Danica Patrick!, Takes Daytona 500 Pole Options

[jeff]

Danica just grabbed the Pole for the Nationwide Daytona 500! She's got something tougher than balls,a vagina, those can take a pounding! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cheer.gif)

[Richard Casto]

I tend to be a fan of drivers who falls into the “nice guy” category. They are not asses on or off track and tend to not run their mouth, stomp around or pout when things go badly. So because of her personality and antics, I am NOT a Danica fan.

But I always get a real kick out of the “anti-Danica” stuff on the various motorsports forums I visit. Particularly the “she is only here because she is a good looking women” and “I could beat her” comments.

Let’s take the good looking women part first. We need to first equally beat up on the vast majority of pro driver who are in the sport because they either have loads of family or sponsor money. She is really no different than someone who has hustled sponsorship and maybe better than someone who has cruised on family money. Sure it has been easier for her as she has played up her looks, but who wouldn’t take the easy route if it was presented to them? There is only a small handful of driver in any series who are pursued by the top teams and don’t have to bring personal or sponsor money to the table to drive. Even then, most (if not all) of this “cream of the crop” were initially noticed only because family or sponsorship money allowed them to participate enough at a lower level to be noticed by the bigger teams who have their own money. In short, if you are in the top levels of motorsport, family or sponsorship money had more to do with your climb upwards it than skill. Not that I am saying at all that skill is not required.

Then you have the issue of her skill. I do believe that “she has risen to her level of incompetence” (Google “Peter Principle”). In short, she has been promoted up until she can no longer succeed. But… she is participating at the top level and while she will most likely not significantly improve, don’t discount her ability. Yes, her marketability (i.e. ability to get sponsorship) has allowed her to cruse to the top, but you can’t just stuff anyone into a car, give them a wad of cash and then expect them to do well. You have to want to race and have skill. And to even participate and survive (not kill yourself) at that level you have to be more than be just “good”.

There have been plenty of others who have the heart and desire to be a pro racer, hustled the money together by mortgaging their house, etc. and have failed miserably due to more desire than talent. Most fall out at a much lower level. Some die trying. What is sad (and life is not fair) are those who do have true talent (and there are a lot out there) but are just are not able to get the money together to make it work. They do everything right, are good enough to win at the top level, but the dice just doesn’t roll their way.

So I have no doubt she is a racer at heart and I also have to accept the fact that she is likely to be better than me or anyone else on this forum. Granted, someone on this forum may secretly have Michael Schumacher skills (highly unlikely, but a possibility), but in general, I can do nothing but laugh at those who discount her skill by trying to pump up their own. Frankly, as someone pointed out earlier, it is nothing but envy and jealousy. Those who have raced her and have beat her have a real story to tell. Everyone else is just flapping their lips.

Sorry if this rubs some the wrong way. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

Richard