Danica Patrick becomes first female driver to win IndyCar race!
04-21-08, 10:55 AM
#16
I haven't really kept up with her career, but she has finished well fairly often. She has been fairly consistent as a driver. There are many many drivers out there that have never nor will ever win a race. So my bet is she probably will still have been driving for a long time. Perhaps she may not have been with a top team after many years of no wins, but she would have a ride for a while until she is no longer competitive. She has come close to wining many times. IMHO, she should have won the Indy500 her rookie year, but a team fuel miscalculation cost her the win (She came in 4th). I'm not the biggest fan of her, but I'm no hater of her either.
04-21-08, 11:00 AM
#17
Lexus Test Driver
I haven't really kept up with her career, but she has finished well fairly often. She has been fairly consistent as a driver. There are many many drivers out there that have never nor will ever win a race. So my bet is she probably will still have been driving for a long time. Perhaps she may not have been with a top team after many years of no wins, but she would have a ride for a while until she is no longer competitive. She has come close to wining many times. IMHO, she should have won the Indy500 her rookie year, but a team fuel miscalculation cost her the win (She came in 4th). I'm not the biggest fan of her, but I'm no hater of her either.
04-21-08, 11:08 AM
#18
Sorry, I wasn't saying you are hating. But I do believe she would still have a ride since she actually has been more consistently near the top than a lot of other drivers. She could have gone the way of Sarah Fisher if teams and sponsors thought she didn't have what it takes. Sarah Fisher was supposed to be the hot young girl driver years before Danica. She didn't pan out and she was never really in contention to win anything. At least with Danica she is consistently around the top and competitive. I don't think Danica is the best driver out there by a long shot, but she has been moving upwards to better teams as her career went on. Top teams could care less about the marketing as wining is the #1 priority.
04-21-08, 11:13 AM
#19
Lexus Test Driver
Sorry, I wasn't saying you are hating. But I do believe she would still have a ride since she actually has been more consistently near the top than a lot of other drivers. She could have gone the way of Sarah Fisher if teams and sponsors thought she didn't have what it takes. Sarah Fisher was supposed to be the hot young girl driver years before Danica. She didn't pan out and she was never really in contention to win anything. At least with Danica she is consistently around the top and competitive. I don't think Danica is the best driver out there by a long shot, but she has been moving upwards to better teams as her career went on. Top teams could care less about the marketing as wining is the #1 priority.
04-21-08, 11:25 AM
#20
She has always been on the radar...I still think the only reason she has been up there is because she has been on top teams. and If I could drive like her I would not have been given the same look. I think we'll see when the Champ car teams get up to speed how good she really is.
04-21-08, 11:39 AM
#22
yeah, she'd be driving if she were a guy...she is always a top ten driver.
There are PLENTY of guys who shouldnt be out there.
the Champ guys will take a while to get up to speed. She will continue to be a top pole driver.
I think one differences in her favor from the other women in the league is she is arrogant. A lot of times the females in any sports are criticized for not having the killer instinct. She may not be as manly in that sense, but she is a fairly arrogant and somewhat cocky girl, so perhaps that helps her as she doesn't really seem to lack that killer instinct and aggressive driving.
yeah, they all have that about them...look at wheldon. He's the best driver in the biz...and the cockiest by far.
I wish Danica would be a bit more aggressive behind the wheel. Hopefully we'll see that in the races to come. Lots of pressure lifted of her shoulders. Pressure that Male drivers dont have....double edged sword
BTW, Sarah Fisher is a driver and team owner now
Last edited by DriftGirl; 04-21-08 at 11:43 AM.
04-21-08, 12:39 PM
#24
ORLANDO, Fla.
Monday Orlando-based AirTran Airlines proclaimed the day as "Air-Tranica" Day.
In honor of Patrick's huge accomplishment as the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, the airline unveiled a commemorative aircraft featuring the driver.
LoL!!!! ohhh man...let the hatin and flames begin!!
Last edited by DriftGirl; 04-21-08 at 02:53 PM.
04-21-08, 12:41 PM
#25
Moderator: LFA, Clubhouse
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
04-21-08, 12:47 PM
#27
Lexus Test Driver
A Sarah vs. Danica comparison isn't very fair, considering that Sarah has never raced for a top team. Dreyer Reinbold doesn't exactly put out quality cars on race day - nor should they be expected to, especially given the disparity in resources compared to a team like Andretti Green or Rahal Letterman.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
04-21-08, 12:50 PM
#28
Lexus Test Driver
A Sarah vs. Danica comparison isn't very fair, considering that Sarah has never raced for a top team. Dreyer Reinbold doesn't exactly put out quality cars on race day - nor should they be expected to, especially given the disparity in resources compared to a team like Andretti Green or Rahal Letterman.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
( Mario, Not Mike...)
and I actually saw Sarah Fisher drive an F1 car at indy...not what I was expecting...I think Danaca would have driven the car a bit harder.
04-21-08, 01:05 PM
#29
People are really silly sometimes......
She's a driver in a male sport. Cars are a 'guy thing' and some will have a hard time with a girl invading their space.
The sad part is that the media and haters wont let her just be a driver. Theres a ton of pressure for her to win EVERY race she enters. No other driver has that pressure to win coming from every tv media outlet, website,magazine and newspaper.
the guys can just go 'do their thing' and focus on the race.
I like the fact that she's not trying to be 'a guy' to fit in as well...
AGAIN, Sarah Fisher is a TEAM OWNER AND DRIVER....how many guy drivers are out their doing that in the IRL?
She's a driver in a male sport. Cars are a 'guy thing' and some will have a hard time with a girl invading their space.
The sad part is that the media and haters wont let her just be a driver. Theres a ton of pressure for her to win EVERY race she enters. No other driver has that pressure to win coming from every tv media outlet, website,magazine and newspaper.
the guys can just go 'do their thing' and focus on the race.
I like the fact that she's not trying to be 'a guy' to fit in as well...
AGAIN, Sarah Fisher is a TEAM OWNER AND DRIVER....how many guy drivers are out their doing that in the IRL?
04-21-08, 01:13 PM
#30
A Sarah vs. Danica comparison isn't very fair, considering that Sarah has never raced for a top team. Dreyer Reinbold doesn't exactly put out quality cars on race day - nor should they be expected to, especially given the disparity in resources compared to a team like Andretti Green or Rahal Letterman.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
A fairer comparison would be to a rookie who joined a top team in the same way Danica did, like Marco Andretti. I acknowledge that Marco is a much more talented driver in pure skill, but OTOH we also all know he has lacked experience/maturity/polish (largely due to his young age - he was four years younger at the beginning of his IRL career than Danica was at hers). But Marco won his first race in just his 13th start (this after being second in the Indy 500 by 0.06 seconds in his 4th career start), and despite having fewer starts, still has more Top 3 finishes than Danica.
I try my best not to appear as an overzealous Danica hater, especially since Danica fanboys are as equally rabid as the haters - but I truly feel that the facts speak for themselves. It's not a matter of not deserving to be there, but what I feel is natural disdain for anyone who is so over-hyped and over-glorified. My point in my original post in this thread is just that, IMO, she has a long, long way to go before she lives up to the hype that has surrounded her. But hey, at least it's still possible.
The question I answered is if she would have been around this long if she where a man and not a women. I say absolutely because among the current drivers she is among the better ones. Not the best, but she is easily top 20 and fairly consistently top 10 or so.
Obviously, or hopefully you guys can tell I'm not a women nor am I really a pro women or any of that. What I am is just a fan. Not really of IRL but of racing generally. For me, I welcome women into any sport IF they can compete. On the flip side, as a women, she probably did get more hype and perhaps even a few more breaks than a man, but she also more than likely had to overcome a few adversities that men wouldn't have to bother with. It works both way for her. She has added pressure that men would not have had as many feel she doesn't belong to begin with, and she may also have gotten endorsements and sponsorships because she is a women.