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
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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
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.
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.
thanks for the correction on her being their
Scotty, you took my post way too literal. Read the sentence before the excuses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
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" :)Quote:
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:
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachbum
Pretty typical for Scotty. Ready, Shoot, Aim!
Gary
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.
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.
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.
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???
Quote:
Originally Posted by DBell
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.
My guess is that it likely has something to do with Mr. Hospenthal (who we haven't seen in a while).Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris R
But that would just be a guess on my part.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
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.
That is about what we all heard, and AJIV left the facility after the heated exchange.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris R
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by EagleEye
Danica needs to sit down real hard and think, Be a "Go Daddy Model" or a "Racecar Driver" cause doing both does not work.
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.
What network carries all of the NASCAR Nationwide races? ESPN They got the memo, it was just a different memo.Quote:
Originally Posted by fugariracing
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachbum
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.
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......
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! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by EagleEye
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...
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!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by TURN3
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...
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.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Easy Drifter
Quote:
Originally Posted by Easy Drifter
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...Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
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.
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. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
Corrected this for ya :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty G.
Ouch! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by beachbum
It sounds like you're putting a $20 on the (safe) over bet.
link: http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story...t-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.
Dream on Danica. Ain't gonna happen at Indy if you are the next to slowest car on carb day.Quote:
Originally Posted by SoCalPVguy
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"
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
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
Quote:
Originally Posted by SarahFan
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.