Posted on 05/28/2005 8:03:38 PM PDT by freepatriot32
Robby Gordon accused Danica Patrick of having an unfair advantage in the Indianapolis 500 and said Saturday he will not compete in the race again unless the field is equalized.
Gordon, a former open-wheel driver now in NASCAR, contends that Patrick is at an advantage over the rest of the competitors because she only weighs 100 pounds. Because all the cars weigh the same, Patrick's is lighter on the race track.
"The lighter the car, the faster it goes," Gordon said. "Do the math. Put her in the car at her weight, then put me or Tony Stewart in the car at 200 pounds and our car is at least 100 pounds heavier.
"I won't race against her until the IRL does something to take that advantage away."
The Indy Racing League does not consider the weight of the driver in its race specifications. The car has to weigh at least 1,525 pounds before the fuel and driver are added, and teams in Indy have estimated that Patrick will gain close to 1 mph in speed because of her small stature.
Although her rivals in Sunday's race have said she doesn't have a huge advantage, pole-sitter Tony Kanaan told reporters he would like the Indy Racing League to look into the issue.
"Right off the bat, a guy my size is spotting her 105 pounds," Gordon said. "That's the reason she's so much faster."
Patrick has been among the quickest drivers since rookie orientation began on the famed 2 1/2-mile oval on May 5. Only a bobble on the first lap of her qualifying effort kept her from winning the pole, and she will take the green flag from fourth on Sunday, the best starting position for a woman at Indy.
Patrick was fastest with a lap of 225.997 mph to lead the one-hour "Carb Day" practice on Friday, the only time the cars got on the track during the week between the end of time trials and the start of the race.
She follows Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, needing only to finish eighth or better to improve on the best previous finish by a female - ninth by Guthrie in 1978.
Patrick, however, is not focused on simply finishing in the top 10 or just staying out of trouble.
"I think I have a great chance of winning this race," the confident Patrick said.
Driving the 650-horsepower IndyCars for the first time this year, Patrick has improved in each of the first four IRL races, culminating in an impressive fourth place last month in Japan.
At Indy, she has been nothing less than a phenomenon.
Patrick would not be the first rookie to win here, although certainly among the least experienced.
Juan Montoya was the defending champion of the rival CART series when he won here in 2000, and Helio Castroneves was a two-year regular in CART and winner of three races before he took the checkered flag as an Indy rookie in 2001.
Still, Castroneves, who also won the next year, said he has no doubt Patrick could win on Sunday, particularly since she is driving a Honda-powered Panoz for the powerful Rahal Letterman Racing team that won here last year with Buddy Rice.
"She is driving for a great team and she has been fast every day since she got here," Castroneves said. "If she can keep her nose clean, she'll be OK. The only thing that might be a problem is you have to have patience and, sometimes, rookies don't have much patience."
Castroneves, starting fifth, and Marlboro Team Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr., a two-time IRL champion and starting in the middle of the first row, also will be among the favorites Sunday as they try to give Roger Penske a record 14th Indy win.
Others to watch include all four members of Andretti Green Racing, including Kanaan, current IRL points leader Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti and Bryan Herta.
If one of them can manage to get to Victory Lane, it would be a very big day indeed for team co-owner Michael Andretti, who led more laps than any other nonwinner at Indy. His father, Mario, won the race in 1969, then spent 25 frustrating years trying and failing to win it again.
The two had so many things go wrong here that the term "Andretti Luck" became part of the Indy lexicon. "We've done everything in our power to put ourselves in a good position," Michael said. "Of course, this feeling doesn't mean anything. I've been here before in this position. We'll see what fate has in store."
And don't forget perhaps the most heartwarming story of the month: Kenny Brack. The 1999 Indy winner, nearly killed in a devastating crash at Texas Motor Speedway in October 2003, was called upon just last week to replace Rice, injured in a crash here on May 10.
Brack responded by posting the fastest qualifying speed of the month, 227.598 mph. Since it came on the second week of time trials, though, he will start 23rd. Nobody has won from that far back since Johnny Rutherford started 25th in 1974 and charged to the second of his three victories.
Still, Brack is confident he can be competitive in basically the same Honda-powered Panoz in which Rice won last year.
"Maybe I'll be a little rusty in traffic, but it's a long race," said Brack, who hasn't raced an IndyCar since his crash. "I think we'll be just fine after the first pit stop."
The third Rahal Letterman entry, Vitor Meira, making his fourth Indy start - from seventh - could be the dark horse in the race.
"Vitor also has great equipment and he's been flying all month," Kanaan said. "I think maybe he's a little under the radar."
Hornish has been perhaps the IRL's biggest star since winning his first series title in 2001, but he has struggled mightily at Indy. In five starts here, he has yet to finish better than 14th or even complete all 200 laps.
"The big thing is to make it to the end, which I have not done yet," Hornish said. "But we have a great team and two great cars and we've got as good a shot as anybody.
"If I do win here, it would be my 14th (career) win and it would be Roger's 14th at Indy," he added. "I think that would be very nice."
The big question going into Sunday, though, remains: What will Danica do?
Castroneves was asked if it bothers him that most of the questions he and other veterans have fielded this month have been about Patrick.
"It's good for the series, it's good for the sport," he replied. "When I came here they gave me the nickname 'Spider Man.' Maybe they should call her 'Wonder Woman."
That's because the question is irrelevant. Stop whinig.
You're right. I'm ready to eat my words. She did make a couple of rookie mistakes but recovered and kept driving. Good on her!
No it's not. You just know the answer but refuse to answer it. Just because your girl didn't win is no reason to get all upset. Take a deep breath.
Sure. First, because there is likely a hundred pounds of weight difference between guys. Second, my point was that if they are going to change the rules and let women drive, that's fine, but make sure that there is equitable play.
I realize that there are many in our society, and on this very board, that are eager to turn everything into a gender battle, but I see this as non-productive.
If she wants to race, that's fine, in fact she raced quite well today, but adjust the rules accordingly. In other words, don't change half the rules to let her compete, but then fail to take into account any inherent advantages, if indeed there are any.
No matter, those who view Patrick simply through feminist glasses will likely not be able to rationally consider the possible legitimacy of the issue, but will likely view it strictly in terms of gender, hence, rather than rooting for Danica Patrick as a person, or considering the sport as a whole, they are simply rooting for Patrick foremost because she is a female and that is sad.
Danica 100. Jeff Gordon weighs 150 - Robbie Gordon 200+.
So - 50 lbs doesn't matter? Just 100?
Bugger - it's because she's a chick.
AND... since when did they "change the rules" to let women drive?! You get their on your own merit - you are in.
Otherwise, I agree. I don't want to get credit for just being a female, or the only female, or the first female to do something. I want to get the glory from doing it well.
You don't know this - but I'm in two heavily male dominated sports. In one of them, I am one of two out of 200 that do what I do. It's harder than anyone could imagine - and then I get people who want to write articles about me because I'm female.
I accept the challenge of blazing new trails - but I want to get there on my merit. I believe Danica has done that.
I couldn't agree more. It's very different today. Lets face it, if your not very wealthy, with national sponsors, your not on the track. I actually watch few car races. After watching this one end in a yellow, while cruising at freeway speeds, I'll be watching even fewer.
FYI..........
The winner of the Indy 500 for 2005, Dan Wheldon is 5'9" and weighs 157 lbs.
Robin Givens did!
Come on, admit it...you don't know squat about racing.
Sad, they just did the story on the Indy 500 on my local news station, and the winners name was not mentioned once!
LOL! Whatever dude.
Uh, far out man.
I bet when Robbie was a kid he told the teachers "that girl will not give me back my bat" Even if the IRL bent the rules for Robbie he would say "now Danica has the advantage because she has more men looking at her than I do" No one ever watched him in NASCAR and he knows if he went back to the IRL Danica would make him look like the sissy he is.
She's a Hottie!
She has my vote!
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