NASCAR Driver Says Female Phenom Has Unfair Edge(Danica Patrick)

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com ^ | 5 28 05

[rlmorel]

Yes, his point is valid.

But rules are rules. As conservatives, we think they should abide by them. There is no rule about the drivers weight. End of story. If they want to make rules like that for next season, so be it.

But you cannot change the rules in midstream. We didn't want it in Florida elections, and this is no different in principle.

[Dinsdale]

Who was the driver that lost both legs?

Bet he's looking for a drive.

[clintonh8r]

I still have my copy of The Unfair Advantage I bought when it came out.

I could be wrong, but didn't Graham Hill win the race as a rookie?

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

One of the problems with IRL is that nobody knows who the drivers are. NASCAR fans are devoted to a particular driver, be it Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., or Dale Jarret. That's smart marketing by the corporate brass.

Meanwhile, since IRL splintered off, all of the name drivers who used to race at Indy are gone. Now it's just a bunch of Joses and Gunthers that nobody will remember the day after the race. While it's nice to see Ms. Patrick getting all this attention, the Indy 500 will probably never again see the likes of the glory days when AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti were racing. Heck the only reason I ever watched it was to see if Mario could break his curse. ;^)

[GB]

Danica is definitely a looker, but we need to stop and realize that if she screws up, or if somebody screws up around her, doesn't even have to be her fault, just like anyone else who'll be out there tomorrow, they could end up hauling her off in a black bag looking like ground beef.

I give her much credit for having the guts to go out and do this.

[HighWheeler]

Here is Danica with her evaluation of Robby Gordon being a man:

[GB]

He had it dropped into his lap when everybody fell out of the race. That was 1966, where they had a NASCAR-style big one at the start that took out about half the field. I think there were only like 4 or 5 cars running at the finish. Plus Andy Granatelli, who was the owner/sponsor of Jim Clark's car that year, swears to this day that the scoring was screwed up and Clark was actually the winner. Supposedly, Hill never ran a lap within 10 mph of the leader all day. But hey, in a 500-mile race, the turtle often defeats the hare. :)

Clark and Mansell, on the other hand, came in kicking tail from the second they hit the track. Clark especially.

[clintonh8r]

I was only making the point that 100 pounds is a very significant amount of weight over a 500 mile race, when the total car weight is about 1400 lbs. Race teams literally spend millions of dollars trying to squeeze just a few pounds out of a car's weight.

[clintonh8r]

You know your racing history!

[LdSentinal]

Alex Zanardi.

[Arkie2]

The guys in the Fox booth always spot the debris and show it on camera. Sometimes I wonder why they would slow the race for some of that stuff. Your comment makes me think there might be another reason besides safety. I'll watch those debris yellows with a closer eye from now on!

[Southack]

"Danica is about 12 hours from learning the difference between qualifying by yourself, and running down to turn 1 with 32 other barely-in-control projectiles being driven by Nomex-cladded testosterone...."

Nope.

1. She's starting out in 4th.
2. Her car is faster than everyone else's. So at Turn #1, she'll only be looking at one or two cars still ahead of her in the race (at most)...all of the other losers will be breathing her exhaust fumes, if they even qualified for the race, and if they are still in it.

[TheCrusader]

"I'm sorry that all those blinded by her gender/beauty can't recognize that he has a point."

I've looked at all the photos of her on this post, and I'm surprised that guys are calling her a "beauty" and a "babe". She's a young girl, average looking and showing off her legs and smile to professional photogs. What's up with this generation of males, is everything with a skirt and pair of legs a "beauty"?

Now that I've got that out of my system, I agree with the folks who worry about her weight advantage. But the worst part of it all is that she's just another feminist trying to break into a man's world and many of the racers are upset. I don't blame them.... there are too many people and organizations who are intent on blurring the distinction between men and women. It's getting really old now, and I personally liked it better when there was a clear distinction.

These are the very same types who think we should alter the definition of traditional marriage, make our borders invisible, and let Spanish become one of two official American languages. Just blurr the traditional definition and boundaries of everything until the world becomes a chaotic, inverted mockery of nature and common sense.

[rlmorel]

I don't disagree with you. But rules are rules, right? That's the way I see it.

[LdSentinal]

Unless she crashes out on the pace laps.

[VOR78]

Alex Zanardi. Believe it or not, but the man actually has been racing competitively in the last couple of years since recovering from that horrific accident. Its really an unbelievable story and its great to see that he's managed to have a good life since.

[clintonh8r]

Disagreement with the Danica-worshipers will not be tolerated!

[LdSentinal]

I wish her a safe race today. Though, I don't understand why she's considered hot. She's ok.

Then again, I don't know what people see in Natalie Portman either.

[SALChamps03]

PS: Richard Petty is NASCAR's greatest driver

Richard Petty

Races: 155

Wins: 30

Top 5: 90

Top 10: 110

Poles: 26

Dale Earnhardt

Races: 676

Wins: 76

Top 5: 281

Top 10: 428

Poles: 22

I think Mr. Earnhardt's stats speak for themselves.

[VOR78]

Its unfair to dismiss her as just some feminist trying to make a statement. 10 top 5 finishes in 12 races in '04 in the Toyota Atlantic series and a 3rd place finish in the season points isn't exactly bad. She's had a successful career as a young driver to this point and is deserving of the opportunity.