ltc

Actually, he didn't sit in a kart until he was 10 (he was a very late starter) and stopped racing when he was 16 (college).

As I've said before, Danica is today who she was back in karts. Average to slightly above average driver, but nothing spectacular in terms of talent. And yes, even back then, the equipment and team were always first to go under the bus, followed by the competitors.

Plyman438

Certainly, open wheel racing has been failing for decades in America and probably needed someone like Danica. Open wheel racing was at MIS for decades and at one time was probably second best venue after Indy. But crowds dwindled from about 70,000 at its peak or so down to less than 10,000 by the time MIS cancelled the race for good. NASCAR crowds number about 150,000 at MIS twice a year. Even with CART gone and one series again, open wheel racing is still struggling. Lots of empty seats at Phoenix or wherever and far less cars on grid than Indy 500. Sad to say, but Indy Series needs Danica more than Danica needs Indy. 2012 will be pivotal year for Indy Series with more engine manufacturers coming in and full body kits so that some touching will be less problematic. The biggest trouble with Indy Series is all anyone is interested in is Indy 500 and that is it. They have never been able to figure out how to make a couple other races into semi big events. Belle Isle used to draw a decent crowd in Detroit for a couple years, but the financial crisis of 2008 ended that. The Belle Isle race was probably the second best attended race for awhile back in the 90's when Nigel Mansell and Michael Andretti were racing for Newman /Haas. Roger Penske I believe put on those events and they were first class in every way. Open wheel racing has never really recovered from the CART/Indy split. Having only one engine manufacturer and one chassis certainly hasn't helped. With Chevy entering next year and other chassis makers, maybe a slow rebound is coming.

ltc

If true, then it is better to let the IRL simply die and complete the job that Tony George started years ago.

kurt M

Dood you are advocating that a driver be put into a wall based on gender. You post the strongest dislike at every step. As to affirmitave action. That is a goverment and laws thing. She makes her money for real. She is paid money by people that hire her to drive cars with logos on them and stand there and hold products for the cameras. Just the same as other race drivers. She has an "unfair advantage" in that she is a bit better looking than most of the other drivers and gets paid more for it. Most pro racers are not racing champs and never will be. They are still racers.

Plyman438

I believe where a lot of Danica critics are missing the point is that at Indy itself she is a factor in that race. So many Indy drivers have big time trouble with that wall and she doesn't. She is consistent there, smooth, and yes fast as she does get rides on good teams. I personally believe that Danica is always a threat to win or finish very high at Indy. As for the rest of schedule, and especially street/road racing, not so much. If I were a big time team owner, I would have no trouble offering her a ride at Indy 500 only. She stays off the wall, doesn't make stupid mistakes, and with a few breaks and racing luck, she very well could win Indy 500 someday. I would put her in the top 10 as one of the best Indy 500 drivers and in my mind anyone of those are always a factor in that race. As a top owner, I would not however offer her a ride for the road racing part of schedule. I have seen her race in person at road racing events like Belle Isle and not impressed. Not competitive enough to be in top car. A second or third tier team fine, but not first tier team. You've got to earn that in my opinion. She has earned it though at Indy.

VaSteve

You could. Read up on the nascar boards, its just like here.

ltc

I think of the history and drivers of the Indy 500 and she doesn't come close to the top 10 IMHO.

Put any good driver in a good car, add some luck and they could win an Indy 500. Many one time winners have been that route.

TexasRider

"The biggest trouble with Indy Series is all anyone is interested in is Indy 500 and that is it. They have never been able to figure out how to make a couple other races into semi big events. "

This is very true. And this years Indy 500 was the best in a while.

I dont have any thing against Danica. I really dont. I hope she fills the seats up, brings more attention, all of that. Rant off.

mglobe

Top ten overall? I don't think so either. Among the top ten of current Indy 500 drivers. I think she is.

I'm an unabashed fan of Danica's, but unlike the DP bashers seem to think, I don't think she's an all time great. She's above average relative to her peers in my opinion. But I admire her for the hard work she's put in to get where she is, and for her ability to stand up to the pressures of what is a man's world. Her behavior isn't always perfect, without doubt. Is any of ours?

I also wonder if she really has had the "best equipment" as so many folks seem to assert. Why is it that almost all of the IRL races are won by Gnassi or Penske drivers? Did they corner the market on driving talent? Or do they have a better overall team that fields better cars?

BlueRiver86

Frankly, the biggest problem with Indy is that half the season is raced on ovals.

multi21

^ this

mglobe

Actually not. This year's schedule has 8 races on ovals out of a total of 18. There are more road coarse IndyCar races than ovals. And while most of us on this board prefer it that way, that actually is a problem for IndyCar. The public doesn't come out in the big numbers for most of the road races.

Plyman438

Sorry I wasn't clear....I did mean top 10 of current drivers, not the history of Indy 500. I agree, no way is she in top 10 of all time with the likes of Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt, the Unser brothers, Jimmy Clark, and on and on. She is a good driver at the brickyard, but not in their class.

TexasRider

It is true.

It might not apply to Danica. Then again it might.

I tell too many old stories on RennList but here is another.

Back in the early 1990's we were working and racing. Working and racing at a continuous pace. Hey we were young once too .

On one week we had a really hard week and had to go back to a race up in East Texas. I mean everything was bad that week. No time. No practice. Worked all but about 4 hours every day and night. Things were not set up right. I had a couple of broken bones. We had the wrong tires. The new shocks did not get in in time for us to get it on. We got a late start on Friday and got in to the hotel really late. Gary and I were whipped. He was mechanicing and managing and I was racing and spending money. We had other help from the shop at the track too. But overall I was starting to hedge.

On Saturday morning we got up exhausted tired and went over to McDonalds right as it opened at 6 am. Got a bag of stuff and coffees. We walk over and get in the truck. I tell Gary " You know I am thinking if I can just run in the middle and then maybe snag a top 10 or so finish and get out of here we can catch up in a couple of weeks." It seemed resonable at the time I said it.

BOOOMMMMM as Madden would say. The truck exploded with cuss words and shouting. In my ear. In my face. My coffee flew Gary said " IF we are going out to run anything but First, turn this truck around and go back to that hotel. Lets get breakfast and lay in bed. And then make up some classified ads to sell all this crap. Today! You get your azz out there and run this thing until your eyes pop out, until you crash, or until we win or something blows up. Wide freackin open and ballz to the wall. I did not come all the way up here to finish. I came to win something. You hear me!"

WOW. Now I am thinking how in the hell can I blow the motor and slink out of here with my pride and friends still intact. Much less my money. I was looking for a place to hide and just get by this. But it wasnt happening.

I think it happens to everybody sometime. You just have to fight through that.

Condtions, and set up, and the competition, and tires, and the track, and lunar phases of the moon, hardly ever line up for you to be perfect. And if does it wont last long. It might be gone the next lap.

So you have to learn to fight through it and go for it and race your way into it. Like you did back playing high school football or something. Just play your way through it and in to the game.

ltc

The biggest problem with the IRL has been, is, and always will be, Tony George (Vince McMahon wanna be).

The man was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and nothing between his ears.

And don't forget, his vision/goal/desire/business model/statement to the world was to "create an all American, all oval, open wheel series, called the IRL".