Danica just grabbed the Pole for the Nationwide Daytona 500! She's got something tougher than balls,a vagina, those can take a pounding!

And there's a huge tribute thread to her in the Sandbox.

What pole?

In the dictionary under "redundant" it says "see redundant".... - Robin Williams

LMFAO

but...yeah go Danica go with just hope she steps up to the plate and goes toe to toe with a lot of very experienced drivers (her Cup car owner Tony Stewert, the current champ,& Dale Jr. her Nationwide car owner) and a lot of pressure...maybe more than Indy.

Danica you go girl

When I read she took the pole, I thought ...


Oh, never mind

I like Danica and she is in the Daytona 500, but what she won and deserves props for is the pole position for the Nationwide Drive4COPD 300 race which is obviously NOT the Daytona 500...

Yep, starts last as she kinda tore up her original car ...

Nope.. she didn't tear it up, she had a LOT of help with that one. Nobody, not even the revered Dale Sr. could have saved that car. I am impressed she could come out and set fastest lap and get the pole for the 300 after a crash like that.

Busch could have saved it - he showed that 3 Times last week

Well Clay ... the report that I read said she needed to go to the backup car and by the rules, starts dead last in the 500 field.

Duck Tape and JB Weld wouldn't fix what I saw in the picture. Fortunately, I don't care anyway.

Yes, she is charismatic, yes she is a good driver.

Give me a shot in her car with a few laps, and I can best any time she can drive.

Or I will eat a (1/2) pound of her shit.

I'm just sayin'.

This is not my first rodeo.

I dont really care for Danica, but John she would smoke you in any car, anytime. She is a "PROFESSIONAL" race car driver with 1000x more seat time then you. Do you think you could win a Indycar race if they put you in a car right now?

She couldn't win an Indy Car Race if they her back in a seat - her 1 Win was a Fluke, all fuel mileage related

Yeah but she still is a better driver then any of us

strategy

Yes, it's true she would outrun ant of us without breaking a sweat! If you want a humbling experience, go to you local kart track on a day before they have a club race, you'll find multiple 12-20 yr old kids that will make you look like a turtle! Lol...

As with all racing, power to weight ratio is her favor ( or also the kids at the kart track). And good looks don't hurt sponsorship money as well!

This stupid comment is made in every DP thread.

I am sure there are drivers in here that given the op could do as well or better. Much of it is about seat time but when you get to the upper level it has to do with something she doesn't have.

Anger, jealousy, envy and resentment. This thread is like a day time Soap Opera.

I'm feeling a bit ambivalent on the subject

But if she showed up at my door, I'd be a willing 'Go Daddy'

Your right Ury914 just a stupid comment.

JMO but none of use could keep up with that hot little badger she`s a pro and we are wanna be`s , thats the bottom line....Stamina is very critical as well as seat time and many years behind the wheel of many fast cars .....but it would still be fun to try
for someone to think they could just have a day with her car and go out and win a nation wide pole ...dude your smoke n crack get real it takes years to develop that kinda speed...you would scare your self

he only problem is she`s not a pack racer ...SHE WONT PUSH ya`ll seen that Saturday.and you will see the same thing today! How long will they let her ride before they dump her .and she barely got touched and lost it then cryed ....Your right TC.there was a lot of beat n and bang n on cars all day and they didnt spin and many good saves

Sorry miss Patrick but you stink at big boy racing..But i still like ya just try and stay outta they way
MikeC

I have to disagree Mike. There are guys on this board that are close to a pro level. Honestly, that is all she has ever been as well. She bring a lot of money with her so many teams want her. It is NOT because of her driving ability. Most of her pro career she has had the best equipment on the track and couldn't come away with anything to show for it. I'm not saying I am one of those drivers as I know I am certainly not.

you smoken crack too ...if they were that good they would be there like she is...just say n ......its ok to have dreams
MikeC

I will say this, none of us has her looks & we don't bring GoDaddy Dollars to the table. That is what seperates her from other Drivers.

Quite frankly, I know I could beat her - I would just give her a nudge ,she would hit the wall & I would Win

But in Reality for her it is the Money & Media she brings to the Table. For instance, my friend Rafa Matos, has won 5 Major Championships in the last 8-9 years ( including Indy Lights), has won the 24 Hours of Daytona, but has little money ( 3 years ago his Daily Driver was a used VW GTi) & no big backers. He lost his Indy Car rides twice to others that brought huge sums of money. In equal equipment he would Dust her.

She didn't hit the wall today.



Oh wait, the race was postponed. Sorry.

Talk about stupid comments. "Thats big boy racing", "Give her a little nudge"... what a bunch of BS!
If you couldnt beat her, or anyone else clean you dont have a clue about "Racing".

quote name='carr914' date='Feb 26 2012, 06:30 PM' post='1634220']
[quote name='6freak' post='1634038' date='Feb 26 2012, 06:57 PM']
[quote name='PeeGreen 914' post='1633795' date='Feb 26 2012, 09:44 AM']
I have to disagree Mike. There are guys on this board that are close to a pro level. Honestly, that is all she has ever been as well. She bring a lot of money with her so many teams want her. It is NOT because of her driving ability. Most of her pro career she has had the best equipment on the track and couldn't come away with anything to show for it. I'm not saying I am one of those drivers as I know I am certainly not.
[/quote]
you smoken crack too ...if they were that good they would be there like she is...just say n ......its ok to have dreams
MikeC
[/quote]

I will say this, none of us has her looks & we don't bring GoDaddy Dollars to the table. That is what seperates her from other Drivers.

Quite frankly, I know I could beat her - I would just give her a nudge ,she would hit the wall & I would Win

But in Reality for her it is the Money & Media she brings to the Table. For instance, my friend Rafa Matos, has won 5 Major Championships in the last 8-9 years ( including Indy Lights), has won the 24 Hours of Daytona, but has little money ( 3 years ago his Daily Driver was a used VW GTi) & no big backers. He lost his Indy Car rides twice to others that brought huge sums of money. In equal equipment he would Dust her.
[/quote]
I agree cause he`s a pro...push n not dirty race n Rich nor is rubb n fenders ..they all do it..its what it takes to go fast and win
anywho i think the big draw for me is seeing 43 cars that close togather at that speed for that amount of time ..yes i can get boring at times and yes they can wreck abunch of stuff in one crash ,but most the time it comes right down to the checkers..no one wins by laps and lots of the times its within a second ..I just think its more fun to watch then most racing.....CEPT MONSTER TRUCKS WITH MY LITTLE BOY Click to view attachment

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.

Richard

My comment about a Nudge was really a "Tongue in Cheek", but also a dig about how they race in Nascar - if she can't take a slight tap without crashing, she doesn't belong.

I've beaten Montoya, Herta & others in Races, and my son came close to beating Danica in a Kart, so I think I know a little about Racing Clean ( & Dirty )

Even if you want to dump her you have to get to her rear bumper 1st!

I like Danica, but IMO she isn’t/wasn’t even the best current female Indy car driver - Simona de Silvestro is.

While I’m not a fan of what NASCAR Nextel Cup is today (I liked the racing in the 80’s and 90’s), the idea that someone here could step up and race with the big boys right out of the box is a joke. I’m not saying you aren’t fast, I’m saying you need seat time to compete.

To those that think the only reason they lose at the local kart track is their weight – that is BS too. Once again talent and seat time will rule the day even if you added weight to even things up.

I’ll agree that at times the drivers who bring money get the rides over drivers with more talent, but just being a world class driver with the best equipment is no guarantee of immediate success in NASCAR as a long string of drivers who have come and gone or are still there but run mid-pack at best will attest.

Montoya couldn’t do it, Hornish couldn't do it – you have some kind of (false) ego if you are not a professional racer or Saturday night hero but think you could!

Sports cars aren’t NASCAR, IndyCar isn’t NASCAR, F1 isn’t NASCAR, Supercross isn’t….

All of this is Blah, blah, blah anyway – other than possibly endurance sport car racing - professional 4 wheel racing in this country sucks.

The teams do not have enough leeway to find an advantage so all the racing is too bunched up which is great for the new type of racing fan that really doesn’t understand racing strategy and only cares if their driver has a chance of winning at the end of the race.

All the classes are too aero, have too much tire, too much downforce and not enough HP. If you went back to what Indycars and stock cars had in the 60’s and 70’s we would find out really quickly who can really drive!

This is why the trucks typically put on the best race.

Watch Superbike and MotoGP if you want to see real racing – tremendous power to weight, zero downforce, skinny tires and real differences between manufacturers and riders!

If you want to watch good stock car racing – go to your local bullring and watch the local Saturday night heroes instead!

I think that Danica the name brand has outgrown Danica the driver with talent. Of course she will never admit to this. There was a time when she was coming into IndyCar and the media hype was ramping up with her. Now the hype is overwelming Danica the driver. Non-race fans in my office know the name but have no idea she hasn't produced on the track. She carries a huge media hype that she will never be able to realize as a driver. But she is getting rich doing it so it's all good for her.

Looks like the race is due to start at 7:00 tonight.



They were going to start earlier by Danica had to get her nails done.

All true, but replace "Danica" with "Jr." and it's just as valid.

Danica is not a Current Indy Driver

I disagree on weight in Karting - it makes a Big difference




I don't care for Jr, but at least at one point he was producing results

After more than 30000 race laps he had a couple of passable years.

Click to view attachment

He seems like a genuine, nice guy, but he is an average (cup) driver at best - certainly not worth the "Junior nation" hype....

He'll probably go down as a better cup driver than her, but I don't think he could ever compete as well as she did in Indy cars.

Well, Jr had help, lots of it to his his results, I remember seeing him whine about racing in the dark & rain at his 2nd 24 Hour Daytona Race, was a real whiny pussy about driving in the rain..

I couldnt AGREE more!

That's why I said "isn't/wasn't" the point being the Simona is a better driver who gets less attention than she deserves.



Agreed - It makes a big difference among drivers with similar capabilities.

I'm saying the local track hot shoe with 1000's of laps is still going to kick your ass even if you add the weight because he/she has the laps and talent in those karts, on that track.

I can go to the local "fun center" and kick everyones ass - kids, dads, everyone.
When I go to F1 Boston (about once every 5 years), I can kick everyones ass who showed up off the street to race. I cannot beat the guys who work there or who are the drivers who rule the track series and have serious seat time.

Weight doesn't help, but it has zero to do with not being able to beat them.

If weight is your only excuse for losing you are not as good as you think you are.

I think it will depend on how much you are losing by and what the weight difference is.

When you are 6'5" and weigh 280+ it does make a difference. It is hard to kart race against people who may be 150-200 lbs less than you. Particularly on tight tracks that don't allow you to keep up momentum.

Richard

With me at 180 and some of the people I race with at 140 there is a big advantage there as well. 10lbs is a big advantage in a low HP kart.

However, in Danica's situation the weight isn't as big of a factor now as she is playing with MUCH more HP. It still is a factor though.

Someone earlier was comparing Danica with Jr. The ONLY issue I have with that is Jr at least has won a few races recently and has 18 in the CUP series. We will see how many races Danica even finishes this year.

If she gets more than one top ten she will be off to a better start then Jr. did his rookie year. Winning a few races recently is the same as Danica winning a few races a decade from now - so what?

The real point was they are both mediocre drivers that fate has pushed to the forefront for reasons outside of the cockpit.

Back to the karting - yes 280 is a problem, but you are the exception.

I completely agree that karting is about momentum, that is my entire point about it.
Yes 10 lbs. make a difference, but even at 180 to 140 I'm sure you have beat lighter drivers, even some decent ones - no? if not, I'll say it again you're just not as good as you think you are.

My brother maybe weights 15-20 lbs more than I do, but he has more kart seat time and does a better job carrying speed - hence he usually beats me.

My son is 40 lbs. lighter, doesn't have the driving experience, can't carry speed and can't beat me.

Kart racers are aware that all classes have a minimum weight requirement. Competitive racers will chose a class where their wieght is not a penalty. 5'2"/100lbs could race in the heaviest class by adding balast, so no advantage would be realized.

Andys

I think most of us are simply talking about going to your local track for fun days.

Yes, for competition they do have classes, but even those have a 20-30lb swing.

if ANY of the racers on this forum were capable of competing in NASCAR (even the old winston west series) they'd be doing it. big dif between 60 to 80 seconds on an AX course at what, 60mph tops and all alone, and getting a gentle nudge at 190+ or 3 wide flat out on the high banks. as for her size...jeff gordon, kasey kahne, and others aren't exactly giants.

the indy guys who consistantly wad up their cars and never finish in the top 10 let alone the top 20.

look at all the regular back runners who are NEVER in the hunt. derick cope (tacoma local) for example. the woman can drive and is a hell of alot easier on the eyes than janet guthrie.

You make the Assumption that there are no Real Racers on this Forum. And you would be Dead Wrong! Vic Elford comes to mind and even at his age, he would put Whiney Patrick in the Weeds