Danica Screen time

[Comal]

We got up and watched Dixon win a great race this morning, but are we missing something down here in NZ. Why does Danica get so much coverage?
All she seems to whine and blame someone else, sure the indy incident was Briscoe's fault, but get over it this sort of thing happens to everyone now and again. She was the first to get interviewed after the race, god knows why?

[RJL25]

firstly, danica storming down pit lane really just shows how immature she is. Yeah she may be the media darling, but that doesn't give her an excuse to act like a 3 year old out there just because she doesn't get her way. It's not like she had a realistic chance of winning the thing anyway.

And then for ESPN to cut away from Scotty Dixon's interview as soon as they possibly could to talk to danica about her "tragic exit from the race" i mean come on please!

People get wrecked by other people all the time, sure its frustrating, but she seems to be the only one who stomps around and wants to get in peoples face and push people around because of it! Maybe she would just be better off buggering off to nascar where that kind of rubbish is acceptable

[beachbum]

We got up and watched Dixon win a great race this morning, but are we missing something down here in NZ. Why does Danica get so much coverage?
All she seems to whine and blame someone else, sure the indy incident was Briscoe's fault, but get over it this sort of thing happens to everyone now and again. She was the first to get interviewed after the race, god knows why?A question asked by many. There were many positive stories and examples of professionalism from Indy. But we are a country where the most popular TV show is American Idol, and dozens of magazines cover the antics of minor celebrities acting badly. We made heros out of "stars", instead of honoring real hero's. When the achievements of a quiet winning professional like Dixon get overshadowed by a temper tantrum, the only valid question is "why?"

[electron]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and "the animal"... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
yeah... come on, I was eagerly waiting for her to throw her helmet at the other car! we have seen that in NASCAR and love smoke for stuff like that.

Media jumps on stuff like that, just the way it is, not going to change

[beachbum]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and "the animal"... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
yeah... come on, I was eagerly waiting for her to throw her helmet at the other car! we have seen that in NASCAR and love smoke for stuff like that.

Media jumps on stuff like that, just the way it is, not going to changeYup, and Tracy got fired from Penske, now doesn't have a ride, and Smoke got fined, almost fired, and sent to anger management school. And they both were champions, and a little temperament is tolerated in champions. Anger in the heat of the moment isn't unusual. It isn't uncommon for two racers who are good friends to go at it at the track and then go to dinner together later. Thats racing.

Neither Tracy or Smoke had / have a long history of pouting, constantly bashing their team on the radio, and blaming everyone else for whatever happens. Like true professionals, both eventually always had the grace to either offer an apology or make light of the actions taken in the heat of the moment. That is what sets the Princess apart. It isn't that she is female and acting like a brat, but that she is almost totally unrepentant over the behavior. She behaves as though it is her right to act badly, and everyone should respect her "greatness". Most professionals know they have to work with the other drivers, and show respect to get respect. She shows almost zero respect for other drivers, or even most of the time, her own team.

So, IMHO, she is a spoiled brat. If her name was Dan, she would still be a whining spoiled brat. Her obvious driving talent does not excuse that behavior.

[electron]

I enjoyed watching it :)
funny.

[e2mtt]

The problem I see is that ABC is trying to treat Indyracing like a "reality" TV show, instead of a sporting event. When we watch football or basketball or any ball sport, we get knowledgable announcers who broadcast the game. Not blantent cheerleading for certain players, not LIVE ACTION SHOTS OF THE MOTHERS, WIVES, AND HUSBANDS while the plays are happening, not endless discussion of emotions and backstory. This goes for every race, not just Indy, and also includes the Nationwide Nascar events they televise.

(Yeah, sorry, the broadcast annoyed me a little yesterday.)

[Rogelio]

The Danica drama was nothing short of embarrasing for the sport. While I agree that if PT would have done something like Danica, it would have been viewed in a different context and certainly proves that there is a double standard. However, at least PT will defend himself and what and the hell will Danica do when she gets to Briscoe's box? Grab his arm and shove him?

For ABC to concentrate on what she had to say rather than on the emotional Dixon family is ludicrous. Is Danica the only freakin driver who had bad luck? The ICS slowly needs to get away from this Danica mania, and I know that it is not the league's fault (part of it is) but it makes the series look amatuerish. The woman has won one race, but she is being depicted by the media as the only driver deserving of any merit.

[Jag_Warrior]

Needs more cowbell.

[champ car dave]

Did anyone hear Cheever say that we wouldn't be talking about that incident like this if she was a guy?

[FormerFF]

Funny quote from Danica:

"It's probably for the best that I didn't get there," Patrick said.

Best for whom? Danica, you're too small to get in fights. If you do start one, you're going to get wadded up into a ball and stuffed in a trash can.

[anthonyvop]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and "the animal"... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....

There is a big difference.
If man gets into a fight it is 2 people settling their differences like men.

If Danica picks a fight with Briscoe 2 thing can happen.

Briscoe beats up a Girl!

Briscoe gets beaten up by a Girl!

There is no way Briscoe can win.....and Danica knows that.

[markabilly]

Funny quote from Danica:

"It's probably for the best that I didn't get there," Patrick said.

Best for whom? Danica, you're too small to get in fights. If you do start one, you're going to get wadded up into a ball and stuffed in a trash can.
no it would have been great---front page stuff--the sort of stuff that makes people watch pro wesrtling.............a real live cat fight.....meow

[Ruben Barrios]

There is a big difference.
If man gets into a fight it is 2 people settling their differences like men.

If Danica picks a fight with Briscoe 2 thing can happen.

Briscoe beats up a Girl!

Briscoe gets beaten up by a Girl!

There is no way Briscoe can win.....and Danica knows that.

We have a winner!!!!

[harvick#1]

There is a big difference.
If man gets into a fight it is 2 people settling their differences like men.

If Danica picks a fight with Briscoe 2 thing can happen.

Briscoe beats up a Girl!

Briscoe gets beaten up by a Girl!

There is no way Briscoe can win.....and Danica knows that.

all Ryan would have to do is put a finger on Danica's helmet and push, she'll fall down from the weight of being top heavy :p :

but Ryan was in Penskes stall with his entire pitcrew surrounding him, don't think Danica can get through all the troopers Penske has

[jarrambide]

There is a big difference.
If man gets into a fight it is 2 people settling their differences like men.

If Danica picks a fight with Briscoe 2 thing can happen.

Briscoe beats up a Girl!

Briscoe gets beaten up by a Girl!

There is no way Briscoe can win.....and Danica knows that.

Settling their differences like men?, perhaps like uneducated, hot tempered men, who says men have to settle their differences fighting?, when was the last time you really settle a difference by fighting?, last time I tried it (15 years ago) it didn´t settled anything, the only difference was 2 par of black eyes, fighting is wrong, doesn´t matter if it is between 2 male drivers, between 2 female drivers (sexy but wrong, kidding, kidding) or between a male and a female driver.

[SarahFan]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and "the animal"... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
yeah... come on, I was eagerly waiting for her to throw her helmet at the other car! we have seen that in NASCAR and love smoke for stuff like that.

Media jumps on stuff like that, just the way it is, not going to change

don't lump Tracy into the danica category....

both times...with Tag and Sebastien...he was the one confronted

[BobGarage]

i found the stamping of her feet all the way down pit lane pathetic. And her fans wonder why people don;t like her when she does things like this.

The show she put on is not good for the sport and I hope she leaves it asap.

The English papers today have very little coverage of the race. A Paragraph at most. The Daily Mirror's paragraph was all about "Glamour Girl" Patricks (their words!) incident with briscoe and didn't mention dixon. My local rag (Shropshire star) just said Dixons win was overshadowed by the Danica incident.

It was a racing incident. The same a the schekter/viso incident at Kansas was a racing incident. You didn't see Tomas charging down pit lane after Viso then, and to she Danica do it yesterday just hieghtens my dislike of her.

[namarow]

She is an idiot. Briscoe, like others she gets into it with can't retaliate and she knows it. Whats next, the teams hire some big butch woman to protect their drivers from Danica?

[harvick#1]

The English papers today have very little coverage of the race. A Paragraph at most. The Daily Mirror's paragraph was all about "Glamour Girl" Patricks (their words!) incident with briscoe and didn't mention dixon. My local rag (Shropshire star) just said Dixons win was overshadowed by the Danica incident.
.

my local paper has the exact same thing. if shows who won the Nascar, F1, and Indy race and on the back page is a huge Danica picture of her grumpy attitude and a huge detail of wait happened.

its not like she was even a threat in the race

[trish]

She is an idiot. Briscoe, like others she gets into it with can't retaliate and she knows it. Whats next, the teams hire some big butch woman to protect their drivers from Danica?

Excellent idea!

[D28]

[quote="electron"]If Tracy does it it is supercool and the animal... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
The essential difference is PT's record of 31 ChampCar wins and 25 poles; he was also sucessful in all the supporting categories, DP's record in racing cars is one win, ever. As Ken points out, PT was not usually the instigator in any pit lane scuffles he was involved in. The incident seems to be more of a TV moment than a real event.

[downtowndeco]

Man you guys are jealous of the press/airtime Danica gets. Thank god for any driver that gets as much publicity for AOWR as she does.

[downtowndeco]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and the animal... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
The essential difference is PT's record of 31 ChampCar wins and 25 poles; he was also sucessful in all the supporting categories, DP's record in racing cars is one win, ever. As Ken points out, PT was not usually the instigator in any pit lane scuffles he was involved in. The incident seems to be more of a TV moment than a real event.

True PT was usually not the instigator in the pit lane, but by god he sure stirred up the **** on track w/his over the top driving style.

[inthemarbles]

don't lump Tracy into the danica category....

both times...with Tag and Sebastien...he was the one confronted

Thank you, Ken!!!

The thing that bothered me the most is that during her temper tantrum, the announcers kept saying that this was the reason she has gotten to where she is today, her attitude. Nice example to set, guys.

Do you think it will ever go back to being about racing? I'm beginning to wonder.

[Wilf]

I don't recall her flexing her muscles trying to warm them up before throwing a punch.

I don't recall seeing her stomping her feet and she walked, determinedly down the pit road.

Are we to assume any confrontation has to be physical and cannot be verbal?

She was running 7th at the time, just behind Ed Carpenter ( Finished 5th) at the time and had been in front of Helio Castroneves (Finished 4th) for 60 laps in the middle portion of the race. I can understand why she and her team might have considered themselves still in the race when the incident occcurred.

I do recall hearing the fans cheering, over the sounds of passing engines, as she walked down pit road.

When confronted by Charles Brown, security chief, I do recall her heeding his advice, stepping across the wall and walking back to her team's pit tent.

On the whole and with 29 laps to go, she still had a legitimate chance, allbeit slim, for a win. She had been begging for changes to her car and they had just made those changes. She was denied the opportunity to see if those changes made a difference which might have put her into contention. Her teammates who finished the race finished 2nd. and 7th.

We saw a week and a half earlier what can happen when one walks down pit lane, and for that I fault her. There is no excuse for the tv crew.

[asphaultpainter29]

The racing coverage in this country is 2 much about what happens off the track instead of on the track. Sometimes it's entertaining but ESPN, ABC and Fox interviews drivers 2 much and shows 2 much altercations off the track. They try to make it like a soap opera or reality show like somone else mentioned.

The IRL is 2 much about Danica Patrick. She is a decent driver and is cute, but not hott and great like the media thinks she is. She is not the best driver in the series, atleast not yet and they need to stop having her act like a drama queen.

As far as racing coverage goes, Nascar is decent, IRL coverage is average at best, but Formula One has the best racing coverage on tv! :ninja:

[pitwall3]

Man you guys are jealous of the press/airtime Danica gets. Thank god for any driver that gets as much publicity for AOWR as she does.

No, I think most race fans are just sick and tired of the ongoing BS with her constant whining and overall childish behaviour.

[xtlm]

http://ronmexicoproductions.blogspot.com/2008/05/friendly-message-from-danica-patrick.html

(credit link to someone at gamefaqs)

People get wrecked by other people all the time, sure its frustrating, but she seems to be the only one who stomps around and wants to get in peoples face and push people around because of it! Maybe she would just be better off buggering off to nascar where that kind of rubbish is acceptable

Patrick V Montoya, that would be something to see :D

[downtowndeco]

No, I think most race fans are just sick and tired of the ongoing BS with her constant whining and overall childish behaviour.


Yeah, that could be it but let's be honest. Some people just don't like women drivers, CC fans have always had it in for her because she brought so much publicity to the IRL & others just plain don't like any driver that gets more press than their favorite.

Stick a mic/camera in front of any driver all the time and they're bound to come off like an ass once in a while. Could she be a little more cheery? Sure. Has she come off kind of brusk sometimes? Yup. But who gives a crap? Her number one job is to stand on the gas and bring the car home in a good finish, not be a TV morning show host.

[inthemarbles]

Yeah, that could be it but let's be honest. Some people just don't like women drivers, CC fans have always had it in for her because she brought so much publicity to the IRL & others just plain don't like any driver that gets more press than their favorite.

Stick a mic/camera in front of any driver all the time and they're bound to come off like an ass once in a while. Could she be a little more cheery? Sure. Has she come off kind of brusk sometimes? Yup. But who gives a crap? Her number one job is to stand on the gas and bring the car home in a good finish, not be a TV morning show host.

...or stripper? Perhaps someone should tell her that.

This has nothing to do with CC. There is no more CC. Let it go.

[downtowndeco]

...or stripper? Perhaps someone should tell her that.

This has nothing to do with CC. There is no more CC. Let it go.

Huge difference between being a lap dancer at "The Boobie Hatch" & appearing in the SI swimsuit edition.

Your jealously is showing big time.

[EagleEye]

firstly, danica storming down pit lane really just shows how immature she is. Yeah she may be the media darling, but that doesn't give her an excuse to act like a 3 year old out there just because she doesn't get her way. It's not like she had a realistic chance of winning the thing anyway.

And then for ESPN to cut away from Scotty Dixon's interview as soon as they possibly could to talk to danica about her "tragic exit from the race" i mean come on please!

People get wrecked by other people all the time, sure its frustrating, but she seems to be the only one who stomps around and wants to get in peoples face and push people around because of it! Maybe she would just be better off buggering off to nascar where that kind of rubbish is acceptable

Did you think Mario was immature when he went over and pushed Kevin Cougan in 1982? Was AJ immature when he also yelled at "that damn Coogan" for the same incident? Was Parnelli Jones immature when he smacked Eddie Sachs in the the face?

Ryan Briscoe, who is a decent shoe, continues to have bran fade. If this had happend to AJ, Mario, and Parnelli, I can tell you that the result would have been a fat lip/broken nose/black eye for Ryan, and anyone who tried to step in the way. Danica was pissed, as any true racer would be, and her actions in this incident were more than justified, though I'm surprised she relented.

Having said that, Danica does tend to whine a bit. The entire weight rule and her comments are self-serving and ignorant. She always had to face minimum wieght rules in her karting days, and should acknowledge that. And, when Champcar enacted their weight rules, becuase of the alledged advantage to CDM, he just kept his mouth shut, and kept on winning.

In this case though, I can count about twnety drivers who would have been equally pissed at that damn "Riscoe".

[asphaultpainter29]

U all are idiots for not responding to my post.

[usgrandprix]

First off, who says she was going to hit him? Did she say that? She can go talk to him.

Also, that's the second time I've seen Briscoe take her out. So just because she's a woman and Ryan can't hit her, that means she can't tell him she'd appreciate it if there weren't a third time? That's awfully convenient for Ryan if we're all assuming the only reason he wouldn't take out a driver is because he might get confronted. Danica can't confront him because she's a woman, and Ryan knows that. Sounds just as ridiculous that way, doesn't it? And I'm quite sure Danica has had to deal with this double standard throughout her career much more than Briscoe has. The fact is, Danica should be afforded every recourse every other racer has.

TK gets some phantom take out by someone racing hard and lots of people rush to his defense while he throws his teammate under the bus. Danica gets hot about paying the price for another driver's mistake and she's bringing the entire sport to its knees?

The only thing embarrassing about Danica is the double standard. I used to just chalk it up to some spilt proxy argument like so many others, but it's really getting embarrassing now. Shall we go over the long list of sporting figures who apparently didn't get the memo that you can't hit a woman (or anybody) before we assume everyone knows that rule?

Danica it a hothead and not the classiest driver, but she's not breaking the mold in either of those departments.

I've seen Tony Stewart genuinely endanger innocent workers in the pits by trying to run into some other driver to show what a big man he is and people love him and NASCAR slaps his wrist. That's a much more cowardly move than having a heated discussion with somebody face to face about costing you point after point.

A few years ago TK blocked Helio in the last race when TK was a lap down and Helio was in the hunt for the championship (2 points off). It was completely classless, spiteful, and probably dangerous. Yet he's the darling at Indy. Imagine if Danica did that.

[Blancvino]

Huge difference between being a lap dancer at "The Boobie Hatch" & appearing in the SI swimsuit edition.

Your jealously is showing big time.

... and you staunch defense of all things Danica is blatantly obvious too.

Promote yourself or allow yourself to be promoted as G_d's gift to [fill in the blank] and you are going to draw fire when you make fool of yourself.

[asphaultpainter29]

U guys are LOSERS. :vader:

[inthemarbles]

Huge difference between being a lap dancer at "The Boobie Hatch" & appearing in the SI swimsuit edition.

Your jealously is showing big time.

Since you seem to think you know what everyone else is thinking, what exactly is it I am jealous of? That I'm not a race car driver? That I'm not on the cover of SI? OK. You are missing the point. I just wanted to watch a race. Maybe next year ABC will show it to us.

[asphaultpainter29]

U guys are MORONS who are on Patrick's nutz.

[harvick#1]

I've seen Tony Stewart genuinely endanger innocent workers in the pits by trying to run into some other driver to show what a big man he is and people love him and NASCAR slaps his wrist. That's a much more cowardly move than having a heated discussion with somebody face to face about costing you point after point.


if your talking about Dover last year, that was Kurt Busch, not Tony who did that

danica ran into a guy on pitroad earlier this month during practice

:dozey:

[usgrandprix]

if your talking about Dover last year, that was Kurt Busch, not Tony who did that

Right you are. Sorry to any Smoke fans. I think it was intentional on Kurt's, though, which is my point.



danica ran into a guy on pitroad earlier this month during practice

Be fair, completely different circumstances and arguably not driver error at all.

[Ruben Barrios]

Milka finished ahead of Danica... now that is funny!!!!

[Ruben Barrios]

From FOX news
"It is probably best that I didn't get down there anyway, isn't it?," she said after the race.

Up to that point, Patrick was creeping toward the front, but it was clear that her No. 7 Andretti Green Racing machine simply didn't have the speed to battle with eventual winner and polesitter Scott Dixon and the other front-runners. She ran as high as sixth during the 200-lap contest but couldn't advance from there, and she let her team know her displeasure.

"I am slow," an angry Patrick said over the radio with about 60 laps left. "I am damn slow!"

Patrick's lack of speed was a sore point for her throughout the day as she complained repeatedly over the matter before rising to her best position of the race.

When she came into the pits for what would be her final stop, her chances of winning were slim. After running into Briscoe, they were zero. Her anger boiled over.

Patrick may or may not be right in her beliefs about her race-ending accident, but with her attention-grabbing march toward the Penske pits, she gave her critics more ammunition to back their assertions that she is nothing more than an over-hyped, under-talented driver that turns petulant when things don't go her way."

[beachbum]

One of the problems with popularity is that everything you do comes under a microscope. While many complain that too much time is spent following Danica!, the abundance of in car camera shots with telemetry was illuminating. She complained about her car being slow and understeering. Was that accurate?

During one of the qualifying shows, both Goodyear and Cheever agreed that a balanced car used about 30 -35 degrees of steering lock in the turns. Any less and the car was too loose to hang onto for more that a lap or 2. They also talked about gearing and how most cars are set up with 3 very close top gears. One for wind, one for running alone and one for running in a draft. All were only a few hundred RPM apart.

Armed with that info and the in car shots, what can we learn? During one period when she was complaining very loudly about understeer, the telemetry from the in car was showing right around 30 - 35 degrees of lock in the turns, which according to Goodyear and Cheever was right in the "sweet" spot. At one point, she reached below the dash on the right apparently working either the weight jacker or the sway bars (someone will correct me I am sure) and the next turn she needed over 50 degrees of lock to make the turn. Yup, thats understeer. Apparently, she went the wrong way. After some fiddling, the steering angle was back where it was before. Watching the in car, she was often sawing at the wheel like a sprint car. While some explain that as an example of her amazing car control, I can only wonder what loading and unloading the tires, even slightly, does to tire heat and grip. Watch Dixon, or Kannan, or Marco, and you see much smoother steering input.

Add in the usual turbulence following other cars, and was the car tight?

Speed. Yes, the in car did show RPM in the 9600 range - often. But we don't know what gear she was in. If it drops that much, you are in the wrong gear. I remember her crew chief last year repeatedly telling her to go down a gear at one race to get the RPM up. She didn't and he finally stopped requesting it. At one point at Indy, the in car showed she was pulling right at 10,200. Even Goodyear mentioned it. Did the car suddenly gain speed, or did she shift? The in car was also often showing big lifts going into turn 1 and turn 3, and often a slight lift coming out. Yet the steering was still showing in the 35 degree range. Why the big lift? That will certainly kill lap times. If she expected the car to push up, that would make sense, but there was little evidence it to support the idea that she was losing the front end that badly.

It is very true I am not a crew chief or engineer on an Indy Car. I can only judge what I see. But what I could see didn't quite fit the vehemence she was exhibiting over her plight. Sometimes your car isn't good enough to win. A champion makes the best of it and gets the best result possible. If there was anyone with a right to be hot on the radio, it was Weldon, as his handling obviously went away big time. But he soldiered to the finish. There were many drivers in the race that could only dream of having a car as "slow" as Danica!'s

[coogmaster]

During one period when she was complaining very loudly about understeer, the telemetry from the in car was showing right around 30 - 35 degrees of lock in the turns, which according to Goodyear and Cheever was right in the "sweet" spot. At one point, she reached below the dash on the right apparently working either the weight jacker or the sway bars (someone will correct me I am sure) and the next turn she needed over 50 degrees of lock to make the turn. Yup, thats understeer. Apparently, she went the wrong way.

If you notice, she tends to use alot more steering input at every track. This is because (according to a friend of mine who covers IndyCar for WIBC) the team sets up her car very loose, with very little rear wing. This allows her to virtually put the wheel at a 50 degree angle through the turns, simply because she wants to turn the wheel farther without slowing down, even when the front end starts to wash out. However, the consequence of this is a very unstable car in traffic, due to the lack of downforce, and thus, understeer. That is why, among other things, princess patrick was "too slow" in traffic on sunday, simply because the way she wanted the car set up ended up screwing her over.

In my opinion, the great drivers are able to work with their car successfully during the race, giving accurate feedback to the team, not just whining about the car being "too slow." This seperates the winners from the losers, the the deserving from the overrated, and the men from the boys, if you will. (No pun intented).

[harvick#1]

Milka finished ahead of Danica... now that is funny!!!!

and was having a great race, before Lazier put her in the grass.

she was still on the lead lap before that incident

[Cart750hp]

firstly, danica storming down pit lane really just shows how immature she is. Yeah she may be the media darling, but that doesn't give her an excuse to act like a 3 year old out there just because she doesn't get her way. It's not like she had a realistic chance of winning the thing anyway.

Not to offend any American women out there but her behavior is just like an average American woman. She whines when things doesn't go her way; she cries when she lose; she asks for a confrontation when she gets involved into an accident; she curses on TV to show how mad she is BUT if say Marco Andretti does those stuff to Danica, I guarantee.....he's the bad guy. I don't know why but most American women feels they were born with entitlement. And that ladies and gentlemen is what we see in Danica every weekend. Sick and tired of it? I'm just enjoying it.

[garyshell]

Not to offend any American women out there but her behavior is just like an average American woman. She whines when things doesn't go her way; she cries when she lose; she asks for a confrontation when she gets involved into an accident; she curses on TV to show how mad she is BUT if say Marco Andretti does those stuff to Danica, I guarantee.....he's the bad guy. I don't know why but most American women feels they were born with entitlement. And that ladies and gentlemen is what we see in Danica every weekend. Sick and tired of it? I'm just enjoying it.


Ahh, you're single I see. With the exception of the crying part this sounds like you are describing any number of other drivers, like Tony Stewart for example. What are your thoughts on "Smoke"? Is his behavior "just like an average American woman"?

Gary

[garyshell]

In my opinion, the great drivers are able to work with their car successfully during the race, giving accurate feedback to the team, not just whining about the car being "too slow." This seperates the winners from the losers, the the deserving from the overrated, and the men from the boys, if you will. (No pun intented).

Did you even watch the race? At one point the announcers (two of them former drivers) listened in on a lengthy conversation between Danica and her crew. The two former drivers commented on how well she DID communicate the situation she was in and how detailed and accurate her feedback actually was.

I am no fan of Danica, but some of the criticism she is receiving here is over the top at best and clearly uninformed at the worst.

Gary

[coogmaster]

Ahh, you're single I see.

Gary

You would have to be single in order to enjoy watching Danica Patrick on TV.

[garyshell]

You would have to be single in order to enjoy watching Danica Patrick on TV.


Really? Exactly why is that?

Gary

[coogmaster]

Did you even watch the race? At one point the announcers (two of them former drivers) listened in on a lengthy conversation between Danica and her crew. The two former drivers commented on how well she DID communicate the situation she was in and how detailed and accurate her feedback actually was.

I am no fan of Danica, but some of the criticism she is receiving here is over the top at best and clearly uninformed at the worst.

Gary

Yes, in fact I not only worked the race for WIBC radio, but I DID watch the race later on TV, but I chose to fast forward (ahh DVR) through all the Danica bullsh*t that, in my opinion, tainted an otherwise good broadcast.

What about Townsend Bell? Servia or Will Power OR Buddy Rice? Hell even Hideki Mutoh. How much attention did they receive on raceday by ABC? Barely any, and the reason is obvious.

Just because Goodyear (who is a DP suckup IMO) and Cheever comment on how well she gives feedback doesn't actually mean she's good at it. Anyone can radio in and say what the car is doing, but it takes a truly talented racer to actually KNOW what the car needs. Owen Snider and Rick Galles both said that Little Al was the best at changing the car throughout the race ('92 is a prime example) because he knew WHY it was slow, not that it was just 'slow.'

Again, all I'm saying is that her 'preferred' setup on the car (very loose, so she can go almost full lock, as I said before) ended up being the reason she was slow. Not enough downforce, slow in traffic. Simple. So many other drivers had good or better days than her on Sunday, but as usual, she got all the attention.

[coogmaster]

Really? Exactly why is that?

Gary

Just me trying to be witty. Lets move on.

[garyshell]

Yes, in fact I not only worked the race for WIBC radio, but I DID watch the race later on TV, but I chose to fast forward (ahh DVR) through all the Danica bullsh*t that, in my opinion, tainted an otherwise good broadcast.

<snip>

Just because Goodyear (who is a DP suckup IMO) and Cheever comment on how well she gives feedback doesn't actually mean she's good at it.

But you just said you didn't even hear the exchange, and yet you are suggesting that you know better about it's quality than Cheever? Eddie minces no words. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it.

This is the precisely the sort of thing I am talking about. Because Danica gets too much attention, and I agree she does get too much, some folks here think that gives them carte blanche to criticize everything about what she does.

Gary

[beachbum]

Again, all I'm saying is that her 'preferred' setup on the car (very loose, so she can go almost full lock, as I said before) ended up being the reason she was slow. Not enough downforce, slow in traffic. Simple. Does not compute. If the car is set up very loose, it takes almost no steering to make it turn, it wants to turn on it's own. Ask Domiguez. If she wants to get 50 deg of lock, that is very tight, or pushy, or understeering, or whatever your particular terminology happens to be. Perhaps she interprets "understeering" as it doesn't take much to steer it. She is steering "under" the amount she feels should be normal.

That might explain why she has often radioed "it is understeering" and they make adjustments like taking out front wing, which should make it worse. I think it was Homestead where she was (as usual) complaining about understeer, and the team reported to the pit reporters that she was very loose. Now, teams have been known to "alter" the facts (yes, even lie to reporters), but it happened a number of times in the past as well. But, from the in-car, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see it was loose, very loose. She did show a lot of talent by keeping it off the wall. No one should doubt she has very good car control.

By the way, I did listen to part of her feedback under caution and while it included all of the words and sounded very analytical, when she was done, I was baffled. I have worked as a crew chief in another form of motorsport, and picking the "wheat from the chaff" is a critical part of communication. It may have sounded good, but did it tell the crew anything the telemetry didn't already tell them? What we don't know is if the feedback matched the telemetry. That is the only way to know if the feedback just sounded good, or if was really useful.

[coogmaster]

Eddie minces no words. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it.


This is the precisely the sort of thing I am talking about. Because Danica gets too much attention, and I agree she does get too much, some folks here think that gives them carte blanche to criticize everything about what she does.

Gary[/quote]

I suppose that its just frustrating for us dedicated IndyCar fans (us including you and I) to sit back and watch drivers/teams who don't usually get top 10s (RHR, Rice, Manning, TOWNSEND BELL) to go out there and drive a hell of a race and finish well, when all of the attention has to be diverted to the soap opera taking place in that #7 Motorola car.

And I guess I'm just a guy who longs for the good ol' days when the drivers had to be MULES, and got that car to handle even if it was the worst pig to hit the speedway. I miss those days, like most of us do. Sue me.

[coogmaster]

Does not compute. If the car is set up very loose, it takes almost no steering to make it turn, it wants to turn on it's own. Ask Domiguez. If she wants to get 50 deg of lock, that is very tight, or pushy, or understeering, or whatever your particular terminology happens to be. Perhaps she interprets "understeering" as it doesn't take much to steer it. She is steering "under" the amount she feels should be normal.


Your right, but what you're missing is that the engineers set up the car to suit her driving style, which is to turn the wheel as far as possible so that she doesn't have to lift as much. They do this by taking rear wing out. Don't ask me why she doesn't lose it every corner.... maybe they jack up the front wings a ton. Either way, AGR will make sure it won't crash.

It's not a black/white, loose/tight thing. She has a complicated setup on that car to suit her driving style, but Sunday it didn't work out.

[beachgirl]

You know, I really don't think she knows what she wants in a car set-up. Two different teams in four years, one of them one of the top 3, and somehow, with all those very smart, winning people on those winning teams, nobody's been able to give her a competent car. There is always, always something "wrong" with her car. IMHO, she just doesn't know how to race with the changing conditions of any racing machine through the runs between pit stops. Everything changes throug tire wear, lighter fuel loads, weather conditions, traffic, etc. Nothing is static. The best racers adapt and adjust, and know how to do it and deal with it. Unfortunately, Danica just complains. Until she can show she can run what she has, can show adaptability, and make the best of what her car ends up being on any given day, then I can't consider her a top racer. That's what the big boys do. She wants to run with the big dogs, she needs to learn to drive like the big dogs.

I know, I know, heresy. Let the stoning begin.

[anthonyvop]

If I was her crew chief I would sit down and explain to her what "Radio Discipline" means.
Her ranting accomplished nothing. "Push, Tight, Tires, Yes, Negative" are the 90% of the vocabulary that should be uttered by a driver over the radio during the race.

[tstran17_88]

There is a big difference.
If man gets into a fight it is 2 people settling their differences like men.

If Danica picks a fight with Briscoe 2 thing can happen.

Briscoe beats up a Girl!

Briscoe gets beaten up by a Girl!

There is no way Briscoe can win.....and Danica knows that.
I honestly like it better when Danica and Wheldon go at it. It’s like a struggle between who gets to be the Queen Bee of Indy Racing.

[Hoss Ghoul]

Keep in mind the audio clips are compiled and edited for TV. Likely some of the exchanges were much shorter, then edited together for discussion during the broadcast.

Simple fact of the matter is, she was in line for a top 4-7 finish before Briscoe took her out.

[garyshell]

If I was her crew chief I would sit down and explain to her what "Radio Discipline" means.
Her ranting accomplished nothing. "Push, Tight, Tires, Yes, Negative" are the 90% of the vocabulary that should be uttered by a driver over the radio during the race.

And if I were your team owner I would explain that you sure as hell better find out, among other things, if the car is over or under steering entering the turn, how it is mid turn and what it was like coming out of the turn. How traffic ahead affects these. What the winds were doing to the handling. Etc. You can't accomplish that with your five word vocabulary. And as I mentioned before, in the extended radio session that was aired this is PRECISELY the sort of data she was providing. The rest of the time all we got to hear were "sound bites" edited by the director in the booth.

Gary

[underpowered]

I liked this article about the incident

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/OPINION03/805270336/1004

Liked this comment

"Just remember that you're not the only one affected by bad luck and just deal with it."

[beachbum]

I liked this article about the incident

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/OPINION03/805270336/1004

Liked this comment

"Just remember that you're not the only one affected by bad luck and just deal with it."I don't know who Angelique is or her credentials, but she summed it up very well. The other comment I noted was "..there was plenty of chuckling as the gathered media watched.".

[Cart750hp]

Ahh, you're single I see.

Single by design, my friend. By design.

[SarahFan]

I liked this article about the incident

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080527/OPINION03/805270336/1004

Liked this comment

"Just remember that you're not the only one affected by bad luck and just deal with it."

pretty much sums up danimania IMO

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[inthemarbles]

I gave this a lot of thought yesterday after posting here and I'd like to offer this up: I've been a dedicated fan of open wheel racing since 1982 and I can't think of any other driver that has received the kind of attention and scrutiny that Danica has. I can't even imagine the pressure and stress she must feel. It's almost like they've put the success or failure of the league all on her. What is she, like 25 years old or something? None of us can really say how we would behave if we were under that kind of stress, especially as young as she is. As far as what she did on Sunday, I'm not excusing it, but those drivers are always getting up in each other's grills. Does anyone remember the incident in the pit at Long Beach in 1991 between Emmo and Michael? What Danica did on Sunday was almost like a replay of Michael's march down to the Penske pit after Emmo took him out. It wasn't ok then, it's not ok now...people just lose their cool sometimes.
But that isn't what this thread is about. It's about the morons at ABC and the media in general that insult each and every one of us everytime they report on Brittany Spears walking from the courthouse to her car or focus on stuff like this instead of what is really important. We should be directing our keyboards at them, not at each other or DP. By putting all the attention Sunday on DP instead of what was happening on the track, it's like they are suggesting the race just isn't interesting enough. That kind of coverage is not going to work for me and I'm not sure I can watch much more of it.

I'm not sticking up for her or anyone else that acts like a poor sport. I just think we should all step back and put ourselves in her shoes before we judge. Oh, and I'd also like to say that although I was extremely disappointed at her decision to pose for those photos (and I'm not talking about SI) it was her decision and none of my business. I'd like to apologize for the stripper remark in my previous post. I felt bad about that all day yesterday. It was way out of line, has nothing to do with racing and why I should probabably go back to just reading these boards and not posting!

[garyshell]

I'd like to apologize for the stripper remark in my previous post. I felt bad about that all day yesterday. It was way out of line, has nothing to do with racing and why I should probabably go back to just reading these boards and not posting!


Nope, I totally disagree. With thoughts like this, posting is EXACTLY what you ought to be doing! The entire post was well done. Well done indeed!

Gary

[usgrandprix]

Well thought out Marbles. And do keep posting.

I think the sad realization here is this whole reality/semi-celebrity/style over substance pop culture deal isn't confined to IndyCar. The hope is some people actually get a little caught up in the racing too.

Indy has always been about drama, though. Hopefully it's timelessness will allow a bit more authenticity to shine through. Hearing comments from Hunter-Reay, Bernoldi, and Servia at the victory banquet was refreshing. And asking for a sustained attention span for a month is refreshing to me in the instant gratification society.

Danica won't be there forever so ABC/IMS/IRL better remember what it's all about. She can control her actions, and maybe should do a better job, but a lot of what shapes how we see her is out of our control. She probably doesn't ask ABC to make the show about her, so why resent her for it? Heck, for all I know, she may have been acting nicer than the other 32 drivers on the radio. Andretti sure was ticked with his team--Mario had to cool him down. But I guess when drivers stop acting so passionate about Indy then we have the real problem.

Anyway, I'll let the images of Dixon's family celebrating a flawless month and how far they've come in racing, and what roles they played, be my lasting memory of this race.

[SarahFan]

I gave this a lot of thought yesterday after posting here and I'd like to offer this up: I've been a dedicated fan of open wheel racing since 1982 and I can't think of any other driver that has received the kind of attention and scrutiny that Danica has. I can't even imagine the pressure and stress she must feel. It's almost like they've put the success or failure of the league all on her. What is she, like 25 years old or something? None of us can really say how we would behave if we were under that kind of stress, especially as young as she is. As far as what she did on Sunday, I'm not excusing it, but those drivers are always getting up in each other's grills. Does anyone remember the incident in the pit at Long Beach in 1991 between Emmo and Michael? What Danica did on Sunday was almost like a replay of Michael's march down to the Penske pit after Emmo took him out. It wasn't ok then, it's not ok now...people just lose their cool sometimes.
But that isn't what this thread is about. It's about the morons at ABC and the media in general that insult each and every one of us everytime they report on Brittany Spears walking from the courthouse to her car or focus on stuff like this instead of what is really important. We should be directing our keyboards at them, not at each other or DP. By putting all the attention Sunday on DP instead of what was happening on the track, it's like they are suggesting the race just isn't interesting enough. That kind of coverage is not going to work for me and I'm not sure I can watch much more of it.

I'm not sticking up for her or anyone else that acts like a poor sport. I just think we should all step back and put ourselves in her shoes before we judge. Oh, and I'd also like to say that although I was extremely disappointed at her decision to pose for those photos (and I'm not talking about SI) it was her decision and none of my business. I'd like to apologize for the stripper remark in my previous post. I felt bad about that all day yesterday. It was way out of line, has nothing to do with racing and why I should probabably go back to just reading these boards and not posting!


excellent post

[kobefly]

If Tracy does it it is supercool and "the animal"... if Danica does it it is the whiny b*tch just being childish....
In my opinion Tracy is an a** and Danica a b****

[coogmaster]

Yes, I agree. Let's look beyond the flawed ABC broadcast (even though Cheever was a good addition IMO) and all of this dumb squaking about Patrick and look at the bright side of this race. What we had on Sunday was perfect weather, the best crowd at the Speedway in years, a great start, an action-filled race with plenty to talk about, and several drivers putting up their best results in years. The only thing that would have made this race perfect is if a darkhorse would have won (not to take away anything from Dixon's victory, they kicked ass), but hey, I guess beggers can't be choosers, can they?

[beachbum]

Excellent post inthemarbles.

[electron]

I gave this a lot of thought yesterday... (shorted to save space)

Maybe the best post on the subject! great.

[Easy Drifter]

Up here in the great white north every sportscast I saw on various stations gave more air time to the Princess and her antics than they did to Dixon. In some cases all they showed or mentioned was Danica.
I just hope that some day Sarah will blow her into the weeds!

[SarahFan]

I just hope that some day Sarah will blow her into the weeds!


I'll take the Raw emotion Sarah showed after being crashed out....or the coarage and smile Kat showed at RA......anyday over the what Danica showed in pitlane....

[downtowndeco]

Up here in the great white north every sportscast I saw on various stations gave more air time to the Princess and her antics than they did to Dixon. In some cases all they showed or mentioned was Danica.
I just hope that some day Sarah will blow her into the weeds!


There are over 70 replies to this thread. Yea, ney, whatever. People like to talk about Danica.

There are only 35 replies to the "Is Scott Dixon really that good?" thread.

I rest my case.

It's like when people bitch about whether a movie star is really worth what they are paid because they make more money and get more press than lesser known but (argueably) more talented actors. It is what it is man. The press talks about Danica because people want to hear about Danica. It makes no difference whether there are better drivers or drivers that are nicer. She's not paid to be nice. She's paid to try and win races. If you don't like all of the attention Danica gets STOP TALKING ABOUT HER. : ).

[downtowndeco]

I'll take the Raw emotion Sarah showed after being crashed out....or the coarage and smile Kat showed at RA......anyday over the what Danica showed in pitlane....

GMAB. If Danica would have started to cry you'd be making fun of her. Straight up, admit you don't like her because of the press she brought to the IRL at a time when it really needed it.

BTW. I think she handles herself just fine considering how young she is and how much pressure she's under.

[SarahFan]

GMAB. If Danica would have started to cry you'd be making fun of her. Straight up, admit you don't like her because of the press she brought to the IRL at a time when it really needed it.

BTW. I think she handles herself just fine considering how young she is and how much pressure she's under.

I don't like her becuase she has a prima donna attitiude yet hasn't done enough to warrant it...


respect is earned....yet she demands it...that is unappealing IMO...sorry you disagree

[!!WALDO!!]

respect is earned....yet she demands it...that is unappealing IMO...sorry you disagree


I respect anyone that puts on a helmet and risks their lives for glory. Never like Mario but I respected him for what he did.

Personalities is for the E Network this is a life and death situation.

I guess I knew too many that fell to the "death" side of things to see anything redeeming in the above post.

(NO REFERENCE, IMPLIED OR REAL TO ANY POSTER, LIVING, DEAD, or NOT YET BORN.)

[SarahFan]

I respect anyone that puts on a helmet and risks their lives for glory. Never like Mario but I respected him for what he did.

Personalities is for the E Network this is a life and death situation.

I guess I knew too many that fell to the "death" side of things to see anything redeeming in the above post.

(NO REFERENCE, IMPLIED OR REAL TO ANY POSTER, LIVING, DEAD, or NOT YET BORN.)

you have a lot in common with Danica

[garyshell]

I respect anyone that puts on a helmet and risks their lives for glory. Never like Mario but I respected him for what he did.


Absoluetly! Anyone willing to get out on the track deserves respect for that fact alone. I felt the same way about Michael, never did like him. But that never meant I didn't have respect for him and what he did.

Gary

[!!WALDO!!]

you have a lot in common with Danica

In what way? So how many starts in a race car do you have?

(NO REFERENCE, IMPLIED OR REAL TO ANY POSTER, LIVING, DEAD, or NOT YET BORN.)

[SarahFan]

In what way?
.)

absolutely no endearing quailties whatsoever

[!!WALDO!!]

absolutely no endearing quailties whatsoever

It is funny I get insulted, I report this and I guess the moderators agree with you. I do think that most that are insulting me cannot spell.

No endearing quailties. Anyone here ever go quail hunting? When twice never hit a thing. Those little bobwhites can travel fast as Roberto Guerrero and about as straight.

So I got endeared to quail and could not shoot them, absolutely, whatsoever.



(NO REFERENCE, IMPLIED OR REAL TO ANY POSTER, LIVING, DEAD, or NOT YET BORN.)

[StevePatterson]

http://escoutroom.com/portals/4/articles/nascar/danica%20patrick.jpg

Danica is cute and she can really drive. :D

[Old3Fan]

With all the new teams and drivers coming on board I think that Danica's star will be falling backwards as these teams come up to speed.

[SarahFan]

With all the new teams and drivers coming on board I think that Danica's star will be falling backwards as these teams come up to speed.

it's going to be a long rest of the season......

[!!WALDO!!]

In what way? So how many starts in a race car do you have?


So I get quailties. You seem like an expert about quailties. What does endearing quailties have to do with driving a race car?

{Good enough for you now?}

(NO REFERENCE, IMPLIED OR REAL TO ANY POSTER, LIVING, DEAD, or NOT YET BORN.)