The Bloom is Off The Rose.

[garyshell]

Danica Hears Boos After Poor Qualifying at Indy

May 22, 3:47 PM (ET)

By CLIFF BRUNT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Danica Patrick has experienced a new sensation at the Indianapolis 500 - getting booed.
IndyCar's most popular driver heard fans' displeasure Saturday when her comments blaming a poor qualifying performance on her car's setup were broadcast over the racetrack public address system.
She was far from challenging for a spot on the front row after averaging 224.217 mph on four laps during the first of three possible runs during qualifying.
Patrick, by far the leader in merchandise sales and visibility in the series, appeared upset when she talked about the reaction. Patrick said her car has been loose throughout the week of practice. Her Andretti Autosport teammates also are struggling.



My how the mighty have fallen.

Gary

[Dr. Krogshöj]

I was pulling for TK & PT so much this year. Maybe I shouldn't. :(

[Scotty G.]

Good. Indy fans know racing. Despite the usual gasbags at TF defending her (led by the king gasbag, KleanUpKrew), the vast majority of folks (including 99.9% of the people in the sport) DESPISE this woman.

The Danica story is long over. She is yesterday's news. And the consistant whining and blaming others for her OWN lack of talent/results has finally gotten old with those that matter the most....the fans.

She is the 3rd fastest driver on her own team and 3rd fastest woman.

And she'll be full-time in NASCAR in 2011.

[TURN3]

Good. Indy fans know racing. Despite the usual gasbags at TF defending her (led by the king gasbag, KleanUpKrew), the vast majority of folks (including 99.9% of the people in the sport) DESPISE this woman.

Yeah, thanks for letting me in on that little secret pal! :D I got a huge tag team early in the week for stating the obvious!!

[Jag_Warrior]

I wonder if they booed her because she (once again) blamed her poor performance on the car or because she's all but gone to NASCAR... or a combination?

At least the crowd didn't start chanting,
"Hit the road, Jill. And don't you come back no more, no more. Hit the road, Jill. And don't you come back no more!" :p

[Easy Drifter]

Don't bet on full time Taxi Cabs next year.
If she doesn't get at least a couple of respectable finishes in Nationwide this year she will be hard pressed to find a ride in anything, except continuing her current IC contract.
The Taxi Cabs run loose (oversteer) and super close and she cannot handle that.
I dislike her but I also feel she has lost what little fire she had. She was better than she is showing now.

[beachbum]

And she'll be full-time in NASCAR in 2011.I wouldn't be too sure. So far, she hasn't done much in good equipment. In NASCAR, they do have to qualify on speed and they send drivers home at every race. She hasn't shown that much speed so far.

[Jag_Warrior]

Is there any place that hosts the car-to-pit radio transmissions, or at least a partial transcript???

Versus reran the interview with Danica right after she got out of the car. She really seemed completely lost. I make a LOT of Danica jokes and I really don't like her. But it's like when I make Sarah Palin jokes on the Chit-Chat forum: I exaggerate and spew hyperbole to poke fun at her. I do think Palin is an idiot, but probably not quite as stupid as I might make her out to be. And I think Danica is an overhyped, average (at best) driver, but I thought she would have picked up a few hints or clues on car setup over the years. Danica said she was still shaking during the interview. She shrugged her shoulders about what direction to go. She guessed that adding downforce would be the way to go. But you could tell she was just plucking a term out of thin air. So what I want to know is what she said over the radio during or immediately after her run. Did Tony Kanaan REALLY do all the setups on her car in the past? Is Danica truly incapable of giving any sort of meaningful feedback to her engineer to make the car better???

Goodness knows, I love to poke fun at The Danica. But my gosh, maybe I only thought I was exaggerating her incompetence. Can anybody point me to such a site?

[NickFalzone]

I sense that even the casual fans, that typically know no more about IndyCar than Danica, are getting the clue that's she's not one of the better drivers out there, and that blaming the cars week after week gets old. She did look genuinely scared though when she got out of the car. I wonder what they're up to at AA engineering. Everyone thought they would have good cars this year and it seems like they're pretty far back in the pack. Granted, in race trim they seem OK, but a team as significant as AA should be able to set up cars that both qualify AND race well.

[TURN3]

I dislike her but I also feel she has lost what little fire she had. She was better than she is showing now.

Has she lost anything or is it that she races against 8 car fields until the merger? As the teams that crossed over have gotten more dialed in, she keeps going further backwards. And, being a spec series, there is only so much speed in these cars. Every team is getting closer and closer to those limits. She no longer has an equipment advantage. The fact is, she never "had it". That is why I've continued to tout her lack of achievements going back to the beginning of her pro career.

[NickFalzone]

Has she lost anything or is it that she races against 8 car fields until the merger? As the teams that crossed over have gotten more dialed in, she keeps going further backwards. And, being a spec series, there is only so much speed in these cars. Every team is getting closer and closer to those limits. She no longer has an equipment advantage. The fact is, she never "had it". That is why I've continued to tout her lack of achievements going back to the beginning of her pro career.

Yeah, I don't really think Danica has gotten better (or worse) in the last 2-3 years. Simply, the equipment has gone downhill a bit, and the competition has gone up. She has not risen to the occasion.

[Rodster]

Once Danica joined the IRL and landed with AGR who IIRC was the best team at the time. Her results with them were consistently average. If she is so good how come she only produced 1 win and 1 tease at the I500?

She is going to get crushed at Nascar. At least she's getting paid very well. Eventually the hype needs to produce results or the supporters will turn on you.

[Easy Drifter]

Old F==t racer/wrench/crew chief/sort of engineer before computers here.
DF has in my opinion never been able to communicate properly with her engineers. Just going from what I have read and an extremely few inside sources.
I have kept up with the technology.
Sometimes a really sharp engineer can deduce from data what a driver needs if said driver can explain clearly what the car is doing.
Usually it takes a driver who has clear understanding of exactly what the car is doing where on the track. DF seems to be able to describe what a car is doing in general terms but not exactly what and where. A car can be loose on entrance, tight in the middle and loose on exit or any assorted combos of the above.
To sort out handling the engineer needs to know exactly where in a turn a car is doing what according to the driver and then using his computer data make one of myramid adjustments to sort it out.
Some top engineers, if they can actually observe a car in turns, can sort out problems.
Ain't as simple as most people think.
Danica does not seem to have the ability to analyze what her car is doing where in enough detail.
She is not the only one with that problem!

[SoCalPVguy]

GREAT JOB PRINCESS- QUALIFYING 23RD AT INDY !!!
Let's see the Danicafan spin this one... All year long he's been yapping about how great the princess is on ovals and especially at Indy where her weight is an advantage... Well maybe this year no more special parts or what ever... JEEZE Louise getting out-quali'd by the likes of Ana Beatriz, Simona de Silvestro, and 0.02 MPH faster that the fearsome Bertrand Baguette ("The Racing Breadroll"). Congrats to the THIRD fastest woman at Indy...

I am HOWLING with laughter on this one - go to Nascar you phony self-promoter and run at the back there and be sure to sign up your new sponsor "Car Won't Go, daddy". Let's see who she blames for this one.... Whoops too late, she's already publicly blamed TK and the car set up... well Booooooo to you too !

Results, spots 10-24
10 - Townsend Bell, 225.097 mph
11 - Justin Wilson, 225.05 mph
12 - Raphael Matos, 225.029 mph
13 - Mario Moraes, 224.888 mph
14 - Davey Hamilton, 224.852 mph
15 - Mike Conway, 224.583 mph
16 - Marco Andretti, 224.575 mph
17 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, 224.548 mph
18 - Dan Wheldon, 224.465 mph
19 - EJ Viso, 224.38 mph
20 - Tomas Scheckter, 224.261 mph
21 - Ana Beatriz, 224.243 mph
22 - Simona de Silvestro, 224.228 mph
23 - Danica Patrick, 224.219 mph
24 - Bertrand Baguette, 224.189 mph

[EagleEye]

My how the mighty have fallen.

Gary
t
They skipped the post qual photos. There was a closed door scream fest afterwards.


http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs589.snc3/31069_398587385982_590765982_4701167_8362120_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4701167&id=590765982)

Normal team photo:
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs569.snc3/31069_398588985982_590765982_4701182_4269588_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4701167&id=590765982)

[Scotty G.]

t
They skipped the post qual photos. There was a closed door scream fest afterwards.


http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs589.snc3/31069_398587385982_590765982_4701167_8362120_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4701167&id=590765982)

Normal team photo:
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs569.snc3/31069_398588985982_590765982_4701182_4269588_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4701167&id=590765982)


Great job Eagle Eye. This pretty much tells the story of today. :)

Here is all you need to know...

Princess joined Rahal/Letterman Racing. Before she got there, they were a winning race team and the defending Indy 500 champions. When she left, the team was in shambles.

She bought her way into Andretti's team. Before she got there, they were a championship team. Wheldon won the 500 for them and they dominated the series. The team has steadily gone hill since she arrived and seems to be about to implode at any minute.

Coincidence? Nope.


I thought the worst response (of the MANY she gave today) was when a reporter asked her what she could do to improve the car. Her response? "I don't know, that's somebody else's job".

NOT....A....REAL....RACER.

[TURN3]

Great job Eagle Eye. This pretty much tells the story of today. :)

Here is all you need to know...

Princess joined Rahal/Letterman Racing. Before she got there, they were a winning race team and the defending Indy 500 champions. When she left, the team was in shambles.

She bought her way into Andretti's team. Before she got there, they were a championship team. Wheldon won the 500 for them and they dominated the series. The team has steadily gone hill since she arrived and seems to be about to implode at any minute.

Coincidence? Nope.


I thought the worst response (of the MANY she gave today) was when a reporter asked her what she could do to improve the car. Her response? "I don't know, that's somebody else's job".

NOT....A....REAL....RACER.

Scotty, I don't always agree with a lot you say but THIS is what I've been saying for 3 years now!!!! Can I get a heck ya from the peanut gallery?

And EagleEye, for good observation and thank you for that perspective. I have to admit that I almost cried laughing...and I mean that seriously. Then a bit of compassion came over me and I actually felt bad for Danica for a moment. To see her sitting there all by herself has to be a lonely and humbling feeling. I've been no fan of hers over the years in case some of you missed it but this is sad. Now I don't feel compasionate anymore so on with the debacle!

[NickFalzone]

I am HOWLING with laughter on this one - go to Nascar you phony self-promoter and run at the back there and be sure to sign up your new sponsor "Car Won't Go, daddy". Let's see who she blames for this one.... Whoops too late, she's already publicly blamed TK and the car set up... well Booooooo to you too !

Did she seriously blame TK for the bad car setup and her low qualifying result? I only watched parts of the quals show, but I find that hard to believe, and pretty pathetic if true (for so many reasons).

[beachbum]

t
They skipped the post qual photos. There was a closed door scream fest afterwards. EagleEye, thanks for the pictures. As the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words. To see a team ignore her like that is a shocking statement, but hardly unexpected. When she stomped out of her car at Indy a few years ago to go after Briscoe, no one on her team did anything. When she spun into the Ganassi pit at the Glen, the lack of speed of her crew to retrieve her was notable. But this.......

One has to wonder how long Michael will put up with this attitude. No wonder she gets a new strategist every year. If she pulls a stunt like that in NASCAR, she will be history in a big hurry.

[NickFalzone]

EagleEye, thanks for the pictures. As the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words. To see a team ignore her like that is a shocking statement, but hardly unexpected. When she stomped out of her car at Indy a few years ago to go after Briscoe, no one on her team did anything. When she spun into the Ganassi pit at the Glen, the lack of speed of her crew to retrieve her was notable. But this.......

One has to wonder how long Michael will put up with this attitude. No wonder she gets a new strategist every year. If she pulls a stunt like that in NASCAR, she will be history in a big hurry.

I think it may be a situation within the team where they feel like she's trying to "have her cake and eat it too" regarding her foot in the door at NASCAR. Might not be all that interested in giving her top notch stuff when it seems fairly clear that would prefer to be racing in NASCARland instead. I guess you could also call that an attitude problem. Like if you are working for Microsoft and starting to do freelance for Apple and stating you'd prefer to be working for Apple once you have mastered their programming. In the mean time you'll keep collecting paychecks from Microsoft. Yeah, your co-workers and bosses at Msoft might not be too enthused about you sticking around and affecting morale, constantly reminding everyone that there's a bigger and better place to go.

[Scotty G.]

One has to wonder how long Michael will put up with this attitude.


As long as Go Daddy keeps writing the checko. ;)

If she was actually being employed to race the car and her sponsor money wasn't needed to race it, she would have been canned by about 6:00 tonight after that act at IMS today. If there was ever a fireable offense for a driver, that was it. In the old days, another driver would have likely been in the car by Sunday morning.

I wish Michael didn't need her money and could run the team and hire the drivers like he wanted. Then he could tell her to go the hell away sometime about 5 minutes after the Indy 500 ends. Then she could get a head start on her sterling NASCAR career, where she needs to get back to learning how to finish 30th and 3 laps down every week.

Kanaan is the guy I feel most sorry for. He is pissing away years with this circus. The absolute worst decision that was made in the past 5 years in Indy Cars, was TK reupping with AGR. TK was loyal and look what that has gotten him. He should have been smart enough to see this coming. He should have gone and talked to Bobby Rahal, Scott Roembke and Buddy Rice. But he is stuck now with a team showing no signs of ever regaining its past form.


One last one on P. Sparkle Pony.... if her car was so crappy and so undriveable at Indy this year and "its not her fault" for the results because of said car; can we also summise that in past years when she has had fast speeds and good results, that also was more because of "the car". Because without her even realizing it (which isn't hard to believe with the intelligence level of this person), she just admitted today that she plays very little role in whether she runs good or runs bad. Because if its "not her fault" when the car is slow, then it also can't be because of her when the car is fast.

So not only did she throw her entire crew, engineering staff and team owner under a greyhound and made a complete ass of herself in front of the public, but also threw herself under the greyhound as well (by indirectly saying the only way she can go fast and look like a real driver is if the car is good and she has no clue and no care on how to make a average car better). :eek:

[Jag_Warrior]

One last one on P. Sparkle Pony.... if her car was so crappy and so undriveable at Indy this year and "its not her fault" for the results because of said car; can we also summise that in past years when she has had fast speeds and good results, that also was more because of "the car". Because without her even realizing it (which isn't hard to believe with the intelligence level of this person), she just admitted today that she plays very little role in whether she runs good or runs bad. Because if its "not her fault" when the car is slow, then it also can't be because of her when the car is fast.

So not only did she throw her entire crew, engineering staff and team owner under a greyhound and made a complete ass of herself in front of the public, but also threw herself under the greyhound as well (by indirectly saying the only way she can go fast and look like a real driver is if the car is good and she has no clue and no care on how to make a average car better). :eek:

Well, Scotty knocks one over the fence. Great logic and I have to agree with you. Yeah, if she doesn't know why it's going slow, then she also shouldn't have much to say when it goes fast.

What continues to amaze me is this is the same person who said she wasn't sure if she wanted to do NASCAR or Formula One a couple of years ago. Ya know, back when she thought she was prepared to jump straight into Sprint Cup with no ARCA or Nationwide prep. :rotflmao: And judging by her roadcourse performances this year (and her whining about it afterward), they could bolt a turbo onto a V10 powered Ferrari and give her a 1 lap headstart, and she'd still be fighting to stay ahead of the HRT's and Virgins by the end of an F1 race.

[Easy Drifter]

The last thing a racer ever does is publicly blame the crew/engineer. In private yes if, and that is a big if, they fouled up.
It wouldn't totally surprise me if some of the crew quit before the race.
Some will almost certainly leave or demand they be moved to another driver after the race.
Most will stay, maybe all, for the race but if anything goes wrong they will not make any extra effort. As they are pros, unlike the driver, they will do their best as long as the car is running well and she is trying.
Most of us have known that she can't set up a car but I think this is the first time she has admitted it.
After the number of years she has raced pro she should have learned. Too much time promoting the 'Brand' and too little learning to be a racer.
If you can't relate to your team properly what the car is doing where, it is almost impossible to get it setup to the drivers liking. Computers help but the driver has to provide proper feedback.
I worked with both kinds but they all at least tried to learn how to provide feedback.

[beachbum]

The title of the thread may just say it all. The bloom is off the rose as Danica has finally proven to be just an average driver (at best), has been overshadowed by other women (both rookies), and revealed much about her true attitude. Most of this in the past has been overshadowed by careful handlers and slick PR. But the truth can only be hidden for so long.

You people need to read to read another racing forum where the Danica supporters have "come to her rescue". The excuses have been almost laughgable. Some examples:

The photo? All drivers have a photo with only their car, so that proves nothing. Maybe her crew was helping rebuild TK's car. No proof of course.

Blaming the car? Of course the car was crap as were the other AA cars.

Not being able to give feedback? The engineers should know how to set up a car.

The boos? Even though a couple posters were sitting in the stands, they were wrong, it never happened. One apologist even claimed one critic could not have been at the race because they live a long distance from Indy and posted a message a short time after the event. I guess that "supporter" never heard of laptops and cellular internet and proxy IP addresses. The fan could have posted from the stands and have an IP address of Timbuktu.

Those apologists just don't see how ridiculous their excuses sound. Instead of debating the critics on factual points, they just attack the critics with very twisted logic. Danica is not some raw rookie, she has been in Indy car for years, on very good teams (at least they were before she showed up). She should have learned something about feedback. Oddly enough, the TV coverage reported that the team went back to a setup used in 2008 to make her more comfortable. It was ok then, but junk now?

Those same supporters should read the comments of RHR and Marco, 2 drivers with a long history of whining. They both handled the struggles with grace. RHR admitted the car was scary loose, but his job was to hang on to it and get the most out of it. No blame, just fact. Marco said almost the same. Those supporters don't remember when Marco was pummeled a few years back when he parked cars because the handling scared him. Some of those Danica apologists were Marco's harshest critics.

There will always be those who support Danica regardless of how she does. I don't have a problem with that, but I do have problems with "fans" who twist facts, provide lame excuses, and attack other people who think her 15 minutes of fame have passed (often attacking viciously). I say let her go to NASCAR. The "novelty" factor of her brand won't protect her there for long and the image of IndyCar as a professional series won't be tarnished by a Princess.

[mileman]

Sheesh! This is such a non-story...

[anthonyvop]

Sheesh! This is such a non-story...

Are you serious?


The Face of the IRL gets booed and her crew is rumored to be mutinous?

It is the story of the weekend.

[Marbles]

I try to avoid DP threads like I try to avoid looking at accidents on the highway (it's the number one cause of other accidents, ya know!) but I think the girl is generally messed up this season and I almost feel sorry for her. It's as if she can't help herself, in more ways than one.

Slagging road courses, the very form of racing she cut her teeth on "it's just follow the leader," or in her case, "follow the back-marker in front of you." and now she's slagging her team.

Having said that, she's in the race and her teams ability to pass cars with pit strategy, and not her ability to pass cars on the track, still gives her a legitimate shot at it.

[beachbum]

Sheesh! This is such a non-story...The main story is AA as a team is struggling badly. 2 crashes now for TK and none of the cars have been quick, even in race trim. But the Danica situation is a story in and of itself.

I just finished reading all of the post qualifying interviews. Almost all of the 24 qualified drivers were saying the same things. To go fast, the cars have to be very loose and the driver is just hanging on. Some, like Justin Wilson knew why the car pushed in turn 2 (tailwind) and then was loose in one. Others like Bell and Rahal just stated the cars were scary, but their job was to keep their foot down. As Townsend Bell put it "In the end, my foot was dumber than my brain, and I just kept my foot in it" (one of the best quotes of the week), or Rahal "you just have to grit your teeth and go for it, if you don't, you aren't doing your job". Not one blamed the team, or the setup, or anything else. They all stated it was just what you had to do and felt they did the best in the circumstances. It was we did this as a team. The only driver to use "I" was Mutoh, when he said "I just couldn't put four laps together".

All but Danica. Her comments stood out because they were so contrasting to every other driver. That makes it a story.

[markabilly]

The last thing a racer ever does is publicly blame the crew/engineer. In private yes if, and that is a big if, they fouled up.
It wouldn't totally surprise me if some of the crew quit before the race.
Some will almost certainly leave or demand they be moved to another driver after the race.
.
at most you might hear, is gee, we are still working out the kinks....we have had some problems due to new parts...

but all in all , it was not that critical of the team:



Patrick was shaking and holding back tears after the qualifying run. She said adjustments on the car throughout the week were poor.
"The car is just totally skating across the track, and there's no grip," she said. "My mechanics took tons of time to make sure it was fast and slick and no drag. It's there, it's just that the setup's not there. I feel bad for them because it's a good car.
"The GoDaddy car deserves to be higher up than this. It's better than this. It's just not set up right."


Seems the whole team is having issues if you look at the results.

she was actually a close third out of the four.

TK crashed

So hate her all you want (and I am not talking about easy here who has some basis for his thoughts unlike the rest of you), and sprew forth.....She is still the biggest draw there is for Indy, like it or not.

When she is gone, next to nobody in the general public will be tuning in on TV to watch Kannan, Will Power and Helio race...but not to worry, why there is at least a couple of hundred real fans who post on forums who will watch....the others will be tuning into nascar later in the day

:grenade:

[harvick#1]

sorry but Helio has got a good following. and when the general public finally grows up and knows what a fraud she is to the sport, they will start liking someone new.

just Remember CART/IRL survived before her, they will survive after her. once she fails miserably in Nascar, she will come crawling back and I really hope no one picks her up, she is a tumor to the sport and it will be great to see everyone get back to racing and TV can actually follow the race instead of worrying where Danica is running in 15th place.

plus, judging by the attendance in the IRL races, shes not helping out any, the oval tracks outside of Indy are lucky to get half a crowd if they are lucky.

[markabilly]

sorry but Helio has got a good following. and when the general public finally grows up and knows what a fraud she is to the sport, they will start liking someone new.

just Remember CART/IRL survived before her, they will survive after her. once she fails miserably in Nascar, she will come crawling back and I really hope no one picks her up, she is a tumor to the sport and it will be great to see everyone get back to racing and TV can actually follow the race instead of worrying where Danica is running in 15th place.

plus, judging by the attendance in the IRL races, shes not helping out any, the oval tracks outside of Indy are lucky to get half a crowd if they are lucky.
speaking of crowds, nobody much showed up for yesterday's qualifying to see Helios take pole, and today, it looks like that nobody showed for day 2, and TK smashed his back up this morning....guess they heard that DP had not been running well at all in the days leading up to Qing, so why go at all....

i remember when this many would show up just for practice in the middle of the week........

(BTW--CART did not survive......

[NickFalzone]

speaking of crowds, nobody much showed up for yesterday's qualifying to see Helios take pole, and today, it looks like that nobody showed for day 2, and TK smashed his back up this morning....guess they heard that DP had not been running well at all in the days leading up to Qing, so why go at all....

i remember when this many would show up just for practice in the middle of the week........

(BTW--CART did not survive......

Danica means nothing attendance-wise or ratings-wise. Has not for at least 2-3 years. She brought some ratings over to her novelty attempt in stock cars, but I can guarantee you that no more than 5% of the current IRL viewers and attendees are doing so simply because of Danica. The series will or will not survive the next 3-4 years, but it will have nothing to do with the status of this particular driver.

[call_me_andrew]

GREAT JOB PRINCESS- QUALIFYING 23RD AT INDY !!!
Let's see the Danicafan spin this one...

I like spin so I'll give it a shot.

Danica got an inside tip that Randy is going to have a suprise inversion after qualifying.

[TURN3]

I'm shellshocked about PT. Speechless!

In my opinion, the team mis-managed their efforts all week. Seems they took qualifying for granted and worked on the race car...which they obviously had a good setup for. Problem is, gotta get in. Just shows what I've been saying all year...KV is not a true professional outfit.

I'm so disappointed.

[TURN3]

Wrong thread...sorry.

[SportscarBruce]

I dislike her but I also feel she has lost what little fire she had. She was better than she is showing now.

She bit the apple at Daytona and is forever poisoned.

[DavePI2]

I have a question about her actions or lack their of today. Where was she. Maybe everyone else saw her their(forgive me I was at ncaa softball part of the afternoon)but I didn't. Every one from agr seemed to be involved in one way or another in trying to get tk into the race not just because he is a teammate but he is the best teammate anyone could have. The other drivers and crew members all seemed to be their at least if nothing else lending moral support. Where was she? If she was their I am sorry for being wrong but I certainly didn't see anything from her showing she has any idea what being a teammate means.

david

see you in grandstand a next week

[Scotty G.]

I watched Princess today live and in person at IMS.

She is scared. Nothing else to say about it. She is lifting noticeably going into turn 1 on almost every lap. In race trim. With no other cars around her.

She won't be around long on raceday. And if she does soldier it around, she will be many laps down.

There weren't even many folks hovering around her garage today either. I saw a lot of folks around the Penske garage and a lot around Sarah Fisher's and Simona's garage. Saw a lot of Sarah Fisher t-shirts in the garage area today. Simona's team/group needs to get on the ball and get her some merchandise going. People will buy it.

Simona is so good with the fans. She smiles. Constantly. She actually speaks and has conversations with them. It doesn't appear to "bother" her to actually interact with people. Hope that doesn't change as her star continues to rise. Kinda doubt it does.

I was struck with just how small the HVM team is. Aren't many folks associated with that team. SFR's team in comparison looks 4 or 5 times bigger in terms of crew guys and team personnel. Also having 2 cars this year helps grow your personnel. But still. SFR is not a full-time team. HVM is.

Simona has been so consistant at Indy. Today she was in race trim and it was lap after lap after lap at 220 to 221. Every lap looked the same. She was running lap speeds right with all the big dogs in race trim. As long as she doesn't have a awful finish, she should win Rookie of the Year at Indy going away. She is clearly the best rookie.

Randy should be working now on keeping Simona in this series. He needs to get many more Americans (and that has to be a priority). But he better make sure this woman doesn't go anywhere. She is part of the future of this sport and its not going to be long before she very well could be one of the 2 or 3 biggest stars in it.

[SportscarBruce]

I have a question about her actions or lack their of today. Where was she. Maybe everyone else saw her their(forgive me I was at ncaa softball part of the afternoon)but I didn't. Every one from agr seemed to be involved in one way or another in trying to get tk into the race not just because he is a teammate but he is the best teammate anyone could have. The other drivers and crew members all seemed to be their at least if nothing else lending moral support. Where was she? If she was their I am sorry for being wrong but I certainly didn't see anything from her showing she has any idea what being a teammate means.

david

see you in grandstand a next week

The opening segment of today's broadcast showed a split screen of TK's morning practice crash and Danica's horrified reaction to it. So she was there, or at least early on.

Have fun at the race!

[Scotty G.]

1. Blaming the car? Of course the car was crap as were the other AA cars.

2. Not being able to give feedback? The engineers should know how to set up a car.

3. The boos? Even though a couple posters were sitting in the stands, they were wrong, it never happened.



1. So what? You think Sarah Fisher's car was very good this week? You think the Foyt cars were good the past 2 days (they were so bad, that AJ's grandson told his grandpa to stick it and quit this morning)? You think KV's cars were very good the past 2 days? You think ALL cars were fun to drive the past 2 days in the heat and with low downforce? Her car isn't always going to be great. Unless you are driving for Penske or Ganassi, most teams have to fight their ass off at Indy to get a good car in different conditions. John Andretti sucked it up and qualified at noon, with no practice today, and ran some of his fastest speeds of the week. He is just some old, washed up Cup driver who only races Indy Cars once or twice a year. :p How'd he do it and do it with class too?

2. Engineers aren't the ones driving the car. They have too much input/influence on these cars anyway. They can get you to a certain point. Its up to the driver to get that last tenth or two. Sometimes the driver has to help. The good ones do. The fakers don't.

3. Bull. She was roundly booed. Anybody with 2 working ears could hear it. And she deserved it.

[beachgirl]

Scotty, I think BB was simply quoting the excuses and defenses from other people on other forums. From BB's posts before about this particular driver, I don't think he believes those excuses for one second. I think he was being sarcastic. IMHO

[Scotty G.]

BTW, how do you think she would have reacted today if her team had pulled a qualfied time and taken themselves out of the Indy 500 (like Howard and Tracy did)?

Think she would have handled it with the class and "manned up" like PT did? He had to be steaming. They screwed up. But did he cry and whine like a spoiled brat in the post-qual radio interview? Nope. Did he blame his car or his team or anyone besides himself for not making it? Nope. Said "WE didn't get it done". Said "OUR car and OUR team just didn't get it dialed in in the hot weather". Didn't single anyone out. Didn't talk about his prior record at Indy or his racing accomplishments that could show that it wasn't his fault. He took it like a true TEAMMATE is supposed to.

And I bet his TEAM appreciated it.

[SimonaFan]

Simona has been very open to fans so far this year, and I hope it doesn't change when she gets more successful.
At the race I was at, she was very nice and an all around good person in the paddock.
Danica was...well, something I should not say here.

[DavePI2]

thanks for the correction on her being their

[beachbum]

1. So what? You think Sarah Fisher's car was very good this week? You think the Foyt cars were good the past 2 days (they were so bad, that AJ's grandson told his grandpa to stick it and quit this morning)? You think KV's cars were very good the past 2 days? You think ALL cars were fun to drive the past 2 days in the heat and with low downforce? Her car isn't always going to be great. Unless you are driving for Penske or Ganassi, most teams have to fight their ass off at Indy to get a good car in different conditions. John Andretti sucked it up and qualified at noon, with no practice today, and ran some of his fastest speeds of the week. He is just some old, washed up Cup driver who only races Indy Cars once or twice a year. :p How'd he do it and do it with class too?

2. Engineers aren't the ones driving the car. They have too much input/influence on these cars anyway. They can get you to a certain point. Its up to the driver to get that last tenth or two. Sometimes the driver has to help. The good ones do. The fakers don't.

3. Bull. She was roundly booed. Anybody with 2 working ears could hear it. And she deserved it.Scotty, you took my post way too literal. Read the sentence before the excuses.
You people need to read another racing forum where the Danica supporters have "come to her rescue". The excuses have been almost laughable. Some examples: I was outlining the the ridiculous arguments her apologists were posting on other forums. No mine. Your reaction to what they posted was about the same as mine. Maybe I should have wrapped them with a "sarcasm alert" :)

[NickFalzone]

I watched Princess today live and in person at IMS.

She is scared. Nothing else to say about it. She is lifting noticeably going into turn 1 on almost every lap. In race trim. With no other cars around her.

She won't be around long on raceday. And if she does soldier it around, she will be many laps down.

This is symptomatic of her larger problems as a driver. I do not blame her for not wanting to get hurt by a bad crash. There are endless examples of such at Indy. That being said, as a racecar driver, you need to put it on the line every once in awhile. Almost every driver out there this weekend said they were losing the car constantly, but managed to make their run without wrecking. I get the impression that Danica did not push her car to the place where it was very loose, it sounds like she was letting off in the turns and playing it very safe. In races, you can count on her to block others from passing, but making risky moves to get ahead of other drivers? Never seen it. In some ways she is the polar opposite of a driver like Scheckter, or even Dixon & Castroneves who know how to put their cars right up to the edge without wrecking. That is a skill, and a mindset, that she doesn't seem to have.

[NickFalzone]

I agree that Simona is one of the bright spots in the series right now. She may not be getting the best equipment, but she has been regularly in the mix and appears to be a rather aggressive driver. More so, she seems to have genuine talent, which is more than I can say for some of the ride-buyers that are on better teams.

[garyshell]

Scotty, you took my post way too literal. Read the sentence before the excuses.I was outlining the the ridiculous arguments her apologists were posting on other forums. No mine. Your reaction to what they posted was about the same as mine. Maybe I should have wrapped them with a "sarcasm alert" :)


Pretty typical for Scotty. Ready, Shoot, Aim!

Gary

[chuck34]

Posted this in another thread, didn't see this one. Oops.

Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere, but was anyone at the track on Saturday? I was and heard the quote of the year, maybe decade.

"It's just not my fault!" -Danica

I try not to be too hard on her most of the time. But THAT statement is just unexcusable. You don't throw your crew under the bus like that, especially not over the PA at the track. You should have heard the boos from the crowd. And the comments from the people around me can't really be written here, but they were funny as hell.

Like I said, I've tried to give her the bennifit of the doubt for years. But after THAT display of "sportsmanship" ... she's fair game. And I wouldn't be surprised if she falls out early with an "unexpected" mechanical issue, if you get my meaning.

[EagleEye]

Some updates on Danica.

First, anyone who tries to compare Danica to Milka is a fool. There is no comparison at all.

We know that George Mack, Dr. Jack, Marty Roth could hold there foot down for a lap or two and even Milka can throw up (what we do when she is on track) a decent number now and again. But Milka was a disater on the track all week.

She almost took out one Penske (Ala AJ taking out Bruno) in turn two, and was called in by race control. She went for the trifecta the next day by almost taking out TWO Penskes in the North chute. Dunno, moved from the race lane to the middle lane, and lifted…causing one Penske to shoot to the warm up lane, and the other shoot around on the high side. She was called in by race control, again, and Little Al was sent over to give her advice. I know what my advice would be! All told, race control called her in around four times. Neither Al Jr. or her spotter, Pancho, could do anything with this terrible ball of clay. Milka is the only driver team's warn their drivers about.

Danica, was never called in by race control, and no drivers sent her way to explain to her what to do or what not to do. While she can display a bit of ‘King Hirro when being lapped (going faster, as leaders try to pass) she does not regulary try to kill people.

Having pointed that out, Danica was way out of line for throwing her team under the bus in public. The “It’s not my fault”and “I’m not an engineer” have already made it on T-shirts on 16th and G. She could very well be right, but as Tony Kanaan said in public “We win as a team, and we loose as a team”. There certainly was kaos in the Andretti garage as they dealt with damage control, of the car kind and team moral kind. I know first hand how frustrating it is when the crew does miss the mark and the best place for such discussions is behind closed doors.

But to fill some in on what they do not get on TV or the web, there is turmoil in Danica’s personal life at the momment which certainly can cause a negative effect. We all saw how Tony Kanaan struggled last year on and off the track (though the off the track was self afflicted) and it is notable that his old engineer is now working with Tags, so I am not convinced the engineer was to blame. Same thing with Danica this year, as in addition to her being pulled in multiple directions for her “brand” she has some personal issues she is dealing with. Now that she has asked for another engineer, and another race strategist, maybe a quick check in the mirror and more good advice from TK, will help her out of her rut.

[DBell]

Hey EE, I was wondering if you had any insights into why AJ #4 parted ways with Grandpa on the final day of qualifying? I've been reading recaps on the weekend to catch up on what happened and I haven't seen any reasons or even guesses on what happened there.

[Chris R]

a number of people have alluded to Danica's "personal" issues... what are we talking about and is it anything that other drivers do not have to deal with occasionally as well???

[Scotty G.]

Hey EE, I was wondering if you had any insights into why AJ #4 parted ways with Grandpa on the final day of qualifying? I've been reading recaps on the weekend to catch up on what happened and I haven't seen any reasons or even guesses on what happened there.


I won't speak for EE, but in listening in on some conversations around the Foyt garage on Sunday morning, I can verify some things.

Anthony went out on Sunday morning and the car felt terrible. Said it felt like it "would snap loose" in turn 1 on him at any moment. AJ blamed the driver and told him to "just drive the *$&#@( car". Anthony didn't take kindly to that, to say the least. I don't know if he quit or was fired (might have been a combination of both) but the blowup was real and in these deals, big AJ always gets the last word in a argument. You can't win arguing with AJ.

Thing is, Anthony wasn't doing a bad job this month. Was clean. Was a tick faster then Vitor on several days. Was in the 15-25 range almost every day on the time sheets. Almost was fast enough on Bubble Day. He and Vitor get along great and were good teammates. Owen Snyder liked working with him. I think AJ royally screwed this one up. Jaques got in the car and the car was just as bad for him yesterday as it was in the morning session for AJIV. And he never ran times in quals as fast as Anthony did on Bubble Day. And the #41 car will not be in the race.

[Scotty G.]

a number of people have alluded to Danica's "personal" issues... what are we talking about and is it anything that other drivers do not have to deal with occasionally as well???

My guess is that it likely has something to do with Mr. Hospenthal (who we haven't seen in a while).

But that would just be a guess on my part.

[markabilly]

I won't speak for EE, but in listening in on some conversations around the Foyt garage on Sunday morning, I can verify some things.

Anthony went out on Sunday morning and the car felt terrible. Said it felt like it "would snap loose" in turn 1 on him at any moment. AJ blamed the driver and told him to "just drive the *$&#@( car". Anthony didn't take kindly to that, to say the least. I don't know if he quit or was fired (might have been a combination of both) but the blowup was real and in these deals, big AJ always gets the last word in a argument. You can't win arguing with AJ.

Thing is, Anthony wasn't doing a bad job this month. Was clean. Was a tick faster then Vitor on several days. Was in the 15-25 range almost every day on the time sheets. Almost was fast enough on Bubble Day. He and Vitor get along great and were good teammates. Owen Snyder liked working with him. I think AJ royally screwed this one up. Jaques got in the car and the car was just as bad for him yesterday as it was in the morning session for AJIV. And he never ran times in quals as fast as Anthony did on Bubble Day. And the #41 car will not be in the race.
It seems the only way to qualify well, is to trim out the wings, and without all the downforce, the car skates as on ice, but this nothing new, as the drivers of the sixties did that quite well.

but that kind of stuff at that speed, can be very very scary...as even Rahal and Hunter Reay both sid, it is kind of "scary out there"
and so DP lifting and shaking after her attempt, well that should not be a surprize as i am sure others were doing the same thing (they just probably went into one of the garage restrooms and threw up w/o anybody knowing).

TK seemed to put it in the wall wherever he got on it hard , no doubt for the same reason.

So more than in the last few years, the drivers NOW need the "touch".

Reminds me of a quote from mario, when he was being asked about how tough the F1 cars were to dirve in the year he retired, and he said it was all point and shoot, and the skill to do that was small, compared to the skill needed to drive Indy at speed in the early 1960's--in the time before the "wings"


as to AJ, I am suprized the kid did as well as he did, for as long as he did, given who the boss is or was.

[EagleEye]

I won't speak for EE, but in listening in on some conversations around the Foyt garage on Sunday morning, I can verify some things.

Anthony went out on Sunday morning and the car felt terrible. Said it felt like it "would snap loose" in turn 1 on him at any moment. AJ blamed the driver and told him to "just drive the *$&#@( car". Anthony didn't take kindly to that, to say the least. I don't know if he quit or was fired (might have been a combination of both) but the blowup was real and in these deals, big AJ always gets the last word in a argument. You can't win arguing with AJ.

Thing is, Anthony wasn't doing a bad job this month. Was clean. Was a tick faster then Vitor on several days. Was in the 15-25 range almost every day on the time sheets. Almost was fast enough on Bubble Day. He and Vitor get along great and were good teammates. Owen Snyder liked working with him. I think AJ royally screwed this one up. Jaques got in the car and the car was just as bad for him yesterday as it was in the morning session for AJIV. And he never ran times in quals as fast as Anthony did on Bubble Day. And the #41 car will not be in the race.

That is about what we all heard, and AJIV left the facility after the heated exchange.

[EagleEye]

a number of people have alluded to Danica's "personal" issues... what are we talking about and is it anything that other drivers do not have to deal with occasionally as well???

I won't get into the issues, but anytime a person struggles in their home life, there can be dstractions at work. I think more so in racing than any other sport, due to the mental aspect of it.

We have seen champions struggle (TK, Michael Andretti, AL Jr., etc). Again, not making excuses, but the personal issues do not help. And females can be a bit more emotional about things as well.

[harvick#1]

I won't get into the issues, but anytime a person struggles in their home life, there can be dstractions at work. I think more so in racing than any other sport, due to the mental aspect of it.

We have seen champions struggle (TK, Michael Andretti, AL Jr., etc). Again, not making excuses, but the personal issues do not help. And females can be a bit more emotional about things as well.

Shes spending more time on her "TV commercials" than shuting up and driving, theres another popular driver in the Nascar series that is doing the same thing.

Danica needs to sit down real hard and think, Be a "Go Daddy Model" or a "Racecar Driver" cause doing both does not work.

[fugariracing]

ESPN didn't get the memo about the bloom being off. They had her in studio on SportsCenter this morning and despite everything else that happened on Bump Day, there were no highlights - just more drivel on the 23rd place qualifier and her run. At least they showed on screen - albeit briefly - Bia and Simona qualified ahead.

Jim Rome absolutely crushed it in his final burn on his show on the Mouse this afternoon. Said Danica was completely in the wrong for throwing her team under the bus. Labeled it akin to a QB calling out his offensive line. Rome was spot on with that and I wish more people in the media had the cojones to call out her ability or lack thereof.

[beachbum]

ESPN didn't get the memo about the bloom being off. They had her in studio on SportsCenter this morning and despite everything else that happened on Bump Day, there were no highlights - just more drivel on the 23rd place qualifier and her run. At least they showed on screen - albeit briefly - Bia and Simona qualified ahead. What network carries all of the NASCAR Nationwide races? ESPN They got the memo, it was just a different memo.

[anthonyvop]

What network carries all of the NASCAR Nationwide races? ESPN They got the memo, it was just a different memo.


The Indy 500 is on ABC......For the next week the Indy 500 will be the greatest sporting event in the world. By Monday afternoon it will be forgotten again.

[jimispeed]

I usually don't comment on Danica, but I will this time. She qualified for the Indy 500!! There is a great driver who didn't. She should be respectful, and realize it's a long race, and lots of things happen at Indy......

Her head's not in the right place, and that won't allow anyone to be a true racer!! True race car drivers focus only on what they have in front of them, unless they're lucky with unbelievable talent! Those are the ones who sometimes make boneheaded statements, and then go out and mutilate the field!! Which I kind of enjoy......

[elis]

The “It’s not my fault” has already made it on T-shirts on 16th and G.

Funny as heck when Jay Howard used the same line in jest in relation to his quali failure, this morning on the smiley radio show! :D

[Mark in Oshawa]

Well, after snafu's kept me off line (and being up north drinking beer!!) during this whole thing, but let me state a few things:

Danica's constant tossing her engineers and by extention TK under the bus has finally bit her in the @ss. Personally, I wish AAR would sell the ride out from under her and put someone in the car who cared, but I doubt that would be legal.

Danica cannot set up car. Never could. It has been her Achilles heel forever, and it has finally been exposed. She wont have any success anywhere if she cant figure it out either.

One thing is for sure, Andretti's wont be spending time nor money on her, since they probably have no time for her attitude, her lack of knowledge or her general disposition. Finally, the world saw the real Danica...and reacted appropriately. Maybe ABC and the press will pick up on it...

[TURN3]

All of this Danica BS is what most of us have known and been saying for at least 3 years and sometimes more. I should be in 7th heaven about the humiliation she's going through. But I'm not. Danica has never been so irrelevant as she is right now to me because I can't get the puke taste out of my mouth after what happened to PT. I can say that the way he has handled himself through all of this has made me a bigger fan of his, if that was possible. The mark of a TRUE CHAMPION! Now compare that to Danica's antics and what else can you say.

PS: And I stare out the window at GoDaddy headquarters all day thinking how they could be standing behind a REAL driver!

[Mark in Oshawa]

All of this Danica BS is what most of us have known and been saying for at least 3 years and sometimes more. I should be in 7th heaven about the humiliation she's going through. But I'm not. Danica has never been so irrelevant as she is right now to me because I can't get the puke taste out of my mouth after what happened to PT. I can say that the way he has handled himself through all of this has made me a bigger fan of his, if that was possible. The mark of a TRUE CHAMPION! Now compare that to Danica's antics and what else can you say.

PS: And I stare out the window at GoDaddy headquarters all day thinking how they could be standing behind a REAL driver!

They do stand behind a real driver, Mark Martin!!!

I agree with you on all of this though. You look how PT took the high road and took ownership of a decision that really shouldn't be in his hands, and you realize now just how goofy big business is when it backs or doesn't back a driver. Paul Tracy will give 110% of his time and effort to sell his sponsor and show them off on the track. He has immense ability, a great personality, and sometimes questionable judgement when the red mist on track strikes...but he is a class act. Racing needs more PT...but it wasn't to be, and that is that...

[Easy Drifter]

If she manages a top 10 at Indy (quite likely) the PR machine and regular press/ABC will be gaga. That will happen even if one of the other females beats her. Otherwise it all turn over to her upcoming Taxi Cab races. At the moment she still brings in the money to Andretti Racing.
If she continues to flop in the stockers the spin can only last so long.
Dean McNulty in the Toronto Sun is still a big fan.
Norris McDonald in the Toronto Star not much of a supporter. But then Norris drove Super Mods and was a car owner. He also is a real fan who covers all racing including club racing.

[Mark in Oshawa]

If she manages a top 10 at Indy (quite likely) the PR machine and regular press/ABC will be gaga. That will happen even if one of the other females beats her. Otherwise it all turn over to her upcoming Taxi Cab races. At the moment she still brings in the money to Andretti Racing.
If she continues to flop in the stockers the spin can only last so long.
Dean McNulty in the Toronto Sun is still a big fan.
Norris McDonald in the Toronto Star not much of a supporter. But then Norris drove Super Mods and was a car owner. He also is a real fan who covers all racing including club racing.

McNulty is out to lunch. When Paul didn't make Indy, the bigger story was Danica getting booed to him.....

[Scotty G.]

If she manages a top 10 at Indy (quite likely)...


Its not likely this year.

She is lost and looked scared on Sunday running race setups. Indy has gotten her this year and she is not good enough nor brave enough to get it back.

She will be one of the slowest cars on the track Sunday. Count on it.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Its not likely this year.

She is lost and looked scared on Sunday running race setups. Indy has gotten her this year and she is not good enough nor brave enough to get it back.

She will be one of the slowest cars on the track Sunday. Count on it.

Heck Scott, even if she was faster, she has shown no ability to go around people who don't want to be passed. This could be a miserable day for her...

[Easy Drifter]

Unless it is the Taxi Cabs McNulty is lost.
He had Tracy hitting the wall on his qualifying run.
According to McNulty, last week, Button drives a Red Bull Renault.
The Sun needs to find a new Motorsports writer.

[Jag_Warrior]

Just for fun, I think we should do an over/under on how many laps down The Danica finishes. Let's set the line at 2. I say she finishes more than 2 laps down.

[beachbum]

Just for fun, I think we should do an over/under on how many laps down The Danica finishes. Let's set the line at 2. I say she finishes more than 2 laps down.Only 2? You must be expecting lots of yellows. ;)

[V12]

As long as Go Daddy keeps writing the checko. ;)

If she was actually being employed to race the car and her sponsor money wasn't needed to race it, she would have never been hired in the first place. If there was ever a fireable offense for a driver, that was it. In the old days, another driver would have likely been in the car by Sunday morning.

I wish Michael didn't need her money and could run the team and hire the drivers like he wanted. Then he could tell her to go the hell away sometime about 5 minutes after the Indy 500 ends. Then she could get a head start on her sterling NASCAR career, where she needs to get back to learning how to finish 30th and 3 laps down every week.

Kanaan is the guy I feel most sorry for. He is pissing away years with this circus. The absolute worst decision that was made in the past 5 years in Indy Cars, was TK reupping with AGR. TK was loyal and look what that has gotten him. He should have been smart enough to see this coming. He should have gone and talked to Bobby Rahal, Scott Roembke and Buddy Rice. But he is stuck now with a team showing no signs of ever regaining its past form.


One last one on P. Sparkle Pony.... if her car was so crappy and so undriveable at Indy this year and "its not her fault" for the results because of said car; can we also summise that in past years when she has had fast speeds and good results, that also was more because of "the car". Because without her even realizing it (which isn't hard to believe with the intelligence level of this person), she just admitted today that she plays very little role in whether she runs good or runs bad. Because if its "not her fault" when the car is slow, then it also can't be because of her when the car is fast.

So not only did she throw her entire crew, engineering staff and team owner under a greyhound and made a complete ass of herself in front of the public, but also threw herself under the greyhound as well (by indirectly saying the only way she can go fast and look like a real driver is if the car is good and she has no clue and no care on how to make a average car better). :eek:

Corrected this for ya :)

[Jag_Warrior]

Only 2? You must be expecting lots of yellows. ;)

Ouch! :D

It sounds like you're putting a $20 on the (safe) over bet.

[SoCalPVguy]

link: http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/Danica-Patrick-hears-boos-at-Indianapolis

More piling on :)
Danica Patrick still hearing boos at Indianapolis


A quick walk through the Pagoda Plaza on Carb Day found that at least some fans are still not thrilled with Danica Patrick over her “it’s not my fault” explanation of her poor qualifying effort last Saturday.

There is an undercurrent of resentment for IndyCar’s most popular star following her tough public comments.
Patrick admitted to being surprised by the reaction when her comments boomed over the track's PA system about 10 minutes after she spoke last Saturday. In five previous appearances, she had never qualified outside the top 10.
She spent much of Thursday's media day taking the blame for what she said.
"It makes me feel bad but I understand why," she said. "I kind of broke a cardinal rule in sports and blamed someone. I understand. What I said came across really aggressive, and I know that."
Morton, Ill. resident Phil Fort was at Pole and Carb Days to hear it all.
“Probably like everybody else I was sitting with, I was kind of shocked that she said that about her team,” Fort said. “I know she’s pretty outspoken. I’ve met her a couple of times and she’s always been nice to me. She probably put her foot in her mouth and didn’t realize what she was saying.
“Don’t put your team down, especially when she’s on the big video screen like she was, because everybody booed her.”
Indeed, when Patrick was shown on the Pagoda video board as she prepared to face off against Helio Castroneves in the pit stop competition, she received a fair share of criticism from fans.
Indianapolis resident Jeremy Jackson said that if she really cared about IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, she wouldn’t have said what she said — and wouldn’t be competing part-time in NASCAR.
“I mean, she says she’s all about the Indianapolis 500 and the month of May,” Jackson said. “She’s the heart of the sport ... I don’t resent [her going to NASCAR]. Absolutely not. Because she’s making the money. But with what she says she does, she should stick to open-wheel racing.”
But the IndyCar Series star is undeterred by the criticism.
"I might get booed if I win, too, but that's OK," Patrick said. "Winning will solve everything for me. That's the be-all, end-all cure for me. I don't know if it'll cure everything from the fans' perspectives, but I can't force them to feel a certain way."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[beachbum]

"Winning will solve everything for me. That's the be-all, end-all cure for me. I don't know if it'll cure everything from the fans' perspectives, but I can't force them to feel a certain way."Dream on Danica. Ain't gonna happen at Indy if you are the next to slowest car on carb day.

So now blame the fans. You really don't think your own behavior has anything to do with your image?. As her own team strategist said to her a couple years ago in a race "shut up and drive"

[beachbum]

Ouch! :D

It sounds like you're putting a $20 on the (safe) over bet.Well, without yellows, it does look like a safe bet. My wife wanted about a half dozen over-unders. Lap when first lapped, laps downs at end, lap of first f-bomb on radio, lap of first "it's loose!", lap she yells at strategist, lap she just parks it out of frustration, lap she hits someone in pit lane (car or person), if she will throw the team under the bus again, if she will smile on race day (too easy - no)............ As you might guess, my wife isn't a Danica fan. :)

[SarahFan]

it will be interesting to hear the crowd reaction tomorrow when she is introduced....

if she hears more boos that will not be good for her state of mind

[Scotty G.]

it will be interesting to hear the crowd reaction tomorrow when she is introduced....

if she hears more boos that will not be good for her state of mind


She will hear more boos.

And her state of mind for this race is shot anyway. She will be bad and everybody knows it. Hopefully a few of her teammates aren't, so she doesn't have that excuse ready when things don't go well.

She is probably already thinking about her next Nationwide race at Loudon in late June.

[TURN3]

Enough with all this absolutely correct Danica criticism! I can't take it anymore! Please stop, she's a good person! Tom Anderson said it wasn't her fault!

[harvick#1]

She is probably already thinking about her next Nationwide race at Loudon in late June.

yeah, so she can get lapped 5 times in that race, a track that requires a driver to muscle the car around, Danica is still way in over her head thinking shes such an amazing driver, oh wait, shes already admitted that "its not her fault" the cars suck.

I'm still waiting when shes gonna start taking responsibility is shaking down a car and setting up a car that doesnt include help from teammates telling her what to do.

I still feel bad for TK having to deal with this three ring circus, at least Marco seems to have matured a little this season

[Jag_Warrior]

yeah, so she can get lapped 5 times in that race, a track that requires a driver to muscle the car around, Danica is still way in over her head thinking shes such an amazing driver, oh wait, shes already admitted that "its not her fault" the cars suck.

I'm still waiting when shes gonna start taking responsibility is shaking down a car and setting up a car that doesnt include help from teammates telling her what to do.

I still feel bad for TK having to deal with this three ring circus, at least Marco seems to have matured a little this season

I haven't really kept up with the Nationwide Series this year. But has someone been keeping the GoDaddy car in the points, so that The Danica doesn't have to qualify it or go home next month? I hope so. Cause if they haven't, and she has to go home... it's not her fault!!!

Remember, there is no "i" in "team", but there is in "Danica"! In fact, I'd say she's all about the "i". :p

[anthonyvop]

It looks like NBC sports agree with some of us.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/37378211/displaymode/1247/beginSlide/1/

[Scotty G.]

But has someone been keeping the GoDaddy car in the points, so that The Danica doesn't have to qualify it or go home next month? I hope so.


Yes, that decision was made pretty quickly after DP went back to her Indy Car deal. Very smart (but probably pretty costly too) on the team's part.

Her Nationwide group has had drivers like Steve Arpin (a future star), Landon Cassill and Scott Wimmer in the car since she left to keep it in the Top 35.

That team knew better then anyone that if they didn't keep the car in the Top 35, that the chances were pretty good that the #7 would be rolling back onto the trailer more often then not once DP got back into the saddle.

[beachbum]

Yes, that decision was made pretty quickly after DP went back to her Indy Car deal. Very smart (but probably pretty costly too) on the team's part.

Her Nationwide group has had drivers like Steve Arpin (a future star), Landon Cassill and Scott Wimmer in the car since she left to keep it in the Top 35.

That team knew better then anyone that if they didn't keep the car in the Top 35, that the chances were pretty good that the #7 would be rolling back onto the trailer more often then not once DP got back into the saddle.Only the top 30 in Nationwide are guaranteed spots and the 7 car is currently 28th and only 28 points away from 31st.

[beachgirl]

As of Dover, previous race to today, the owner points for the #7 had the car in 25th place. Only top 30 are guaranteed, the rest have to qualify on time. Today, Steve Arpel was in the car, and he spun out and crashed on lap 2. He eventually finished 34th, and this doesn't do the owner points any good. NASCAR doesn't have the owner points updated through Charlotte yet, so I don't know where the car is after today. There are 3 more races, Nashville, Kentucky, and Road America before New Hampshire. If I were Danica, I'd be starting to get nervous about having to qualify on time. It won't do the Brand any good to be a Gomer, and have to go home.

[TURN3]

Only the top 30 in Nationwide are guaranteed spots and the 7 car is currently 28th and only 28 points away from 31st.

I'm not certain the 7 has been in every N-wide race though, maybe? At any rate, where did the Princess leave that car in the standings? 45th?

[Jag_Warrior]

At any rate, where did the Princess leave that car in the standings? 45th?

Hey, it wasn't her fault! :p

[TURN3]

Hey, it wasn't her fault! :p

I know, she's not an engineer. Maybe the car needed more downforce, I don't know?

[beachbum]

I'm not certain the 7 has been in every N-wide race though, maybe? At any rate, where did the Princess leave that car in the standings? 45th?It has been in every race. It was well out of the points when she left the car (in a smoking heap)
Maybe the car needed more downforce, I don't know?"It's loose!"

[TURN3]

It has been in every race. It was well out of the points when she left the car (in a smoking heap)"It's loose!"

:D

[TURN3]

The sickness of over half the first 30 minutes being Danica, Danica, Danica, Dancia is driving me nuts. Such BS! ABC has to have smarter producers than this. I guess we wouldn't expect anything different but under the circumstances it couldn't be more inappropriate. I'm about to turn it off...freakin' turned off the Indy 500 because of Danica!?

[beachbum]

The sickness of over half the first 30 minutes being Danica, Danica, Danica, Dancia is driving me nuts. Such BS! ABC has to have smarter producers than this. I guess we wouldn't expect anything different but under the circumstances it couldn't be more inappropriate. I'm about to turn it off...freakin' turned off the Indy 500 because of Danica!?I know better. ABC is on mute. I have Indycar.com for sound. ABC should be ACD - all "All Commercials & Danica".

[garyshell]

Well the Boo-birds were out in force during the driver intros.

Gary

[SarahFan]

I'm thinking the wall will be looming a little larger and a little closer today for the brand

[downtowndeco]

5th. Good finish for DP.

[TURN3]

Hmmm, is that crow I smell on the barbeque? I hope it's a big one, there are quite a few due for a bite of it.
:p :p :p

Why would that finish today make the happenings of this month/year/pro career any different? She was just as uncompetitive today as she was all month/year/pro career. A very fortunate finish (see Indy 500 thread). Nothing takes away the results of her and her team today but the performance is hardly redeeming.

[beachgirl]

Not me. When she quits relying on her pit crew for her advancements on the track and starts some real, true racing to earn her finishes, I'll eat lots and lots of crow. Til then - nope.

[anthonyvop]

Hmmm, is that crow I smell on the barbeque? I hope it's a big one, there are quite a few due for a bite of it.
:p :p :p


A 5th place finish on fuel strategy? Please. She was NEVER ON PACE with the better drivers.

[markabilly]

5th. Good finish for DP.
Yep put ole Helio in da shade, by a whole 12 seconds

was the first on her team to cross the line

fire up the grills, the brand is back

cause as they say, it ain't where you start, it is where you finish..... :rotflmao:

[Burd]

Why would that finish today make the happenings of this month/year/pro career any different? She was just as uncompetitive today as she was all month/year/pro career. A very fortunate finish (see Indy 500 thread). Nothing takes away the results of her and her team today but the performance is hardly redeeming.


Not me. When she quits relying on her pit crew for her advancements on the track and starts some real, true racing to earn her finishes, I'll eat lots and lots of crow. Til then - nope.


A 5th place finish on fuel strategy? Please. She was NEVER ON PACE with the better drivers.

Oh please. Everybody was cracking on Danica for making excuses about why she qualified poorly, and now those same people are making excuses about why she finished 6th?

If you can't admit that you were wrong about her ability to finish well at Indy, then you're just as bad as she is...

[Marbles]

If you can't admit that you were wrong about her ability to finish well at Indy, then you're just as bad as she is...

Now that's playing chess!

[TURN3]

Now that's playing chess!

I never said she "can't" finish well at Indy. Seems to be the only place she does for some reason, given it is as difficult of oval as there is. I gave her and her team credit for a great finish today...doesn't mean that her performance redeemed her today. She wasn't competitive all day, ran around 15th most of the middle of the race. She benefited greatly from a couple of other people's penalties and a handful of guys that gambled on fuel.

Funny how some people want to spin things. Now that Marco has been placed back in 3rd they can't say all year..."yeah but she was the highest finisher from AA today...". That doesn't even come close to telling the story. Next to Dario's performance, TK had the drive of the race. Does his result justify how well he and the team did today? Of course not but those are the breaks. Danica was the worst performing of the AA full-timers today (and was behind Johnny until he claimed he got bent up). Alex Lloyd and little Dale Coyne's team finished 5th so if Danica is to garner sooo much I guess he is now the proclaimed 5th best driver in Indycar? NO, don't think so.

All I'm saying is that people need to keep things in perspective. She did the one and only thing today that she DOES do well...bring it home. She isn't fast, she isn't competitive, but when you finish sometimes you back into a good result and that's great...but speaks nothing for performance.

[Jag_Warrior]

Hmmm, is that crow I smell on the barbeque? I hope it's a big one, there are quite a few due for a bite of it.
:p :p :p

I didn't see much of the race (we were playing the Turkish GP on DVR while grilling), but I'll throw a crow burger on the coals if Danica gave her crew and team all of the credit for her 5th place.

As our pal Scotty pointed out, if it's their fault when she's off the pace... it must be to their credit when she does well.

[Marbles]

All I'm saying is that people need to keep things in perspective. She did the one and only thing today that she DOES do well...bring it home. She isn't fast, she isn't competitive, but when you finish sometimes you back into a good result and that's great...but speaks nothing for performance.

I just liked the challenge of answering Burd's statement. I'm amazed at here ability to finish where she does, or her teams ability for her to finish where she does. I'm sure with the amount of coverage she gets that if she ever did cut her way through the field like Kanaan did we'd miss the end of the race because of the replays.

[garyshell]

I didn't see much of the race (we were playing the Turkish GP on DVR while grilling), but I'll throw a crow burger on the coals if Danica gave her crew and team all of the credit for her 5th place.

As our pal Scotty pointed out, if it's their fault when she's off the pace... it must be to their credit when she does well.


Get the BBQ sauce ready because she pretty much did just that. She did give them the credit for her sixth place.

Gary

[call_me_andrew]

A 5th place finish on fuel strategy? Please. She was NEVER ON PACE with the better drivers.

Yes, this is why points are awarded for your ability to keep pace with better drivers as opposed to where you finish. OH WAIT!

[SportscarBruce]

Danica redeemed herself this afternoon. She stayed out of trouble, worked with her race engineers, and moved well up from her starting position. Who can argue against that? :confused:

[Jag_Warrior]

Get the BBQ sauce ready because she pretty much did just that. She did give them the credit for her sixth place.

Gary

Well, good for her (and I mean that sincerely). I just heard on Wind Tunnel that she got booed again today and it really got to her. Maybe some humility is (finally) sinking into that big head.

I grew up in the south on a cattle farm, folks. So don't think that a crow would be the worst thing that I've ever eaten. ;) Tell Danica to swing by the lake tomorrow. I'll have a bite of crow... and she can eat some humble pie.

[Scotty G.]

Danica redeemed herself this afternoon. She stayed out of trouble, worked with her race engineers, and moved well up from her starting position. Who can argue against that? :confused:


She did what she always does (and what works in today's Indy Car series). Runs all day, has good pit stops, gets a boatload of luck and waits for folks in front of her to make mistakes.

That's how she has finished in the top 10 4 times now at Indy. Give her credit for not making bonehead moves and getting to the checkards. Many more talented drivers still can't do that (especially in long races). But as Robin so accurately said tonight, Marco and Tony RACED their way to the front; Danica used ATTRITION to move up. Big difference.

[electron]

actually I heard cheering!

the situation made me laugh a bit. It was in victory lane, Dario crawling out of the car, eveybody was buzzing and in the back a lowd crowd was yelling "Da - ni - ca!, Da - ni - ca!...."

DanicaFan, where you there with your pals?
;)

credit to eveyrone who kept their noses clean. Part of the marathon that Indy is.

[px400r]

She did what she always does (and what works in today's Indy Car series). Runs all day, has good pit stops, gets a boatload of luck and waits for folks in front of her to make mistakes.

That's how she has finished in the top 10 4 times now at Indy. Give her credit for not making bonehead moves and getting to the checkards. Many more talented drivers still can't do that (especially in long races). But as Robin so accurately said tonight, Marco and Tony RACED their way to the front; Danica used ATTRITION to move up. Big difference.

Yep- the difference between a racer and a driver.

[harvick#1]

Danica redeemed herself this afternoon. She stayed out of trouble, worked with her race engineers, and moved well up from her starting position. Who can argue against that? :confused:

did she pass one car under normal racing conditions???? the sad reality is that she somehow lucked out a 6th place finish when she was basically in the 15-20th place all race long.

everytime I was seeing the intervals, it always seemed Danica was leading a freight train much like on road courses, which comes to questions whether or not she was blocking, the TV never showed it so I cant personally say 100% she was or was not, but there were always 5-6 drivers stuck behind her for many laps.

[px400r]

did she pass one car under normal racing conditions???? the sad reality is that she somehow lucked out a 6th place finish when she was basically in the 15-20th place all race long.


I woudn't call it luck- and I'm not exactly a fan of hers.

She and her team executed a well thought out strategy. She did not have the speed to run up front, so she and her team deserve kudos for finishing in 6th place.

[Jag_Warrior]

My guess is, once she's strapped into that NASCAR stocker, she'll get that golden horseshoe driven so far up her... well, let's just say that I don't see pit strategy getting her into the Top 10 over there. And if you block over there, you'll either move or you'll get moved.

Whether she got 5th or 6th, that was a fantastic result, however it came to be, considering how slow she (I mean, the team and the car) was all month. I'll give any dog its due if it catches a rabbit, whether by luck or skill. But from what I've read on the intraweb today, the rabbit crawled in the pen with the dog and that's how he got caught.

From what little I've seen, am I right that Tony Kanaan pretty much had the drive of the race?

[harvick#1]

From what little I've seen, am I right that Tony Kanaan pretty much had the drive of the race?

TK was easily the driver of the race, with Lloyd right behind.

[TURN3]

TK was easily the driver of the race, with Lloyd right behind.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...I'd buy somebody trying to pass off TK's drive of the race as THE one although my vote would go to Dario considering nobody could touch him. An argument to be made? Maybe, they were easily the two in contention. Lloyd was just as uncompetitive as Danica all day and literally was within a place or 2 of her after every yellow. He would pretty much lose a spot or 2 to her and some others on each pit and then he'd pass her and basically only her back. He got to 4th the same exact way as Dancia got to 6th (as has been clearly noted). Great result for him and the little Coyne team, just like Danica, but hardly a candidate for "drive of the race". Same goes to him as to Danica, great result --- didn't really perform at a high level.

[BernieD]

Of course Patrick catches hell. She is at best an slightly-above-average to average Indy driver who is treated like a the second Schumacher.

She obviously considers herself to be special and believes that the fans have the priviledge of watching her race.

Racing is about R-A-C-I-N-G? We can agree on that?

What if the entire field had Danica's "skills" to hang a the back waiting for others to crash out in front? Think that would be a great Indy500? Maybe everyone could finish 6th then.

She deserves ALL of the scorn she gets -- she creates most of it herself. There are other average drivers like Danica in the field -- the differences is they act glad to be there, and are respectful to other racers, and are attentive of the fans. QED!

Sick of the prima dona! She's going to NASCAR? Good riddance I say.

[Bob Riebe]

The last time I looked, you don't get a lot of points or prize money for how fast you were during the race. You do get them for where you finish the race.
On that basis Danica beat the majority of the field yesterday. Everyone keeps saying how she's lucked out race after race. She must be the luckiest driver around then. Just sayin' you know. ;)
I wonder how she would have done back when the pits were always open.
Now they herd them around like cluster of lemmings; back then the team and DRIVER smarts for pitting were very importand, and one could make up time by timing it right.

[Mark in Oshawa]

She got booed in the driver intro's so I guess the paying public is ahead of the press once again. That said, she did what she does well, and that is hustle the car around without getting into trouble. She has learned in the last few years to not make mistakes, especially at Indy. That also means she will likely never win another race, because with the IRL field's as deep now as they are with guys willing to run over their mother's to win, being patient and out lasting people will get you decent points finishes, not victories.

THAT my friends is why Danicamania is so sad. If she tried to win and crashed, and on occasion was challenging for the lead based on her ability to pass and race, I would ignore her personal icy attitude....but alas, she is just hanging around waiting for the boys to crash. Well, take it to the bank Danica, they all wont crash and leave you standing. You won in Japan with that strategy....but that is a once in a blue moon event. I cheer for drivers who try to win, or bring the wheel home trying.....

[BernieD]

....THAT my friends is why Danicamania is so sad. If she tried to win and crashed, and on occasion was challenging for the lead based on her ability to pass and race, I would ignore her personal icy attitude....but alas, she is just hanging around waiting for the boys to crash..... I cheer for drivers who try to win, or bring the wheel home trying.....

Exactomundo. I for one am sick of the PC claptrap that follows this driver alike angels wings. Enough nonsense -- no other driver would be lionized with only a solitary fuel strategy win to show for years of racing -- including many in competitive equipment. Truly ridiculous.

[beachbum]

The last time I looked, you don't get a lot of points or prize money for how fast you were during the race. You do get them for where you finish the race.
On that basis Danica beat the majority of the field yesterday. Everyone keeps saying how she's lucked out race after race. She must be the luckiest driver around then. Just sayin' you know. ;) Starter, what you say is true with a few buts.... Danica makes some of her luck by being just fast enough to hang around to profit from others misfortunes. She rarely seems to race anyone, just finds a spot to run mostly alone. This "style" gives her teams some options other teams don't have. They really aren't running for win in most cases, so alternate strategies don't have much risk. She usually seems to gets good fuel economy as she isn't aggressive and is off the gas more than most drivers. This gives opportunities such as her Montegi win and her Indy finishes based on economy.

She has also had the "luck" of being on the best teams even from the days of FF. She has never run a POS. IMHO, the source of most of her "luck" is her brand. Its value can buy a lot of "luck". But she has often been very lucky on track. Her crash at Kentucky a few years ago where she barely missed a safety vehicle was pure luck. As Scott Goodyear would say, "she was just a passenger".

This kind of "luck" only exists as long as she has excellent equipment, engineers, and strategists, the other competition isn't deep, there aren't many other drivers with the same strategy, and she is fast enough stay close enough to the front to make it work. Last year was a perfect year for that strategy and her 5th in points was the result. This year hasn't gone as well and it shows in her finishes. When she goes to NASCAR full time, that strategy may not work at all as there are too many hard chargers who don't make many mistakes.

The problem for some people is accepting that she is what she is - a mid pack driver who gets results from being conservative. Nothing wrong with that, but she isn't usually a contender for wins. She is the tortoise chasing the hares.

I think what annoys some is her attitude that she is a contender for wins on a regular basis and her behavior when it doesn't happen. But Indy this year was one of her best races and her interviews after the event were possibly her most realistic and humble. Time will tell how long that lasts.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The question is, if Sarah Fisher was in Danica's car, and Danica was in Sarah's car, would either improve? discuss...lol

[harvick#1]

if Danica was in Sarahs car, she would have parked the car and blab about how its not her fault

Sarah would work hard to get it right

[Scotty G.]

if Danica was in Sarahs car, she would have parked the car and blab about how its not her fault

Sarah would work hard to get it right


If Danica was in Sarah's car at Indy this year, she wouldn't have qualified.

Sarah and her team did a HELL of a job to find the 2 MPH she needed to make that race in a 7 year old chassis. In quals, that was Sarah showing what a true racer does. Suck it up with a less-then-great car and get it done. I am sure Danica would have been whining about how her new car wasn't at the track and how she could dare compete with the oldest chassis at IMS.

Sarah also had a decent race going (was running about 16th or 17th, right behind Danica and Simona) until being forced into the grey and into the 4th turn wall on a restart. I am not sure, but I think one of the two rookie women might have been the culprit, but Sarah never said exactly which rookie "got her". Classy that she didn't call out, who the rookie was.

And if Danica was in Sarah's car, Sarah's team would probably fire her after about an hour. The O'Gara's don't put up with spoiled primadonna's. ;)

[beachgirl]

[quote="Scotty G."]Sarah also had a decent race going (was running about 16th or 17th, right behind Danica and Simona) until being forced into the grey and into the 4th turn wall on a restart. I am not sure, but I think one of the two rookie women might have been the culprit, but Sarah never said exactly which rookie "got her". Classy that she didn't call out, who the rookie was.[quote]

I don't remember if Sarah even said it was a rookie who ran her up into the gray. With Simona ahead of her at the time, it certainly wouldn't have been Simona, if it was even indeed a rookie. Not trying to start a "discussion" - I just don't remember exactly what Sarah said about the situation.

[beachgirl]

And if Danica was in Sarah's car, Sarah's team would probably fire her after about an hour. The O'Gara's don't put up with spoiled primadonna's. ;)

ROFLMAO! :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

I knew it would be an interesting discussion...lol

Truth is, Danica has never done well if the car wasn't set up well by really smart people behind her. A good race driver would find a way to make the car better and make something happen in spite of the limitations. You saw that with Sarah getting into the race....