I have been debating this post for a while now. I am just going to give it to you straight. I am sick of Danika Patrick getting so much attention for being an extremey marginal indy car driver. She gets by because so is a gal, make no mistake about it. Other indy car drivers in the league are starting to voice their opinion about Danika being dangerous on the track. She seems to stall her car in the pits every race, and sometimes 2 or 3 times. I even read a story about Danika snubbing a big line of kids that wanted her autograph; she just decided to leave them hanging and leave the race. Hey, I'm a professional race car driver too. I would never snub a group of kids that had been waiting. Even if I had an emergency situation and had to leave the track, I would make sure I let everyone know about it, and set a time when I could come back and 'finish up'. I know how it can be. I sometimes sign autographs for an hour or more per session at the track. You don't snub new, potential fans. Ever.
Danika is extremely cocky, and hasn't backed it up with a win, not even close. Sure, she can qualify well by herself on the track (it helps when you weigh a lot less than other drivers), but add in the other cars on raceday, and she can't perform. I feel bad for other, more talented indy car drivers not competing, because they just can't be marketed the same. Realize that's the key here; Danika is simply a marketing gimmic and tool. She gets a lot of attention, and therefore generates a lot of revenue for her managment co. She is a concept. And it works, from a $ standpoint. I would like to hear some input on this from others.

 

I'd have to agree with you on everything that u said. I've been thinking about it for a while too. She's got everybody pissed off. The other drivers i mean. Unfurtunatelly it's all about the money, and she does provide that like you said. Also the media gets out of hand all the time, giving her all the coverage and talking about her more that they talk about the race winner. I think she's way over rated. One of this days she's going to hurt somebody out there. Hopefully not but the way she drives is almost guarantee. I really don't see her winning a race any time soon.

 

I was unware that the other drivers think she is dangerous on the track. Obviously the league is going to be crazy about her; she is a woman, a decent looking one at that, and she is young, so they can market her as a "rising star". It's definitely unfair to the other drivers to put a marketing ploy on the track when she is a danger. Any sort of f*ck up could cost somebody their lives at those speeds, and the league seems to put money ahead of safety. That is horrible, especially in car racing where the potential for danger is so high. I do think it's cool that motor racing is a sport where women and men can compete at the same level (or even that women have a weight advantage) though. I think Danica is popular mainly because she is young and not harsh on the eyes. She is not the first woman to be involved in indy cars, just the first to get huge publicity.

 

As much as all the drivers hate her, Indy needs her bad. They will push everyone else aside and cater to her.

She will fade fast once Erin Crocker gets settled in the Busch series and runs in Cup, if there is a female driver with natural talent it's Crocker..

 

Shes a terrible driver and she doesn't deserve to be on the track at all. All she is, is a dumb girl who can drive semi descent and thats what indy wants. What they don't realize however is that she is constantly putting peoples lives in danger by driving stupid. She needs to be kicked off the track. I can not believe that she would not sign autographs for kids. Thats just wrong.

 

birdieman, I do aggree with you, because she is a "cute" young woman she will get what she wants espiacially in a sport that is dominated by men she is the "new thing" on the track, eventhough it is nice to see a woman on the track kicking butt but her arrogance is going to snub her aside and others will come.

 

This is everything i've been saying since day one, plubicity stunt. David Letterman is a sneaky S.O.B.

 

test

 

She's pretty hot though....

 

I'd hit it

Seriously, I agree. She is extremely mediocre, at best but IRL needs the attention something fierce. Talk about lame.

That series is pathetic. They need to sort out their differnces with CHAMP and just get on with it. At this point I don't even bother to watch IRL anymore.