St. Patrick...

[dando]

Well, here we go. Danicle is being anointed as the saviour of US OW racing. :shakehead Here's a piece from the local fish wrap that tells us so:


Patrick’s just what her sport needs most
Monday, May 30, 2005
BOB HUNTER

INDIANAPOLIS — Did anybody notice who won the Indianapolis 500? We know somebody passed Danica Patrick with seven laps to go yesterday and we saw her fall to fourth as she tried to conserve fuel, but frankly, with more than 300,000 people standing and cheering her as she approached the finish line, we missed seeing who crossed it ahead of her.

But truthfully, does it matter?

The winner — some guy named Wheldon, wasn’t it? — left with the biggest paycheck and the biggest win of his career — but it’s hard not to think that Patrick’s triumph, for herself and for her sport, might be even bigger.

So how do you describe what she did for open-wheel racing yesterday in the Indy 500?

"I don’t know," Patrick said. "I’m just racing. I don’t know, it sounds so goober and stupid. I just don’t think about it. . . . I don’t know. I don’t know why. I didn’t even think all the media stuff that was going on (this month) was that (bad).

"I wasn’t getting overwhelmed. I was getting overwhelmed with the lack of time I had for myself, but all the coverage? I was your story."

She still is. The drama the rookie driver created during the race was as entertaining as it was impressive. She stalled her car coming out of the pits on lap No. 80 and fell from fourth to 16 th, then climbed all the way to seventh before she lost control on lap 155 and collided with Tomas Enge and sent Tomas Scheckter spinning into the wall. She kept the car running and made two pit stops that dropped her to 16 th but still came back to lead the race on lap 172 when those ahead of her pitted.

If you were drawn to this race by the presence of an attractive young woman who seemed talented enough to beat the men, this was better than American Idol. If she has the machinery, she obviously can compete.

"From my side of it, gosh, did I make some mistakes," Patrick said. "I stalled it, went back to 16 th. People were checking up a little bit on the start toward the end with about 50 or so to go . . . it seemed like they were going slow and checking up a little bit anyway, but I spun. And I can’t believe that my car didn’t completely demolish because I got hit like twice. Spun it around and I can’t believe I kept engine running. Somebody’s sitting by my side."

Put aside her personal accomplishments for a moment — the best finish for a woman, first woman to lead the 500, the race leader until Dan Wheldon (yeah, that’s his name) passed her at the start-finish line at the start of lap 194 — and consider what she really did for the sport: She lured lots of window shoppers to an Indy 500 that had 27 lead changes and was as exciting as any recent sports event.

"I don’t know," Patrick said. "I didn’t see the whole race. Was it a good race? I thought it was a good race."

It wasn’t just a good race. It was one of the best, and it showed that a sport that did what seems like irreparable damage during the CART-IRL split may be on the way back.

If there were times this month when "all Danica, all the time" seemed as grating as 24 hours of Louie, Louie, she explained why she was willing to put up with a monthlong media obsession.

"I do as much as I can," she said a few days ago, "because I want to see this series (IRL) be so kick butt that all of a sudden NASCAR is sitting there going ‘Huh?’ "

Patrick’s comment seemed like a stretch at the time — NASCAR’s Nextel Cup has blown by open-wheel racing so fast in recent years that they’re on different laps — but it doesn’t now.

If other drivers are bothered with all the attention she received at their expense, it’s worth remembering what Tiger Woods did for golf. Danica isn’t Tiger, at least in terms of dominance, but his popularity became golf’s popularity and the same thing could happen here.

Wheldon seemed a little miffed when a reporter asked him if he sensed he might be remembered as the guy who spoiled the party, but secondplace finisher Vito Meira, Patrick’s Rahal-Letterman teammate, recognized that being in her shadow isn’t all that bad.

There were so many questions for Patrick during a postrace news conference, that when someone asked Meira a question, he grinned and raised his arms in triumph.

You know what’s worse than finishing second in a race that millions watched just to see Danica? Finishing second in a race those millions didn’t watch at all.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch.

bhunter@dispatch.com


I'll be sending Mr. Hunter my regards later, as well as congratulating him on taking the bait served up by the Yen whores. :mad:

-Kevin

[Methanolandbrats]

Was that little bitch always 100 % Gomer, or did all those injections from Uncle Rahole cloud her mind?

[FanofMario]

Here in the land of Gomer, the process of sainthood is in full swing. Here is how the local Goober saw it. :rolleyes:

Danica Saves the IRL (http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/5/040581-3065-003.html)

[gjc2]

Here in the land of Gomer, the process of sainthood is in full swing. Here is how the local Goober saw it. :rolleyes:

Danica Saves the IRL (http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/5/040581-3065-003.html)

Danica saves the IRL?

Did Ms. Patrick run over Tony George?


George

[rabbit]

Robin chimes in ... (http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/17236/)

[Brickman]

Well... as she said "I think I showed I was a rookie today"

As far as the big picture, most IRL and CART/Champ Car news that the mainstream public has read was when the deaths of drivers occured. Finally good news, posititive news, mainstream news about open wheel racing.

For once the press has something different. In reality IF she was an asset that was transfered to KK when he bought out CART, all the acolades that people are complaining about would be embraced. The rookie marketed herself, but behind the pretty face is a r-a-c-e-r, you can tell it from her attitude.

In reality the results boosted the arguement that has been bantered about when it comes to where you need to be to get formula expierence to race rear engine formula cars.

Will it make a difference as to if Honda stays in the IRL? No. Will she save open wheel racing? No. But her story of being the first woman who really was the real deal was worthy, yea it's strange to see or read open wheel anywhere other than racing websites and forums, mainstream media found out something, there is racing besides NASCAR. When Legge gets more media attention for Champ Car maybe you'll get it.. ;)

[Methanolandbrats]

I think we have a remake of Waldo Pepper.......she gets to wingwalk at Texas.

[Racing Truth]

Robin chimes in ... (http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/17236/)

Watching Speed News and WindTunnel, I swear he was practically having an orgasm just talking about her. :saywhat:

[B3RACER1a]

Is she the best woman to run an in an open wheel car? Yes

Did she make rookie mistakes? Yes

Did I think the publicity is unfair to everyone else? Yes

Do I think the publicity is unfair to her? Yes

She finsihed 4th, and that is all we heard about. Thats the only part I didnt like. Everything she did the camera was there, even when running 13th.

No one knows her teamate, also very young, finished in 2nd. Where is his publicity? How about Weldon??

She drove great. Yeah she screwed up a lot and got away with lots of it...lol. But thats just how it worked out.

Come on, I rather hear and read about the winner rather than a 4th placer.

I bet most questions asked of Weldon will be how Danica did. :thumdown:

[Racing Truth]

Is she the best woman to run an in an open wheel car? Yes

Did she make rookie mistakes? Yes

Did I think the publicity is unfair to everyone else? Yes

Do I think the publicity is unfair to her? Yes

She finsihed 4th, and that is all we heard about. Thats the only part I didnt like. Everything she did the camera was there, even when running 13th.

No one knows her teamate, also very young, finished in 2nd. Where is his publicity? How about Weldon??

She drove great. Yeah she screwed up a lot and got away with lots of it...lol. But thats just how it worked out.

Come on, I rather hear and read about the winner rather than a 4th placer.

I bet most questions asked of Weldon will be how Danica did. :thumdown:

Well said. :thumbup:

You mean some dude named Wheldon won? :gomer:

BTW: Say what you will about him, but Wheldon has really matured into a fine racer.

BTW2: Despite what RM says, the restart deal was a total eff up on her part. :thumdown:

[Sean O'Gorman]

BTW: Say what you will about him, but Wheldon has really matured into a fine racer.

He has been a fine racer since he came to the U.S. running in F2000.

This is two years in a row now that the Indy 500 was won by a former Atlantics standout who was never given serious consideration for a Champ Car ride. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?

[Racing Truth]

He has been a fine racer since he came to the U.S. running in F2000.

This is two years in a row now that the Indy 500 was won by a former Atlantics standout who was never given serious consideration for a Champ Car ride. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?

Imagine...

All true, but in '03, he ran into everything he came near... twice. Now, he's the most patient guy out there. Meanwhile, Kanaan and others hit everything under the sun.

[oddlycalm]

It's all medio hype and bluster and it will fade. Ironically, Wheldon is lucky to be flying under the radar. Nobody can every live up to the kind of over-the-top hype being heaped in Dancle, and since she will not be able to follow up with anything the hype will either fade or turn ugly. Wheldon has a chance at a driving career at this point, and I'd bet serious money Danicle doesn't.

oc

[Dr. Corkski]

You mean some dude named Wheldon won? :gomer:Danica Wheldon? :D

[dando]

Was that little bitch always 100 % Gomer, or did all those injections from Uncle Rahole cloud her mind?
Are you referring to Hunter or Danicle? :gomer:

-Kevin

[JT265]

Imagine...

All true, but in '03, he ran into everything he came near... twice. Now, he's the most patient guy out there. Meanwhile, Kanaan and others hit everything under the sun.


What exactly did JapanicaDanica do in Atlantics to be referred to as a "standout"

Besides never winning a race that is.

EDIT: Come to think of it, what has Buddy done past winning a lucky call rain shortened earl500?

[Jervis Tetch 1]

What exactly did JapanicaDanica do in Atlantics to be referred to as a "standout"

Besides never winning a race that is.

EDIT: Come to think of it, what has Buddy done past winning a lucky call rain shortened earl500?Good questions. Can't think of a good answer.

[Brickman]

It's all medio hype and bluster and it will fade. Ironically, Wheldon is lucky to be flying under the radar. Nobody can every live up to the kind of over-the-top hype being heaped in Dancle, and since she will not be able to follow up with anything the hype will either fade or turn ugly. Wheldon has a chance at a driving career at this point, and I'd bet serious money Danicle doesn't.

oc

Well.... Danica is a RACER. You can tell it in her speaking, in her attitude. I'll bet she will win at Michigan or California. I was most impressed that she admitted that the others in front of her deserved to win the race not her. Candid not Candy. She will still get hyped, but later on it will be 50/50... some of the hype because she is a racer, the other because she is a woman.

Except for when Janet Guthrie (http://www.janetguthrie.com/careerstats.htm) was racing, NASCAR hasn't had anything close in talent.

[Racing Truth]

What exactly did JapanicaDanica do in Atlantics to be referred to as a "standout"

Besides never winning a race that is.

EDIT: Come to think of it, what has Buddy done past winning a lucky call rain shortened earl500?

SeanO and I were discussing Wheldon, the guy who allegedly won the race.

[oddlycalm]

Well.... Danica is a RACER. You can tell it in her speaking, in her attitude. I'll bet she will win at Michigan or California. I was most impressed that she admitted that the others in front of her deserved to win the race not her. Candid not Candy. She will still get hyped, but later on it will be 50/50... some of the hype because she is a racer, the other because she is a woman. Being the most famous racing driver of your time is only sustainable long term if the fame came as a result of race results. Being a big racing media story is something quite different, and once this level of hype fades the results are rarely kind.

I'm not a hater, but I am realistic. I've always maintained that she handles herself well in public, but she has certainly invited the hype to a substantial degree. Without a publicist the FHM layout and dozens of personal TV appearances simply don't happen. That set an unfortunate tone, and now she's being used by the IMS/EARL PR machine, and she will be exploited to the max for any iota of gain that can be extracted after which she will be spit out or ingored. I also think she is tainted with regard to other more competitive series, perhaps even if she is suddenly transformed into a regular podium fixture, which seems quite unlikely.

I'm not a hater Brick, but I am realistic.

oc

[trish]

I was a bit surprised to hear a Danica mention on a local radio station this morning. I'm not sure if it was a New York station or Connecticut, but they don't usually talk racing. They mentioned how she came in fourth while doing her nails or something like that.

[Brickman]

Being the most famous racing driver of your time is only sustainable long term if the fame came as a result of race results. Being a big racing media story is something quite different, and once this level of hype fades the results are rarely kind.

I'm not a hater, but I am realistic. I've always maintained that she handles herself well in public, but she has certainly invited the hype to a substantial degree. Without a publicist the FHM layout and dozens of personal TV appearances simply don't happen. That set an unfortunate tone, and now she's being used by the IMS/EARL PR machine, and she will be exploited to the max for any iota of gain that can be extracted after which she will be spit out or ingored. I also think she is tainted with regard to other more competitive series, perhaps even if she is suddenly transformed into a regular podium fixture, which seems quite unlikely.

I'm not a hater Brick, but I am realistic.

oc

I never liked the FHM crapola. Simply because this is how I rate her.

1. Racer
2. Driver
3. Woman
4. Attractive woman

Thank God Dan or Buddy Rice didn't have to don a Speedo to get attention, goofy hair, sould patches and hats was about it. I don't think she got the ride because of her FHM, but she certainly did because she's a girl who can drive.

Bottom line is that I think she can race, especially with the best power (Honda). Is she as good as all the other drivers? Better than half the field, equal to some others, not as good as a few more.

But I think she will win in 2005. Podiums will tell the story.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Thank God Dan or Buddy Rice didn't have to don a Speedo to get attention

Hey you don't know what he did to get the Andretti-Green ride... :D

[Ziggy]

But I think she will win in 2005. Podiums will tell the story.

Thank you Mr. Obvious

[racer2c]

'They' will make sure she wins. It's a sure thing.

[Brickman]

'They' will make sure she wins. It's a sure thing.

"They" will want her to win in the worst way. She is the only one who can make sure she wins, by not making rookie mistakes.

Jacques DeBris isn't an option.

[racer2c]

"They" will want her to win in the worst way. She is the only one who can make sure she wins, by not making rookie mistakes.

Jacques DeBris isn't an option.

Riiiiight.

[Napoleon]

Here is a columist for the Cleveland PDs take on her


Patrick hype driven to extremes
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist
It was a landmark day at the Indy 500.

Take a bow . . . Dan Wheldon.

Making a statement for Englishmen everywhere, Wheldon became the first Brit since Graham Hill in 1966 to win Indy. That should put an end to the jokes about soccer, darts and shouting in Parliament being what the English do best.

As for the old, tired punch lines about women drivers, didn't Janet Guthrie put those to rest about 27 years before Danica Patrick when she finished ninth at The Brickyard?

After all, she did so without a car set up to win, and she drove that modest entry against a field featuring some drivers you could actually name: Andretti and Foyt and Unser.

Patrick finished fourth, highest ever for a woman. She is also the first to lead the race. She faced different pressures than Guthrie, and came up big. Her accomplishments speak to her driving prowess and the money David Letterman stacked in piles behind her team. Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher before her never had that backing.

The social relevance of her afternoon was lost on Patrick, who coined the phrase "goober stupid" for having to admit she hadn't given it much thought. Good for her.

Maybe next time everyone will treat her as just another driver who hopes to learn from rookie mistakes.

She seemed to recognize the gender issue was overblown. "Seemed" probably is the wrong word. How could she not? By the time the green flag dropped, her presence was so ballyhooed you'd have thought Rosa Parks was riding shotgun with her.

As is often the case when TV claims ownership of a battle-of-the-sexes kind of story, things tend to get out of hand. I'd say the line of sensible journalism was vaulted Bob Beamon-style about the time ABC compared Patrick to Amelia Earhart.

Let's take a step back.

Annika Sorenstam shouldn't be able to go driver-for-driver (as in golf clubs) with the best of the PGA because she doesn't hit the ball nearly as far as most of the top players do. Before she played at Colonial she also had not faced the weekly challenge of pin placements bordering on the impossible.

But what exactly are we saying when we act amazed that a woman can drive a race car as well as a man?

Anyone who has seen a guy working a crossword puzzle while changing lanes in a turnpike construction zone or a woman applying eyeliner while steering with her knees into Deadman's Curve must admit to being equally impressed.

Maybe people aren't amazed by Danica Patrick's skills. Maybe they're just happy to see a woman get the chance to do something they knew was possible all along and should never have become such a big deal.

Fine, but the question then is why so much fuss over this woman even before the race. Part of it was her qualifying speeds. And . . . she's real cute.

Celebrating a woman at Indy in any part because she can walk the modeling walk somehow doesn't seem like incredible social progress.

NASCAR driver Robby Gordon caused trouble for himself when he said Patrick's weight (only 100 pounds) gave her a decided advantage and that he wouldn't race in the IRL until it addressed the issue. Everything being equal, a lighter car goes faster.

But the fawning over Patrick in its own way is a worse case of chauvinism. Subtle bias is always the most dangerous because it masquerades as something else.

[Brickman]

Riiiiight.

It's true. They can't use a gimick for her first win. It would blow up in their face. Anything gained would be lost.