Danica Patrick: talented or all hype? (any IRL fans here?)

[Exiled in America]

So, Danica Patrick. First time I'd ever heard of her was her rookie year watching the Indianapolis 500. She placed 4th in qualifying, then led laps in the race, becoming the first woman driver to ever do so. Then she finished 4th, one of the highest rookie finishes.

I watched her drive that entire race, and I thought she looked to have some serious talent. Personally, I still think that.

But then all the hype set in. Obviously she was a big story, and naturally her looks help to make her an appealing celebrity figure in the media. I'm 30, so I'm not quite as likely to be like "OMG HAWT" as I was when I was 15. I liked her because she was a talented woman in IRL - a sport that has been notoriously sexist. Having Gill Defarron be such a terrible driver didn't help that sexism at all, I admit. So I was really exited about a woman entering the sport who had some game.

And I enjoyed the story. It has been fun to root for her. She is also very gracious and well spoken on camera, as opposed to say Dan Wheldon who is an AMAZING driver and also a total asshat. :(

So - I like to root for her. But now, some people are starting to be critical of her because of a couple very ameture accidents (though I have to say I've see some incredibly skilled drivers do the same thing from time to time... Al Unser Jr anyone? That and the fact that she hasn't taken the #1 spot in a race yet. Some people are starting to compare her to Anna Kornakova of tennis - all looks, no talent.

What do you think?

Personally, I think saying that is WAY premature. People who really don't follow IRL might think that. But Danica isn't finishing at the bottom of the pack. She's had multiple top ten finishes, and can regularly be found with in the top 10 of the overall IRL race standings. She's a very competitive, aggressive and precision driver on the track, in my opinion - just from watching her. Her mistakes seem to me to still come from inexperience, and usually have to do with knowing certain things about the course - not from a lack of skill in handling her car.

Many if not most rookie drivers take about five years to start to come into their own. Therefore, I think its a little premature to start talking trash about Danica. I'm still holding out hope that I'm right and she is really skilled, and we'll start to see some serious performance from her in the future.

Thoughts?

Anyone care? Maybe no one likes Indy because its not Green friendly. :P Though, IRL is the only league I know of that is working on having all its cars run on 100% ethanol.

[Book Lover]

1. Folks are talking trash because she's a woman, pure and simple

If given the right support, I see her going far, definitely. OTOH, she never should have agreed to do those Speed channel spots or that ad where she's shot all sexed up: that shit just exacerbates the problem, frankly.

[petronius]

21. She was talked about as much as she was in the first place because she's a woman, right?

And then it seems that people talked trash because the was getting a lot of non-racing-related attention.

I don't follow racing, but it seemed to me that she was talked up by the industry/media in an attempt to attract new fans, and I'm not surprised that racing followers felt that she 'hadn't paid her dues' and was being touted before she deserved.

So I don't think your subject line is correct - it seems to me that her detractors are driven by something other than her sex...

[Book Lover]

23. Possibly - I'm an Formula 1 fan myself, so I

am not as familiar with the ins and outs of IRL, though I do follow it in a general way. Though I have to say, I subscribe to 4 car magazines and she hasn't gotten any more or less attention in those press terms than anyone else.

[Breeze54]

2. Why would it be 'hype' that she's good at what she does?

She strikes me as confident and competent!

Screw the ole' boys club!

They just can't stand it when a woman does better then them!



I didn't know she did some candy pics though... are you sure they are real?

Some don't look like her at all!

[Exiled in America]

5. I guess my point was some disagree that she's that good.

But I think they are wrong.

Yes, she done lots of photo op stuff for several magazines and products that show off her "sexy" side. The sad thing is not that she did them, which she ought to be free to do (if I looked that good I'd want to do photo shoots all the time and be proud of it!) But rather the sad thing is that people take them in stride with her talent and other attributes.

I've heard her interviewed and she sounds very driven (pun intended) to win. But some people disagree with me and think that she was never "all that" but is just a product of media hype.

[XemaSab]

3. up until 5 minutes ago

I thought she was Danica McKellar. :hide:

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

4. IRL Rant, She’s overhyped – she let it happen!

First let me say as a native of Indianapolis growing up 5 minutes from the Indianapolis 500, the race has lost its lust. Maybe it’s because I’m not a kid anymore or I’ve come to the realization that the race is filled with a bunch of drivers of questionable talent but with deep pockets.

Questionable talent is that unlike other sports, auto racing takes money to compete along with talent. Talent isn’t the determining factor to success. You could be the most talented racer in the world but if you are not from a famous racing family (Andretti, Unser, Foyt), not been well funded in your racing from an early age (Parents or benefactor) or a gimmick (Danica) your will never be able to show your ability on the grand stages of racing.

I call Danica a gimmick driver not to be harsh or because she’s a woman but I am just stating the facts. I’m not knocking her about it, her looks got her were she is today driving for one of the top 3 teams in Indy Cars no different than any of the other drivers such as Marco Andretti who if it wasn’t for his last name would be delivering Dominos Pizza somewhere. Before she ever step foot in a Indy Car she marketed herself not as driver but on sexual object by posing with skimpy clothing in a magazine. This is what got her to the big dance, not her driving ability. Tony George, the IRL and ABC Sports pushed her to the moon because of marketability and publicity she received by the mainstream media. For all the attention she has received, she hasn’t produced the results that warrant the kind of hype she gets. I’ve seen races were pre-race every other story is about Danica Patrick, once I saw them filming her just walking out of the ladies room! When one driver is marketed as if their Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan of their sport, when they can’t get a single when after 50+ races that’s what I call overhyped.

I’ve notice frustration on Danica’s part over the last year, the question asked in interviews seems to be when you going to win a race. She kind of has developed the attitude now that she tired of being treated different why all the focus on her, she’s just another driver in the race. Bottom line Danica did it to herself by going along with the hype machine that made her stand out from being just another driver. Hard lesson learned

[Breeze54]

6. I see lots of drivers, MALE, doing the hype!!

They're out there selling their souls for cheap beer and gasoline.

What's the difference? :shrug:

[SteppingRazor]

7. The difference is some of them win races n/t

[Exiled in America]

11. Many of the best drivers in IRL / KART history didn't win until five years or later in their career.

[Twillig]

13. I want you to name those drivers.

I can't think of any great drivers that didn't have early success. The way it is now no team is going to wait five years.


I also think people in this thread don't know sweet FA about racing as demonstrated in the your original post.


"Having Gill Defarron be such a terrible driver didn't help that sexism at all"


Did you mean to say Gil de Ferran? Who is notoriously, infamously, male?

The Gil de Ferran who, in his rookie year put his car on pole in his first race, won rookie of the year, and won a race in the CART series in which he was twice champion?

That Gil de Ferran?


Now about Danica. I think she is competent. She may get a win or two in her career. I think that will be about it.

[Exiled in America]

14. Al Unser Jr.

My hero, didn't finish 1st for a very long time. Now, he had early successes, just not first place.

[Exiled in America]

18. Correction - he had one win... three years in.

[Exiled in America]

15. Yes, I noted my glaring mistake after it was too late to edit.

I'm sorry but I started watching racing when I was four years old. I was still a young pup when the name "Gill De Ferran" was out there, and I always, always, always confused him with the first woman driver in KART, whose name I now can't remember.

However using my simple mix up of names to bolster some kind of claim that I don't know "FA" about racing is pretty disingenuous, and you know it. :)

[Exiled in America]

20. I meant to reply and say I think you raise a lot of good points here, but ---

I'm at work. Can't always type as much as I want.

[SteppingRazor]

8. Danica Patrick — The Anna Kournikova of racing

In other words, a pretty girl who's never won shit.

[Exiled in America]

10. Unfortunately, that's not true.

So - this was my point when I made my post, when I have a feeling you didn't read too much of (which is fine, I'm no one special.) So I have to recap to disagree with you.

People who really don't follow racing beyond what they here on ESPN recaps or the occasional race don't really understand that Danica Patrick has been a fairly successful driver in her early years.

Many of the best drivers in history didn't get their first win until five years or more after they had been racing. But what makes Danica interesting to watch is the fact that she seems to be a "good racer."

What makes a good racer?

Well I would say consistent top 10 finishes for one. She can very, very regularly be found in the top 10 of race finishes. She also is currently 8th in the overall points standings. That's certainly no "dan weldon" but its also not fair to call her an "Anna Kournikova" who never even showed herself to be a strong tennis player in any way.

My point is that I think its just simply TOO early to make these kinds of statements about her. And if you actually follow IRL like I do - meaning you do more than just watch a race or do, I think you might see that she seems to have some real driving skill. the question is, can she focus, can she handle the pressure - does she mentally have what it takes to win?

[SteppingRazor]

12. You're right. It's not.

I just like kicking people in the teeth for no reason. It's why I like politics.


But beyond that, I'll certainly grant that it's too early to make any definitive statement about Patrick's career. That said, though, fact remains she has yet to win a race or even get on a podium, fer chrissake. Maybe that'll change now that she's with Green, but I don't think I'd hold my breath.

[lukasahero]

9. Women may always have to be twice as good to be considered equal

That's the way it's always been and I've seen nothing to convince me that has changed substantially. Strikes me she's doing as well or better than most guys in the circuit. Is anyone questioning their competence or "right" to be there?

[texas1928]

16. She's got talent.

All three of the women racing in this year's race have talent. You have to have talent and ability to control a car going that fast. I really hope one of the ladies wins this year. It would really be great to see.

[DS1]

17. She's no Takuma Sato!

:rofl:

[John Kerry VonErich]

19. Danica Patrick- A republican?

Is it true?

[Orsino]

22. A Republican in auto racing?

What will they think of next?

[madrchsod]

24. danica and sarah fisher are very good drivers

whether they win the drivers championship really does`t matter. if they were not very good they would`t get a sponsor and a ride.

[JVS]

25. Talented with a big helping of hype on the side

[Exiled in America]

27. That's exactly what I think. If she doesn't let all the pressure screw it up...

...I still believe in the driving I have seen her do. I think she IS talented and could be successful in the future.

However, I also think if she's going to be successful, she's going to need to start declining all this stupid celebrity crap that is a total distraction and focus on winning.

I think that's already starting to happen maybe.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

26. Here's a really good article

from today's Indianapolis star about the money that teams spend to race. No suprise the well funded teams do the best.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/SPORTS0101/705250455/1247/SPORTS

[Exiled in America]

28. There is a big reason why this doesn't bother me at all:

I've never been into either IRL or CART (also known affectionately as KART by some of us) for the "teams." I've been into it for the individual DRIVERS. Yes, its true that the top three richest teams have the top six cars in the Indy grid, and nine cars overall. But each of those drivers in the top six is in the top six because they fucking rock at what they do.

They're top six because they did the best job driving in qualification.

Yes, its true that the richest teams take home the most wins. But that's only because they pay for the best DRIVERS. I don't care what "team" wins the most. I am into the competition between individuals drivers, and even drivers on the same team are individually competitive and in it to win.

IRL racing is awesome and will always be awesome because the drivers rock. I don't care if ONE team owned everything. The competition is between the drivers.