied to her once he left the scene. Atlantics (where Simona won races and challenged for the championship - Danica never did) is the sort of series where drivers should learn car set-up, engineering feed-back and communication. Danica was never able to set up her car on her own, while Simona often had to set hers up alone. That's a big reason why I rate her so far above Danica. When he was with Minardi, Alonso wasn't a threat to win. But who would you pick for your new F1 team, Alonso (still with Minardi) or Heinz-Harald Frentzen (who had scored three wins)???
Personally, I thought that Simona should have gone to GP2 last year or the year before. The IRL cars are very similar to GP2 cars (hp/weight), but learning the GP tracks and the "F1 way" would have helped her so much. She may have waited too long - we'll see. As even Michael Andretti (Bourdais, da Matta, et al) found out, F1 is a different world, so you may be right. But of the women on the scene right now, Simona is the only one that I would rate as having enough basic knowledge and racecraft to even think about F1. Katherine Legge, Danica, Susie Wolff and all the others (who are known quantities) are below grade, IMO.
Dale Jr. doesn't have too much more credibility than Danica. Every aspect that is said about Danica being a PR machine can be applied to Dale but even much worse for him, especially after going up to Cup Racing. With the exception of last year he has very woefully underperformed his perception, and for about half of that in the very best equipment and team the sport has. I don't think he was ever in bad equipment ever. He's by far the most popular racer and would probably also be the most well known if it wasn't for the dominance of Jimmy Johnson the better part of the last decade.
Now if somebody wants to say that Danica isn't a great racecar driver I don't have a problem with that because it's most likely true. I might even consider people that say she doesn't give as great an effort as she could, but I think it's kind of ridiculous she would get criticized for things like appearing in commercials and magazines. For one they take up so few of a drivers time that the thought they would cut into the what it takes to race and be good at it is silly, and two, and even more importantly, almost every other driver in her position would do the same thing if their situations were reversed. It would be much more fair to blame the media or the fandom of casual viewers for that and not Danica who's just taking the big paychecks from people more than willing to give them to her. Nearly every driver on the circuit isn't going to turn down things like commercial offers or things that enhance their publicity. Middle of the pack drivers that receive that are especially going to jump at those.
As far as women needing to be attractive, while I don't pay attention to how men look most of the time and can never have the viewpoint of women that watch the sport, now that I think about it it isn't like there are legions of ugly men in auto racing either, especially in modern day autoracing. Looking at it as objective as I can be, as somebody that doesn't find men attractive, they probably rate out to above average themselves if not better. True, a lot of that is probably due to wealth and resources, coming from families that have the same as auto racing is incredibly expensive to get into, and having free time to stay in shape, but I kind of wonder if that doesn't affect men in racing more than people realize. They are commercial commodities to the sport and their sponsors after all.
Now if somebody wants to say that Danica isn't a great racecar driver I don't have a problem with that because it's most likely true. I might even consider people that say she doesn't give as great an effort as she could, but I think it's kind of ridiculous she would get criticized for things like appearing in commercials and magazines. For one they take up so few of a drivers time that the thought they would cut into the what it takes to race and be good at it is silly, and two, and even more importantly, almost every other driver in her position would do the same thing if their situations were reversed. It would be much more fair to blame the media or the fandom of casual viewers for that and not Danica who's just taking the big paychecks from people more than willing to give them to her. Nearly every driver on the circuit isn't going to turn down things like commercial offers or things that enhance their publicity. Middle of the pack drivers that receive that are especially going to jump at those.
As far as women needing to be attractive, while I don't pay attention to how men look most of the time and can never have the viewpoint of women that watch the sport, now that I think about it it isn't like there are legions of ugly men in auto racing either, especially in modern day autoracing. Looking at it as objective as I can be, as somebody that doesn't find men attractive, they probably rate out to above average themselves if not better. True, a lot of that is probably due to wealth and resources, coming from families that have the same as auto racing is incredibly expensive to get into, and having free time to stay in shape, but I kind of wonder if that doesn't affect men in racing more than people realize. They are commercial commodities to the sport and their sponsors after all.
Are you kidding??? He has way more credibility. 20 wins is a fair amount. Fair enough if you're comparing him to Johnson or Gordon. But Patrick? Light years ahead. He'd be considered a second tier talent, but there's nothing wrong with that.
There are some that have advantages to get ahead in the industry, and that is the nature of it. As a motorsport fan, the fundamentally the worst part about Patrick is that she doesn't even sound like she'll try to improve. She doesn't appear to be embarrassed with her pitiful performance and results. She represents a lot of negatives about motorsport. Her presence is a shit stain on the motorsport industry worldwide.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
I wrote an article for a website years ago that dealt with DanicaMania. I was (admittedly) much more reasonable in that article than I've been here. But I did point out certain facts (not opinions - numbers are numbers), which led me to the conclusion that she was indeed in auto racing primarily for marketing purposes, more so than because of her record or accomplishments on the track. One of the readers was a Danica fan. He took great offense to the article. He had more excuses for Danica's lack of accomplishments than Carter has liver pills. He even told me that Danica could/should be in F1 (this was before she got picked up by Dale, Jr. and Tony Stewart to come to NASCAR). He said that Ferrari or McLaren would be lucky to get her. As "proof", he told me that Danica had done very competitive times in her F1 test for Honda. One of the main problems with his logic was that Danica never had an F1 test with Honda F1 or any other F1 team. To the best of my knowledge, she's never even sat in an F1 car. Additionally, I don't believe she has an FIA Super License... so she couldn't race in F1 even if some team wanted her (which none do and none ever have).
Like most things concerning Danica, there are facts... and there are wishful fantasies. She is all sizzle and no steak. All hat and no cattle. She's the racing version of P@ris Hilton goes to Harvard. She's not the worst driver in NASCAR or even the IRL. But what I and so many others point out is, at her (now rather advanced) age, there is no way to tip-toe around her lone pro victory in a 16 year career - especially considering that she's has pretty much always had top shelf equipment and teams to work with. So how has the guy done, who took over Danica's Go Daddy IRL car, James Hinchcliffe? Well, ol' Hinch has already notched three victories. I believe those three wins, combined with five victories in lower level series, give him eight pro victories at this point. 8 vs 1? Really? He's 27. Danica's about 32. He's good, but not great. He will probably win more IRL races. But he'll never be in F1 and no one will ever think about him being in F1. Most of you (other than Ace and maybe some others who watch Indy Car) have probably never heard of James Hinchcliffe - even though he has more talent in his left ass cheek than Danica has in her whole body. And having won two championships and a good number of races, there's just no way to compare Danica to Dale, Jr. or most anybody else on the Sprint Cup grid. It would be really hard to find a driver out there who has been racing for more than a couple of years who has a record as pitiful as hers.
Again, Richard Petty's point was simply that Danica is in NASCAR as a gender/appearance based marketing exercise. Even her defenders here aren't able to dispute that. I mean, let's all just agree with the glaring truth: she's not in NASCAR because of her driving talent. She has the ability to take a Top 10 car and maybe finish in the Top 10 (in the IRL... on a good day). She doesn't tend to wreck a lot. She's not (and has never been) aggressive on the track. She's a safe driver. She doesn't take a lot of chances, so she does tend to finish ahead of those who are wheel banging for a victory. I was watching her race in Atlantics and Barber-Dodge before 99% of the people here even knew than Danica was a girl and not a boy. The driver who took her place in the IRL has a LOT more talent than her. He wins. But he'll probably never make it to NASCAR - unless he has a sex change and becomes Jennifer Hinchcliffe.
Here's Danica's Ya-Ya Sisterhood mate from the UK. Her name is Susie Stoddart-Wolff. Susie is now a test driver for the legendary Williams GP team. Her husband, Toto, owns part of Williams. And he is a big cheese at Mercedes AMG F1 (Williams now uses Mercedes engines). Susie and her new boss, Claire Williams, claim that Susie (who like Danica has pitiful looking racing resume) is a "deserving" F1 prospect... at the ripe old age of 31. Susie's even worse than Danica: she's never won a professional level race of any kind (to the best of my knowledge). She's just a backmarker/moving chicane from the DTM series.
Here's Susie... she says she got the Williams test drive on merit. Really. Her nose grew 4 inches when she said that, but she's just that good. Ask her husband (when she's around) and he'll tell you the same thing.
Look at her record and then look at her. Anybody here believe that she got an F1 test drive based on merit? She's just another Danicant. And I find it sad where Williams now finds itself.
Like most things concerning Danica, there are facts... and there are wishful fantasies. She is all sizzle and no steak. All hat and no cattle. She's the racing version of P@ris Hilton goes to Harvard. She's not the worst driver in NASCAR or even the IRL. But what I and so many others point out is, at her (now rather advanced) age, there is no way to tip-toe around her lone pro victory in a 16 year career - especially considering that she's has pretty much always had top shelf equipment and teams to work with. So how has the guy done, who took over Danica's Go Daddy IRL car, James Hinchcliffe? Well, ol' Hinch has already notched three victories. I believe those three wins, combined with five victories in lower level series, give him eight pro victories at this point. 8 vs 1? Really? He's 27. Danica's about 32. He's good, but not great. He will probably win more IRL races. But he'll never be in F1 and no one will ever think about him being in F1. Most of you (other than Ace and maybe some others who watch Indy Car) have probably never heard of James Hinchcliffe - even though he has more talent in his left ass cheek than Danica has in her whole body. And having won two championships and a good number of races, there's just no way to compare Danica to Dale, Jr. or most anybody else on the Sprint Cup grid. It would be really hard to find a driver out there who has been racing for more than a couple of years who has a record as pitiful as hers.
Again, Richard Petty's point was simply that Danica is in NASCAR as a gender/appearance based marketing exercise. Even her defenders here aren't able to dispute that. I mean, let's all just agree with the glaring truth: she's not in NASCAR because of her driving talent. She has the ability to take a Top 10 car and maybe finish in the Top 10 (in the IRL... on a good day). She doesn't tend to wreck a lot. She's not (and has never been) aggressive on the track. She's a safe driver. She doesn't take a lot of chances, so she does tend to finish ahead of those who are wheel banging for a victory. I was watching her race in Atlantics and Barber-Dodge before 99% of the people here even knew than Danica was a girl and not a boy. The driver who took her place in the IRL has a LOT more talent than her. He wins. But he'll probably never make it to NASCAR - unless he has a sex change and becomes Jennifer Hinchcliffe.
Here's Danica's Ya-Ya Sisterhood mate from the UK. Her name is Susie Stoddart-Wolff. Susie is now a test driver for the legendary Williams GP team. Her husband, Toto, owns part of Williams. And he is a big cheese at Mercedes AMG F1 (Williams now uses Mercedes engines
). Susie and her new boss, Claire Williams, claim that Susie (who like Danica has pitiful looking racing resume) is a "deserving" F1 prospect... at the ripe old age of 31. Susie's even worse than Danica: she's never won a professional level race of any kind (to the best of my knowledge). She's just a backmarker/moving chicane from the DTM series.Here's Susie... she says she got the Williams test drive on merit. Really. Her nose grew 4 inches when she said that, but she's just that good. Ask her husband (when she's around) and he'll tell you the same thing.
Look at her record and then look at her. Anybody here believe that she got an F1 test drive based on merit? She's just another Danicant. And I find it sad where Williams now finds itself.
Susie Stoddart? Another outrageously shit driver, who's not hot. Merely not an out and out butch.
Taking into account the King's age, I am pretty sure Danica would be able to beat him in a race of equal cars. When was the last time the King drove at top speed? That said, I do think it is funny that Danica is last in points of drivers who have competed in both races thus far.
Ace Bandage
The one and only.
As much as I like The Mayor, his three victories were also complemented by six finishes of 20th or worse. And when your series is only 26 deep at most races, that's bad. Agreed, he's a much more aggressive driver than Danica ever was. He's either feast or famine it seems.
Rey you touched on it earlier, Danica was a much more consistent IndyCar driver than Hinch is right now. Yes, she only won one race (thanks to fuel mileage), but she also finished, 7th, 6th, and 5th in points during her first three years with Andretti. Hinch has finished 8th both times. She also finished 3rd at Indy, Hinch's best finish is 6th. And Andretti is arguably better now (RHR's points title) than they were when Danica was there. I guess it comes down to what you value more: occasional wins or consistently good finishes?
I hate defending Danica, but the fact is that she was a decent driver in IndyCar. As much as that pains me to admit. She consistently ran in the top ten, and she was a marketing dream. I don't doubt that Hinch is a more talented driver, but he still hasn't put together a better season that what Danica had. And that's a fact.
Apparently though, she's not very good in NASCAR. Or so it seems (I don't watch). I can't say I'm surprised. If Hornish, Dario, JPM, and Villeneuve can't do it, then I doubt she can either. The difference is that she'll keep her ride and sponsor regardless of how she performs. Which I think is awesome... because she gets to stay in NASCAR, and we don't have to see her again in IndyCar. Ever. No give backs.
Rey you touched on it earlier, Danica was a much more consistent IndyCar driver than Hinch is right now. Yes, she only won one race (thanks to fuel mileage), but she also finished, 7th, 6th, and 5th in points during her first three years with Andretti. Hinch has finished 8th both times. She also finished 3rd at Indy, Hinch's best finish is 6th. And Andretti is arguably better now (RHR's points title) than they were when Danica was there. I guess it comes down to what you value more: occasional wins or consistently good finishes?
I hate defending Danica, but the fact is that she was a decent driver in IndyCar. As much as that pains me to admit. She consistently ran in the top ten, and she was a marketing dream. I don't doubt that Hinch is a more talented driver, but he still hasn't put together a better season that what Danica had. And that's a fact.
Apparently though, she's not very good in NASCAR. Or so it seems (I don't watch). I can't say I'm surprised. If Hornish, Dario, JPM, and Villeneuve can't do it, then I doubt she can either. The difference is that she'll keep her ride and sponsor regardless of how she performs. Which I think is awesome... because she gets to stay in NASCAR, and we don't have to see her again in IndyCar. Ever. No give backs.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
As much as I like The Mayor, his three victories were also complemented by six finishes of 20th or worse. And when your series is only 26 deep at most races, that's bad. Agreed, he's a much more aggressive driver than Danica ever was. He's either feast or famine it seems.
Rey you touched on it earlier, Danica was a much more consistent IndyCar driver than Hinch is right now. Yes, she only won one race (thanks to fuel mileage), but she also finished, 7th, 6th, and 5th in points during her first three years with Andretti. Hinch has finished 8th both times. She also finished 3rd at Indy, Hinch's best finish is 6th. And Andretti is arguably better now (RHR's points title) than they were when Danica was there. I guess it comes down to what you value more: occasional wins or consistently good finishes?
I hate defending Danica, but the fact is that she was a decent driver in IndyCar. As much as that pains me to admit. She consistently ran in the top ten, and she was a marketing dream. I don't doubt that Hinch is a more talented driver, but he still hasn't put together a better season that what Danica had. And that's a fact.
Apparently though, she's not very good in NASCAR. Or so it seems (I don't watch). I can't say I'm surprised. If Hornish, Dario, JPM, and Villeneuve can't do it, then I doubt she can either. The difference is that she'll keep her ride and sponsor regardless of how she performs. Which I think is awesome... because she gets to stay in NASCAR, and we don't have to see her again in IndyCar. Ever. No give backs.
That's a very good question. If I owned a team, I think I would value the driver who seemed more capable of delivering a championship to the team over a driver who just plays it safe and can record Top 10's... in a Top 10 car... in a Top 10 team - but who has seldom been a threat to win a race and has never been a threat to win a championship. And since Indy Car isn't like F1, where there is a team championship with two cars contributing points, in order to win a championship, it takes a driver who can notch up wins (in addition to consistent Top 5/Top 10 finishes). Since you mentioned him, let's look at Ryan Hunter-Reay. His 2013 record is very similar to James Hinchcliffe's: feast or famine. Two wins for Hunter-Reay versus three for Hinchcliffe in 2013. Hunter-Reay finished 7th in the standings, while Hinch finished 8th. But Hunter-Reay is the fellow who won the championship in 2012 (with four wins) and a handful of Top 5's. He may never win a championship, but we do know that Hinch can win races. So all it takes for him to win that first championship (just as with Hunter-Reay) is to win the races and dial back on his aggression when the best he can do is a Top 5 or a Top 10. You can work on making a fast driver slower (or more careful), but I've never seen it be the case that you can take a slow/safe driver and make him (or her) faster or more aggressive. Danica was quite good at staying out of trouble - I do give her that much. I feel safe in saying that Hinch may some day win a championship... but The Danica will never win a pro championship of any kind - it's just not in her. And (just as Petty said), without a huge dose of luck, I don't see her winning a Sprint Cup race either. She may eventually score a couple of Top 10's in Sprint Cup though. And if enough people wreck, maybe even a Top 5. With a whole bunch of wrecks on a restrictor plate track (and with a big enough shove from Stewart or Harvick), yeah, she *could* win. Any blind squirrel can find a nut in those races. And if she does, God help us all. Obama will probably make her the honorary First Lady for the rest of his term. They'll probably close schools and the Post Office for Danica P@trick Day. And the powers-that-be at NASCAR will all order gold-plated Bentleys. Gene Haas will have to field questions about whether or not (2 wins on ovals) Danica will be the lead driver for his new F1 team (in fact, he already is
). Me, I'll probably have too give up the last sport that I have any passion for and move to a cabin deep in the woods... one which has no TV service. Was Danica a decent Indy Car driver? Yes. In fact, that's what I've been saying for years: she was "decent"... average or slightly above in the IRL, considering the equipment at her disposal. But apart from her gender, there was just nothing special about her. No one talks about the decent or average race car drivers... apart from The Danica. Would you agree that's a fair enough statement?
Mayhem
Banned
That's a very good question. If I owned a team, I think I would value the driver who seemed more capable of delivering a championship to the team over a driver who just plays it safe and can record Top 10's... in a Top 10 car... in a Top 10 team - but who has seldom been a threat to win a race and has never been a threat to win a championship. And since Indy Car isn't like F1, where there is a team championship with two cars contributing points, in order to win a championship, it takes a driver who can notch up wins (in addition to consistent Top 5/Top 10 finishes). Since you mentioned him, let's look at Ryan Hunter-Reay. His 2013 record is very similar to James Hinchcliffe's: feast or famine. Two wins for Hunter-Reay versus three for Hinchcliffe in 2013. Hunter-Reay finished 7th in the standings, while Hinch finished 8th. But Hunter-Reay is the fellow who won the championship in 2012 (with four wins) and a handful of Top 5's. He may never win a championship, but we do know that Hinch can win races. So all it takes for him to win that first championship (just as with Hunter-Reay) is to win the races and dial back on his aggression when the best he can do is a Top 5 or a Top 10. You can work on making a fast driver slower (or more careful), but I've never seen it be the case that you can take a slow/safe driver and make him (or her) faster or more aggressive. Danica was quite good at staying out of trouble - I do give her that much. I feel safe in saying that Hinch may some day win a championship... but The Danica will never win a pro championship of any kind - it's just not in her. And (just as Petty said), without a huge dose of luck, I don't see her winning a Sprint Cup race either. She may eventually score a couple of Top 10's in Sprint Cup though. And if enough people wreck, maybe even a Top 5. With a whole bunch of wrecks on a restrictor plate track (and with a big enough shove from Stewart or Harvick), yeah, she *could* win. Any blind squirrel can find a nut in those races. And if she does, God help us all. Obama will probably make her the honorary First Lady for the rest of his term. They'll probably close schools and the Post Office for Danica P@trick Day. And the powers-that-be at NASCAR will all order gold-plated Bentleys. Gene Haas will have to field questions about whether or not (2 wins on ovals) Danica will be the lead driver for his new F1 team (in fact, he already is
Was Danica a decent Indy Car driver? Yes. In fact, that's what I've been saying for years: she was "decent"... average or slightly above in the IRL, considering the equipment at her disposal. But apart from her gender, there was just nothing special about her. No one talks about the decent or average race car drivers... apart from The Danica. Would you agree that's a fair enough statement?
You seem to have a deep, abiding hatred for the woman. Just kick back and enjoy the view.
One of the things I thought about while reading this post was how some baseball teams develop talent so they can sell it to the top tier teams (Yankees, Cardinals, Angels). They don't do this because they enjoy blowing off their own chances, they do so because they need the money. All sports come with their own, very severe financial realities.
And Rey, if you owned a racing team and you had a chance at making trunks of money regardless of victories, you're hiring Danica or anyone else that can do it for you. So am I, so is everyone else.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
Hate may be too strong a word. But no, I don't like her at all. Very early on, I was actually pulling for her. But once she turned her back on being a (true) racing driver, who worked to rise through the ranks based on talent and skill, I turned on her like I turn on reality TV people. As I said, my time as a racing fan goes back to the 1970's. I played stick & ball sports as a kid (even had a scholarship offer). But as I grew up, my passion for everything else BUT auto racing faded away. So, it really is the last (and only) sporting passion that I have now. My heroes are people like Juan Manuel Fangio, Nikki Lauda, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and the late, great Ayrton Senna. We continue to talk about these people because they were the real deal - not circus sideshow freaks or half-talent attention whores. Over the years, I've easily spent tens of thousands of dollars going to races. So yeah, in probably the same way that some are obsessed with other (stick & ball) sports, my thing is auto racing. And I don't particularly care for anything (or anybody) that makes a mockery of what I have a love and passion for.
But I have not said here or anywhere else that Danica should be banned, thrown out of racing, fired from her team(s), drawn & quartered, hanged or whipped (though I might pay $5 to watch King Richard give her a bare bottom spanking). What I have said is the very same thing that Richard (and Kyle) Petty has said - the same thing that many, many others (Angelle Sampey, et al) have said: she is a marketing exercise more so than a (true) racing driver who is out there based on skill or accomplishment.
And yes, one of the realities of modern racing is you need money to race. I had an SCCA license years ago and just to do that took a nice sum of money. I'd love to do some historic racing at some point, but I'd rather have a nice retirement in a few years, rather than be broke and just have some trophies. So team owners do take on ride-buyers and people like Danica to get some bucks for the team. That's why Pastor Maldonado (with a suitcase full of Chavez $) is at Lotus and not better/more deserving drivers. But no one pretends that's not why he's there, do they? So let's go over again what I am trying to convey: don't bring a pretty mule to the Kentucky Derby and pretend that it's a thoroughbred stallion.
But I have not said here or anywhere else that Danica should be banned, thrown out of racing, fired from her team(s), drawn & quartered, hanged or whipped (though I might pay $5 to watch King Richard give her a bare bottom spanking). What I have said is the very same thing that Richard (and Kyle) Petty has said - the same thing that many, many others (Angelle Sampey, et al) have said: she is a marketing exercise more so than a (true) racing driver who is out there based on skill or accomplishment.
And yes, one of the realities of modern racing is you need money to race. I had an SCCA license years ago and just to do that took a nice sum of money. I'd love to do some historic racing at some point, but I'd rather have a nice retirement in a few years, rather than be broke and just have some trophies. So team owners do take on ride-buyers and people like Danica to get some bucks for the team. That's why Pastor Maldonado (with a suitcase full of Chavez $) is at Lotus and not better/more deserving drivers. But no one pretends that's not why he's there, do they? So let's go over again what I am trying to convey: don't bring a pretty mule to the Kentucky Derby and pretend that it's a thoroughbred stallion.
Rey C.
Racing is life... anything else is just waiting.
I believe she took this "selfie" and released it after she was made fun of at some sort of sports banquet by a comedian. She was sitting near the front of the room and he said something like, "Danica, I bet this is as close to the front as you've been in a long time." Then, old thick-skin Danica looked like she was about to cry and he apologized five or six times. Can't take a joke over dinner and she had the nerve to suggest that she could have gone to Formula One if she hadn't been given a ride in NASCAR??? In F1, the other drivers and even the teams make a habit of getting inside your head to break things... just to see if you can be broken! This shrub in F1?! Please!
Well, here she is... in all her prepubescent glory.
Yep... clearly, Richard Petty is nothing more than an old misogynist for suggesting that Danica is just an attention whore with mediocre talents on the track - who will stage PR stunts when her on-track performances don't get any headlines (which is pretty much the norm these days). Crashed in practice at Bristol and destroyed her car, held up her teammate during the race and hit everything but the pace car during the race (even a car on pit road) and finished a lap down AFAIK. Yep, Richard Petty is just a mean, old misogynist who doesn't know anything about racing or talent. Eat another fat burger, Tony Stewart. You're sucking eggs this season too. You're not in the back of motor home with Danicant, doing what Uncle Bobby (allegedly) used to do when she was on his team, are you???
Well, here she is... in all her prepubescent glory.
Yep... clearly, Richard Petty is nothing more than an old misogynist for suggesting that Danica is just an attention whore with mediocre talents on the track - who will stage PR stunts when her on-track performances don't get any headlines (which is pretty much the norm these days). Crashed in practice at Bristol and destroyed her car, held up her teammate during the race and hit everything but the pace car during the race (even a car on pit road) and finished a lap down AFAIK. Yep, Richard Petty is just a mean, old misogynist who doesn't know anything about racing or talent. Eat another fat burger, Tony Stewart. You're sucking eggs this season too. You're not in the back of motor home with Danicant, doing what Uncle Bobby (allegedly) used to do when she was on his team, are you???
I could've made F1 too..
...Had I sucked Bobby Rahal's dick!
I was considering the offer at 98 Gold Coast Indy*
*Not true.
...Had I sucked Bobby Rahal's dick!
I was considering the offer at 98 Gold Coast Indy*
*Not true.
I can't get over the fact that Patrick was gobbling Bobby Rahal! Was it an episode of some old cunt, young slut site?
As much as I like The Mayor, his three victories were also complemented by six finishes of 20th or worse. And when your series is only 26 deep at most races, that's bad. Agreed, he's a much more aggressive driver than Danica ever was. He's either feast or famine it seems.
Rey you touched on it earlier, Danica was a much more consistent IndyCar driver than Hinch is right now. Yes, she only won one race (thanks to fuel mileage), but she also finished, 7th, 6th, and 5th in points during her first three years with Andretti. Hinch has finished 8th both times. She also finished 3rd at Indy, Hinch's best finish is 6th. And Andretti is arguably better now (RHR's points title) than they were when Danica was there. I guess it comes down to what you value more: occasional wins or consistently good finishes?
I hate defending Danica, but the fact is that she was a decent driver in IndyCar. As much as that pains me to admit. She consistently ran in the top ten, and she was a marketing dream. I don't doubt that Hinch is a more talented driver, but he still hasn't put together a better season that what Danica had. And that's a fact.
Apparently though, she's not very good in NASCAR. Or so it seems (I don't watch). I can't say I'm surprised. If Hornish, Dario, JPM, and Villeneuve can't do it, then I doubt she can either. The difference is that she'll keep her ride and sponsor regardless of how she performs. Which I think is awesome... because she gets to stay in NASCAR, and we don't have to see her again in IndyCar. Ever. No give backs.
Unfortunately Indycar is extremely talent light these days and the cars take a great deal less ability to maneuver due to downforce and overall weight. I for one hope Danica turns into a good driver it's good for the sport but in NASCAR you earn your stripes. Well unless your JR then nascar bends over backwards for you.
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