Foo - Danica finailly Wins

1st Win (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2008-04-21-patrick-cover_N.htm)

So apparently Helio's team thought she was a lap down. They told him to let her go, which is what he did. Then he saw his number drop on the leader pole and he says he was wondering what was up. I wonder what would have happened had he actually raced her for the win?

So apparently Helio's team thought she was a lap down. They told him to let her go, which is what he did. Then he saw his number drop on the leader pole and he says he was wondering what was up. I wonder what would have happened had he actually raced her for the win?


Here are Helio's comments

“In recognition of Danica’s talents, she did a good job,” Castroneves said in a postrace news conference. “She passed me fair and square. I didn’t have enough fuel, even if I wanted to, to fight with her.”

If what you say is true, then Helio's crew did a poor job calling the race for him.

I was paraphrasing what Helio said in an on camera interview at the Long Beach Grand Prix. He said he was told to let her go and then saw his number drop on the pole and thought "what is going on here" He then went on to say all the PC things about best car winning, etc.

But I found his comments to be interesting to say the least.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j132/garscalantog/danica1.jpg

She's always been a great talent. She went to Europe and lead the points, and wins in a feeder series to F1 before returning to the US to get an IRL ride. Congrats to her! Now that the monkey is off her back...expect her to win some more.

She's always been a great talent. She went to Europe and lead the points, and wins in a feeder series to F1 before returning to the US to get an IRL ride. Congrats to her! Now that the monkey is off her back...expect her to win some more.

All I can say is : I'd like to be that monkey on her back. wowsa!

Danica has always impressed me as a driver with decent skills and talent and an ability to lose it under pressure. How many times has she screwed up a pit stop by stalling the car, looping it on the entrance or exit, etc? She will win a few more in her career, but I would be surprised if she was ever a series champion.

Did anyone watch the Nascar race in Mexico? That was by far the best race of the weekend. The only thing I did not like was the stoppages of the race after yellows and the dust. Seems like they need to do something to keep the dust down. Sprinklers before the race maybe?

Motegi was an exercise in fuel conservation.

Long Beach was a timed funeral for a series with the deceased playing bumper cars with the pall bearers from the IRL.

Will be interesting to see what happens this year and next to American open wheel racing.

come on, you can do better than that...

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/pr/subs/swimsuit/images/08_danica-patrick_14.jpg

The trophy is almost as big as her!!

Danica has always impressed me as a driver with decent skills and talent and an ability to lose it under pressure. How many times has she screwed up a pit stop by stalling the car, looping it on the entrance or exit, etc? She will win a few more in her career, but I would be surprised if she was ever a series champion.





You have to be good to drive at the level they do, and I like Danica. But up until this point what has she done in a major series, not a lot. But IRL and the tracks market her more then their own current champion. That says alot about where IRL is headed.

come on, you can do better than that...

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/pr/subs/swimsuit/images/08_danica-patrick_14.jpg

very nice

Lets keep this on racing, not semi clad women who also race cars.

Never said Danica is not good. Used to do a bit of F2000 pit crew work for a guy named Greg Ray, before he went pro.

I have just never seen Danica drive the wheels off a car. Remember some of the Texas races with guys going wheel to wheel for multiple laps in a row.

All I am saying is that sitting in 9th place at the tail of the lead lap, conserving fuel, and waiting for everyone to pit in front of you is not what I think racing should be about.

I would like to see Danica, or Tony, or Helio, or anyone, win a race by outdriving the competition, not outlasting them.

Lets keep this on racing, not semi clad women who also race cars.

huh?
did you say something? I was a little distracted.

How come us guys are all over this girl, while women in general don't seem to care that much about all the male drivers?

Because the marketing arm of the series has not posted pics of them in their swim togs and skivvies. Danica has done a good job of self promotion.

Never said Danica is not good. Used to do a bit of F2000 pit crew work for a guy named Greg Ray, before he went pro.

I have just never seen Danica drive the wheels off a car. Remember some of the Texas races with guys going wheel to wheel for multiple laps in a row.

All I am saying is that sitting in 9th place at the tail of the lead lap, conserving fuel, and waiting for everyone to pit in front of you is not what I think racing should be about.

I would like to see Danica, or Tony, or Helio, or anyone, win a race by outdriving the competition, not outlasting them.

I'm agreeing with you. I was just stating I recognize she has driving skills right before I run her into the ground for mid-core career thus far. Or better stated a career that has yielded mid-core results at the top level.

How come us guys are all over this girl, while women in general don't seem to care that much about all the male drivers?

Most women race fans pick a driver based on looks. No woman has picked Jimmy Spencer as her favorite driver.

If what you say is true, then Helio's crew did a poor job calling the race for him.

A very valid point. Races end with the racer, but that's pretty much it. The begining and the middle is a balance between the team and the racer. No one wins without a good team...no one.

I'm agreeing with you. I was just stating I recognize she has driving skills right before I run her into the ground for mid-core career thus far. Or better stated a career that has yielded mid-core results at the top level.

I am not running her into the ground, or not meaning too. I do find the hype a bit much and realize that is not all self created. She has not done the best job of saying, "i am a racer, not a sex symbol", as this thread and some of the pics posted in it, illustrate.

I guess that sits a bit wrong with me. I want my racers to be racers, not beach boys and pin up models.

She has talent no doubt. Enough talent to compete with the best names out there. I am just not sure that she is much more than a top half of the pack talent.

It will be interesting to see what happens when they run a mixture of road, street and ovals.

Races are won by the team as much as by the driver. Hats off Danica AND her team.
ISTM that all of these all-day races are about outlasting the other guys, and fuel strategies. If we wanted it to be about driving, the races would be more like 50 miles all without stops.

Most women race fans pick a driver based on looks. No woman has picked Jimmy Spencer as her favorite driver.
Strangely enough, though many really liked Dale Sr. It must have been the belly that hooked 'em...

Strangely enough, though many really liked Dale Sr. It must have been the belly that hooked 'em...

haha, I'm going to guess he had his day back when he was the Wrangler spokes person, much like Jr is now.

How come us guys are all over this girl, while women in general don't seem to care that much about all the male drivers?

Coz...they're not as hot as she is? :D

Also to women, men who race cars come off as incredibly arrogant and therefore unattractive, while to men, women who race cars are perceived as strong, independent, and able to keep up with the guys, therefore attractive? *shrug*

^excellent points

How come us guys are all over this girl, while women in general don't seem to care that much about all the male drivers?Probably a difference in the genes and how we're primaly driven. Look at what happened to male broadcasts at Naked News. Playgirl will never outsell Playboy...

I am not running her into the ground, or not meaning too. I do find the hype a bit much and realize that is not all self created. She has not done the best job of saying, "i am a racer, not a sex symbol", as this thread and some of the pics posted in it, illustrate.

Sure, the IRL went overboard with the Danica promotion after she almost won at Indy, but there's been no other female racer who promoted herself as a sex symbol the way Danica Patrick has. I was at the press conference at Laguna Seca in 2002 when Bobby Rahal signed her to her first pro contract, and the press kit she had at the time (before she was famous) had these ridiculous modeling pictures on the back. It was so popular they ran out before I had a chance to grab one. http://media.scout.com/media/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif The interesting thing to me is that her personality is, as you would expect, very competitive and tough, not girly, and she has even said she's not very girly. So these glamour shots are just calculated self-promotion. BTW, this is not a criticism, there have been many great drivers who never got a shot because they weren't well-connected, and they were bad at promoting themselves. Danica just used a tool at her disposal to get the attention needed.

Danica looking fashionable at the 2002 press conference:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f155/tacksharp/Racing/Danica_2002_press_0636.jpg

I found some pictures of the 2002 press kit on e-bay:
http://i2.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/d8/a2/08ad_1.JPG http://i10.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/d8/a2/0990_1.JPG

So apparently Helio's team thought she was a lap down. They told him to let her go, which is what he did. Then he saw his number drop on the leader pole and he says he was wondering what was up. I wonder what would have happened had he actually raced her for the win?

Mistakes happen, we all know it's a team effort. But no one has ever won a race without being a good driver and putting themself in a position to win. Can't criticize a driver or team for a fuel-conservation strategy; the goal is to win the race (the problem is the rules). IIRC, Greg LeMond won the TdF once without winning a single stage, so he was criticized for not "winning in style" (like Floyd Landis and his epic comeback stage in 2006 http://media.scout.com/media/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif).


She will win a few more in her career, but I would be surprised if she was ever a series champion.

She's already proven that she deserves a seat as a professional race car driver. Just the fact that she is mixing it up with the guys up front is a huge step forward for women racers. That being said, she has zero chance of winning a season championship. She's good, but not that good. I will be impressed when she wins a road race. I figured she might win an oval race, but that she had no chance to win a road race. I heard she came in second at Belle Isle last year, but I just looked it up and it was only because of a bizarre incident that took out three guys in front of her.

What I don't get is the big deal about her being the first woman to win an Indy car race. I mean... driving's not something that should have any difference between genders except maybe aggressiveness. What's the big deal? She's a good driver, can figure the flow of a race and handle her car well. Why is her winning any different than any other first time winner? Other than the fact that she's smokin' hot, of course?