Anyone watching Danica Patrick in 2012 should realize that she is serious about racing and will be capable of winning.
She's gained experience & learned from running in the pack, getting crashed and finally learning to pay it back.
Like 'em or not, the Go Daddy ads gave her name recognition outside of auto racing as well as guaranteed sponsorship, and they're certainly less demeaning than pimping for reverse mortgages.
If nothing so far makes the case - Tony Stewart ain't no kinda PC guy and he's putting his name and money behind her ability; he even predicted that she'd go faster than him at Daytona, and she did.
If you won't bet on Danica, bet on Smoke.
It’s always great to see a driver get their first pole position. The fact that she is the first woman to do it is also historic, and worthy of reporting and applauding.
I thought she got too much press w/o many accomplishments in past years in Indy, but in this case she deserves all the press she gets in the next week.
The trick will be doing this consistently and getting race results.