Danica Patrick

tim

Moderator
I've just watched the Daytona 500 almost entirely from start to finish. Danica did well, but no one would help her at the finish. She went from 3rd to 8th in the last few seconds, but she certainly brings excitement(and viewers) to the sport of left turns.
 
Tim - this was the first time in many years that I watched from start to finish as well. And I was hoping she could at least keep her third place finish but it was not to be...no help at all. She did extremely well and it's obvious she's learned a lot since she first showed up on this circuit. I think she's found the right team.
 
meh.

it's the "dancing bear" scenario...it's not how well the bear dances, but simply that the bear can dance at all.

I'm OK with a female racer at Daytona, but 8th place is 8th place.

(BTW? the hardcore racers are the guys that ate her lunch on the last lap...)

Flame away, kids.
 
She had a chance with about 5 laps left to change to the bottom in front of Jimmy Johnson but I think they were worried that line might not keep advancing. At Lap 3 she was covered low and had no where to go but ride out the scramble and see what happens. She did real well and better than 35 other guys.
 
I agree with Fred.
She ran a great lap in qualifying.
However, during the race she didn't make a single competitive pass. She lost positions on pits and only held her ground when her crew so fast they gave her a clear edge.
With 17 laps to go (I watched it again this morning) she could have moved down to the inside lane in front of JJ but instead stayed up top.
The last lap went the rest of the drivers went for it she lost eight spots.
Not bad for a second effort, but not earth (or ceiling for that matter) shattering.
 
I didn't watch the race. Heard the finish on the radio OTW back from a "high performance driving" seminar hosted by the local Porsche club.

Birthday gift from a buddy w a 911. Interesting, but nothing new.
 
I watched it twice. Once live and then my son wanted to watch it.
Danica can definitely turn a fast lap.
But she needs to learn how to move in traffic and how to overtake.
 
Jay Nordlinger, writing in NRO today:

<<<Maybe someone could explain this to me: According to the AP account, James Franco, an actor, started the Daytona 500 in a peculiar way. He said, “Drivers . . . and Danica!!! . . . start your engines.” Danica is Danica Patrick, a female driver. But she’s a driver, right? So why “drivers and Danica”?

I admire the way the Indianapolis 500 handled it in 1977 — a historic year. The traditional announcement is, “Gentlemen, start your engines.” But, in ’77, Janet Guthrie was among the drivers — the first woman to race in the Indy 500. How to preserve the traditional announcement but include her?
The announcer said, “In company with the first lady ever to qualify at Indianapolis, gentlemen, start your engines.”>>>
 
"Drivers and Danica....." was a weird announcement.

Back to the final sprint, I wonder how much collusion takes place in those situations.
 
In the last lap no doubt there was a ton. Teams worked together. If Smoke was still around, she would have had a better chance.

But this is not Daytona from a year or so ago when they had the two car packs. Whole lines were moving. The good drivers made move from one line to the other with or without a teammate.

I don't think she's a bad driver. She's showed promise in the past and turning a fast lap in qualifying was great. She probably ranks somewhere between 10 -20 among NASCAR drivers, which is still pretty good.

But she's not at the top yet. She's not Jimmy Johnson. She's not Tony Stewart. She's not Jeff Gordon. I'm not sure she has that potential. But few are.

Denny Hamlin? Kahne? Earnhardt? She's close to those three and with more time in the car can be better.

It is nice to send a message that women can compete though. Before Danica, there were some women driving, but none were really competitive. I was disappointed in her race, but she still shows promise.

She almost might be better off moving over to F1. There she can run fast laps in qualifying and win races. Overtaking is not so prized there. It might be a better fit.
 
nascar i am really glad to see nascar fans in st barts!!

In the last lap no doubt there was a ton. Teams worked together. If Smoke was still around, she would have had a better chance.

But this is not Daytona from a year or so ago when they had the two car packs. Whole lines were moving. The good drivers made move from one line to the other with or without a teammate.

I don't think she's a bad driver. She's showed promise in the past and turning a fast lap in qualifying was great. She probably ranks somewhere between 10 -20 among NASCAR drivers, which is still pretty good.

But she's not at the top yet. She's not Jimmy Johnson. She's not Tony Stewart. She's not Jeff Gordon. I'm not sure she has that potential. But few are.

Denny Hamlin? Kahne? Earnhardt? She's close to those three and with more time in the car can be better.

It is nice to send a message that women can compete though. Before Danica, there were some women driving, but none were really competitive. I was disappointed in her race, but she still shows promise.

She almost might be better off moving over to F1. There she can run fast laps in qualifying and win races. Overtaking is not so prized there. It might be a better fit.
i am really glad to see nascar fans in st barts!!
 
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