Someone earlier posted an "average finishes" summary of the top drivers on roads/streets. Where was Danica on this list? I'm curious as to how her oval finishes avg. compares to her road/street avg.
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Someone earlier posted an "average finishes" summary of the top drivers on roads/streets. Where was Danica on this list? I'm curious as to how her oval finishes avg. compares to her road/street avg.
this is one of the few things I have to agree with Mark on :p :Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
and which is a big reason why I'm a big Sarah Fisher and Katherine Legge fan, and despise Danica. while there racing their hearts out, Danica can't wait for the next photoshoot. I wish Danica would've come to Nascar so by the 6th race, her ass would've been sent home because she wasn't fast enough. or I'd like to see her go to Martinsville and run 500 laps. and Talladega, that would just be scary, she shouldn't be allowed to race a plate race
shes also competing in the DTM in a year old Spec Audi, which is a pretty big disadvantage when you have to run against the factory Audi and Merc driversQuote:
Katherine Legge is at least making a living in the DTM although a mid field runner at best. That is one tough series and unless you have the latest car very hard to shine.
Yep, very true. Good point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
Katerine has the championship winning car from last year, is running as part of the Audi factory team, and the 2008 spec Audis are generally considered to be almost equal to the 2009. While she has been "mid-pack", the mid-pack consists of drivers like Ralf Shumacher. She also has the fastest lap at one race, so she is doing just fine and Audi seems very happy with her.Quote:
Originally Posted by harvick#1
Remember KL's horrific crash at RA when the wing collapsed on her Lola? Like a true racer, she got right back in it. I doubt Danica would've ever gotten back in a car and if so, she would definately have been scared into a Milka clone.
Im not officially back but I wanted to post on this topic...
Danica Patrick will resign with Andretti Green Racing at least through next year. The deal is done but the paperwork hasnt been finalized.
Boost Mobile will be her primary sponsor again.
I am very excited about this. After talking to her this year, I felt that she would stay with AGR, definitely the IRL. She loves indycars.
Her staying made me very happy and now next year we can see her really buckle down and win several races. I look for her to be a contender for the championship next year.
Everyone, enjoy the rest of the season. Im out... :D
Ah, come on back, dude. It's all in fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
Turn 3 I disagree about 'Stompin Danica' being afraid to get back in a car. She has had a fair number of crashes, admittedly none like Katherine's.
You know I don't think much of DP as a driver and she does seem gun shy in heavy traffic, although she will run close to one car for a while, but usually drops back.
I know this past weekend she had a damaged car to start but she never made any progress. She did beat Milka but that was all. Several other drivers made progress from the back. I know she went a lap down but she should have made that up on some people.
I just think she would get back in after a big one and run the way she does now. Fairly fast on the ovals but not a real racer.
Her apparent dislike of really tight racing for any length of time is another reason I don't think she could cut it in the Taxicabs.
I'd like for you to stay for the entertainment value but can you please tell me what part of your post we didn't already know?Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
As for winning several races and contending for a championship, well.... :D :D :D :D ! Why would you expect any change?
With Danica, you're either for her or against her -- there's no in-between. This discussion (or argument) will/could go on forever. The first gripe was that she didn't win in Atlantics. Then she won Indy car poles. Then the second gripe was that she didn't win races. She won a race. For those who dislike her, if she won every race, they'd STILL dislike her for one reason or another.
In every series, there's a "bad guy." In Indy cars, it's been people like Hiro Matsushia (who eventually made the show at Indianapolis when the Penske team was shut out of a starting spot) to Dr. Jack Miller (who was always a good qualifier but not much of a racer) to Milka Duno.
When Darrell Waltrip won his championships, he got booed everywhere -- even though he was a winner and his wife taught special needs children and they established foundations for them. Bill Freehan, the ex-Detroit Tiger catcher, was booed at home even though he bought property, built diamonds and started baseball leagues all over Detroit. Gary Bergman, the former Detroit Red Wing defenseman, was booed at home lustily even though he and his wife spearheaded the muscular dystrophy campaign in Detroit ACTIVELY.
So, Danica? She's won poles. She's started on the front row. She's won a race. She's fifth in points and the leading AGR driver in points. She throws tantrums. She isn't really a crasher. She models. She's on commercials. Unlike some volleyball players, Olympians, etc., she's never bared it all. She doesn't smile very often, the direct opposite of Helio, for example....but neither did A.J. Foyt.
You'll like her or you won't. And that's what this thread is all about, I guess.
Thanks DF. That fits with all of the other rumors, although a 1 year contract is a bit of a surprise.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
It wouldn't surprise me if the length of her contract coincides with the length of the sponsor deal they are able to get.Quote:
Originally Posted by beachbum
You are right, there is no middle ground with DP. But your comparisons don't work. King Hiro won races before the IRL. Dr Jack was never more than a back of the pack driver like Milka. Waltrip, Freehan, Bergman, even Foyt did a lot for their communities behind the scenes (Foyt's community being the racing world). Danica has done none of these. She is all about HER brand, not helping others.Quote:
Originally Posted by indycool
There is no doubt that Danica can drive, and she can be fast. She definitely has talent behind the wheel. But she can also be erratic and doesn't seem to race well, particularly in close quarters. Like Marco, she came in with lots of apparent talent, but after all of the years, she hasn't really improved and has become less competitive on road courses over time. This year she has at least stayed out of trouble most of the time and has worked hard to play down her childish bad girl image. From most reports, she is still difficult to work with and admits she knows nothing about mechanical things and can't set up a car. But those characteristics fit a number of drivers.
So why does she turn people off? IHMO, there are several reasons.
1. The hype. Ever since she went to England to run FF, her marketing machine made sometimes wild claims about what she was going to do and how good she was. When someone like Bernie has to send out a press report denying he ever endorsed her (as stated by her PR), her marketing hype went over the line into fantasy. Since then there have been many such "issues" such as when her brand managers claimed she had a offer from Roush (denied in a press release by Jack).
2. How she promoted herself. There is nothing wrong with modeling, but some of her early work was a "bit " suggestive. She has never quite bared it all, but very close. Even so, what bothers people like me is her getting attention for that instead of her racing record. I worked with a female professional racer who just wanted to be taken seriously as a racer, not as a curiosity. Danica's playing of the sex card is offensive to them. She is sometimes better known for dragging Tom Kendall around on a leash and posing for SI than her success on the track. Google her, and the first thing that comes up are her photo shoots. Just what is important to her?
3. Her racing record in her primary series. Contrary to the hype, her record isn't very stellar. Even back in karts, she had a good record, but there were many with much better records - like Sam Hornish, Sarah Fisher and a number of drivers now in NASCAR and other series. Other than one result in FF, her record there wasn't noteworthy as a driver. Many tout her result at Long Beach in the celebrity race, and forget a celebrity won overall - going away - and Sarah Fisher (who had never road raced a car) ran with them until she decide to back off. DP was good in Atlantics, but couldn't win. Her forays into other series like ALMS and Grand-Am did nothing noteworthy - in a positive sense.
4. The fact she has never had to work her way up. Look back over her career, and when did she have to struggle in a back marker team and learn to carry the car and push to the edge? In FF, she started with one of the best teams, who didn't renew her contract - clue? From there, her next stop was with Rahal, who gave her the very best in every series. Even Robert Clark from Honda admitted on Windtunnel (to Dave's amazement) that they gave DP the best engines so she would do well. From there, she landed at AGR at the height of their success.
5. Her record outside of the IRL. Admittedly, she has done very little outside of the IRL. But Rahal did get her some tryouts in a number of good cars, from Ford factory backed midgets to a Ford Busch series car and a factory backed BWM. The very few spotty reports indicate she did ok, but not outstanding. The only result was a job from BWM - giving rides to BWM customers. When Rahal managed to get her in a Pro-Drive Ferrari in ALMS, she was so far off the pace at Road Atlanta the team yanked her from the car before her stint was over and put her co-driver back in - who was very ill and really didn't want to drive. She was supposed to run other races for them, but that was quietly canceled. Her 2 runs in Grand-Am were noteworthy for her being faster that Rusty Wallace - who was well off the pace - and again being yanked from the car in her last outing at Daytona.
6. Her attitude and judgment. No much has to be said about that. She has a history of anger issues and sometimes seemed to promote a "wild child" image. She has often demonstrated questionable moves on track. This year she has done a lot better, but it is only one year - one where she needed a new contract.
Take away the hype and the opportunities she was handed by mentors, and what would you have? Probably a ex-driver no one would know about. IHMO, racing history may show how she maximized her assets and promoted them into a career far beyond the level her racing talents alone would have given her.
Your last paragraph says it all. Don't each of us maximize our assets and do our best to grow or better ourselves?
Here is a link to set the record straight on her record:
http://www.driverdb.com/drivers/229/career/
It is pretty lack luster. Even more so than I ever thought. Her time in Europe was no where near as good as I thought it was. Guess I bought the early hype too much.
Gary
was there something specific that prevented her from 'buckling down and winning several races' this year?Quote:
Originally Posted by DanicaFan
To be clear, part of it is that I don't like Danica at all (oh, cat's outta the bag now! :D ), and part of it is that I don't really respect Danica. I didn't like Tom Sneva. I didn't like Alain Prost. I didn't like Michael Schumacher. But I respected all three, because they were great drivers. I like Milka Duno. She's a super nice person. But I don't respect her as a driver... she's in way over hear head. This year included, Danica's career is that of an average driver, not a great driver. Only in her own swelled head is she something special (on the track). What sort of complete ego maniac would think that they were prepared for NASCAR, straight away, when they've NEVER done anything to suggest they were ready for top tier stock car racing? AND when other racers, with a much higher pedigree, did ARCA, Busch Series or Trucks before going to Cup? Apparently she was only cured of this delusional thinking when Ganassi opened her eyes to reality. But all we heard from The Danica was how high ratings would be if she went to NASCAR. And I think she's right. If she goes, it will produce another round of Danicamania - no doubt in my mind. Hell, I'll skip work to catch the qualifying (since I doubt she'll make many/any races).
Like I've told DanicaFan, I doubt that I'll ever like her... cause I think she's a swollen headed, little *****. But yeah, when she does well, I give her a grudging amount of respect. This year has been the best of her entire career in cars, IMO. For the most part, she has kept it together and been rather consistent. So, she doesn't have to defend that she's in the IRL. But for her to think that she is in any way ready for NASCAR (or F1), based on some middling performances and a single IRL oval win? :rolleyes:
Some people want to see her in a bikini. Not me - I'll see much hotter girls at the Labor Day party. I want to see Danica's azz at Bristol or Martinsville... when the hype goes to bed and the reality of the situation smacks her in the mouth. Sign that NASCAR contract, Danica!!! Remember, you are The Danica. You can dooooo it. Cause we all know, you're just awesome like that! :bounce:
This post is mainly for Mark...because I feel like I have to disagree with him on what he has posted...
What did she prove yesterday at Infineon? That she got ran off the road by Dan Wheldon and her RF got damaged? I would say look at the fact that she DID make the top 12, and although it was a really rotten idea for her to wait until the last 3 minutes of the session to go out and place a lap, she qualified her best on a road course this year. I think she would have done a fair job in the race if she was given the chance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
And what about her attitude stinks? I was an extreme Danica-hater before this year, but I have to admit that she has cooled off a lot and realized that there is more to racing than stomping and whining. I'm not her biggest fan now, and in fact I still think she has a lot to learn and mature, but look at how she has performed this year. 5th in points, that means something. She has kept her nose clean and performed better than we all expected her to. Give credit where credit is due man...which leads to your next quote:
If you remember, she has a win on an oval, fluke or not. She has 4 poles on ovals, she has top 5s in 4 of the first 5 races and is awfully close to everyone's favorite Indy 500 winner (yet never ICS champion!!!) in the points.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
In order for Danica to keep stability in her racing life, she NEEDS to stay in ICS. And this is going to hurt, but the SERIES needs her to stick around also. We love to hate Danica because she is the main cause for drama and she is, like it or not, the figurehead of this series. We lose our figurehead, we lose all the creepy/stalker Danica fans (pun?) that are carrying our dreadful ratings.
I like that Danica is staying in the series. Give her one more year...see if AR can get someone on the team to set up cars again and we'll see what happens.
besides a spike surrounding her 4th place at Indy have ratings improved or declined while danimania has swept the nation?
as far as her going to nascar..... i think EE heard exactly what the plan was
the plan was to head on over to a top team for top dollar..... and i expect there was interest from nascar team owners....
but when said owners started shopping her to perspective sponsors the top dollar offers simply didn't happen
it will be interesting to see if we ever hear what Boost is paying for the season
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts it's not $7mil for the season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYyKpucUS-c
^and i suspect the above was a linchpin in what essentially has become stalled negotiations for danicas people...
the fact that the attempt at Viral marketing failed miserably just shows she isn't nearly as marketable as (her) folks want her to be.....
and i believe Gary owes me a rootbeer!
I respect where you're coming from but lets not make excuses for her failures. She didn't get "run off the road by Wheldon". Granted it wasn't her fault but this is racing and if she didn't qualify a season best 11th on a road course she would never be in that situation. The fact her car was damaged cost her 1 lap but they fixed it and she went out to run for points. She had opportunities to race with packs on numerous occasions during the race and she was dusted by everybody on the track except Duno and Carpenter...AGAIN! At one point, she pitted with TK and they came out of the pits togethe on cold tires. I was curious so I paid attention. Nose to tail practically coming out of the pits and Danica was 6 seconds behind TK at the end of the out lap. This while she was desparately blocking a gaggle of faster cars being a lap down (all eventually got past).Quote:
Originally Posted by drewdawg727
The fact she even got into the 2nd round of qualifying was due to a very lucky draw on the groups. She used 2 sets of Reds to barely get in...which is why she didn't go out unti the end of R2, she had now tires left and had to wait. Where did she end up? When you have to spend every resource to qualify mid-pack and other suffer misfortune then you're not getting your job done. Also note by comparison to teammates, she was 5th out of 5. And this was her best RC qualifying effort of the year?
With respect to ovals, she generally has a car that should finish 5th to 8th in every session. to give the benefit of the doubt (including Rahal and Moraes) lets say to 10th. This due to the underfunded teams not having proper resources to compete on speedways. Where does she run almost all of the time? Back half of the top 10, usually 7th to 10th. Granted she finishes races and that improves her position in every race becase she rarely, and I mean rarely makes a pass on track. In other words, she underperforms relative to her equipment.
I like almost all of what I'm reading here. I can't stand her and my disdain for her is ever growing for reasons posted by my hero BB (although BB tried to credit her for being an average driver followed by a thorough discreditation of her career). All you have to do is look at FACTS. By facts I mean her career stats all the way to the beginning. I don't mind she's halfway attractive to some people but lets be honest. If she never does the FHM shoot she never sniffs a top level race car. Her record and her skill PROVE she isn't a very good. Is she competent? Yes, in these cars she can keep them off the wall. But that isn't a race car driver. To be a race car driver, you have to push the envelope, compete, and improve. She has none of this and while there may be 2 or 3 drivers in the series less talented than she is...they are there for the same reason she is....FINANCIAL BACKING.
Final thing, Danica garners so much attention for what she isn't. Is she good for the series? Heck yeah at this point. Frankly, she isn't even news if there aren't people out there that don't know any better talking like she's the second coming of any good driver. She basically gets a massive following from people that either don't know any different or for their "you know what" bank, period. Otherwise...she's not even in the news because just finishing races doesn't cut it.
Don't get me wrong with what I've posted about Danica. My favorite female driver is Shawna Robinson, who had a stock car career that briefly reached Cup. Attractive, smiled more than odd occasions and pleasant.
T3, for the exact reason that you say that she is a "good driver" just because of the equipment in....that cannot be proven. The only way you can prove something like that is to put her in a "red car" and see how she does with it. Or, conversely, let her drive the z-line or dollar general car around an oval and see what she does.
You're making claims on comparing her driving to something you've never seen her drive, so just let the results speak for themselves and stop being so critical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken
Oh, damn! You are right. Well, my two IRL excursions for the year are over. Are you going to KY or Mid Ohio next year? We'll figure out some way to pay this off.
Gary
Here's an honest question, guys - seriously: if Danica adds to the IRL, where would the IRL be without her? I know that would be really hard to quantify (if you believe that), but where would you see the series without Danica?
I don't think I ever said she is a "good driver". If I did I'd put a bullet in my eye socket right now. I don't think it has be be proven that an AGR car is better than a Conquest or a Coyne car on ovals. That is just a logical fact. On ovals, I compare her speed and competitiveness to first of all her teammates, and secondly the red cars. Personally, I think NHL and KV have shown they are equal to AGR on superspeedways....nobody comares to Penske on TCGR right now (AGR used to before Danica ruined it all). I don't expect Danica or anybody to be 1-4 expect those guys. So from 5 to 10, where does she normally practice, where does she normally qualify, and where does she normally race? P7 thru P10 consistently. That means to me that she is a problem. I understand she's fifth in points, I understand she finishes top 5 occasionally but every single time due to attritrition and strategy. The only thing she does do that is good is finish...and combined, all that to me means she's not capable of being on the limit of the car.Quote:
Originally Posted by drewdawg727
Gee i'd feel terrible if you did that on my account.... :DQuote:
Originally Posted by TURN3
All in good fun buddy!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by drewdawg727
This may be a minority opinion, but I don't think it would make any difference. She isn't getting much coverage during the races, the major media mostly only mentions her when she is at some photo shoot, and some of the hype has worn very thin. She has her fans, but she also has her detractors. She might add a bump in the ratings as a curiosity, but for the most part, the IRL and everyone in it is ignored by most sports fans outside of Indy. If she fades away, someone else can take the limelight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
When Helio was in DWTS, everyone though that would have an impact. It didn't. When his legal problems made the news, that was thought it would have an impact. Ratings and viewing didn't change.
It isn't all about one person, it is about the overall show and all of the personalities and stories. The league (and the fans) need to look around and see what other stories are out there. After all, this isn't the Danica Racing League, even if some fans seem to think it is.
I think that the "celebrity" aspect of her, and to a certain degree Helio, DO bring some more people to the track itself for the race. Maybe not a huge number more, but they do add to the promoter's marketing ability. As far as tv though, I do not think Danica has done much at all for the ratings since maybe 2004/2005. As was said earlier, the on-track product is what keeps people coming back and draws their interest. The few viewers that watched the IRL on tv purely for Danica or Helio have left a long time ago. People say all the time about how NASCAR is big because of all the marketing/celebrity aspect of the drivers. I'd say that's a portion of it, but I think people just like the racing in NASCAR and having big colorful relatively fast cars with easy numbers to follow and lots of beating and banging to the finish. The IRL will never win on the popularity of the drivers. Fast, competitive, dangerous racing with technologically advanced cars running on a wide variety of circuits is what help make CART so big. Andrettis, Foyts, etc. certainly were crucial, but then again with Danica we're unfortunately not talking about an Andretti or a Foyt.
Regardless if we get more fans or not, when I tell my friends that I can't hang out with them cus I have an Indycar race to watch (probably going to happen Saturday night), they are like wtf is Indycar. And then after thinking about it for 2 seconds they say "Is that the race car series where that HOT girl Danica drives? Wow she is HOT..." and then the typical adolescent male talk ensues. She is well known enough that people can identify her with the Indycar series.
This is utterly impossible!!!
A thread about 'Stompin Danica' and she is hardly even mentioned.
Are we not just the teeniest bit off topic? :D :confused:
such is the nature of discussion.....| :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Easy Drifter
Geez! You guys have ruined perfect thread for bashing the crap our of our little princess. I'm depressed!!!
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/tag/danica_poses_nude
^anything for the 'brand'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken
Who's brand? Hers or the ***** who wrote the piece. Clearly she has stated via he publicist that she will not be posing. The jerk who wrote this piece was fishing for his own headline.
Gary
Probably the only people you even have heard about this are a few lurkers on internet forums.Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
I just briefly read the rumor about this saga. So now she's not so sure about AGR and the devil she doesn't know if possibly as good as the one she does? This has all the makings of somebody that doesn't know business any better than her racing. What it looks like to me is that the dollars she wants aren't out there and she's trying to play groups against each other when what they are really doing is playing her. She'll end up at AGR because they are the only descent team desparate enough for her cash but for the love of God...come on!!!! Nobody even took note that she raced Chicagoland at the back of the pack...last car on lead lap until Marco hammer blocked Kanaan on last lap. She just doesn't have what it takes even in a car with 100% throttle glued to the ground....pathetic she's even news.
I fully agree with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
It's no secret that I can't stand the little a-hole. But I'll give any dog its due: she has been a rather good points racer, and pretty consistent this year. She's kept her cool and hasn't acted nearly as bratty as she has in the past. But because she's unable or unwilling to charge through the pack for a win, she's probably at her max level right now.
I still hope that she goes to NASCAR. I think there's a possibility that the weekly spankings that she'd get there might turn her into a racer who is in tune with reality. But that Epic Fail would also probably damage this "brand" of hers.
Which means now she's not even entertaining.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior