Debate: NASCAR's burning questions
Turn 1. What do you make of Danica Patrick's punt of old rival Sam Hornish Jr. on the cool-down lap after the Nationwide Series race at Talladega? And should NASCAR penalize her?
Terry Blount, ESPN.com: Way too much is being made out of this, but it's Danica, so I shouldn't be surprised. And for those of you who say this is the same as what Kyle Busch did to Ron Hornaday Jr., it's not even close. Look at the tape of both incidents. Kyle hooked Hornaday and then pushed him into the wall. Danica bumped Hornish from behind. And Patrick doesn't have the history of bad behavior in NASCAR that Kyle had.
Ed Hinton, ESPN.com: Danica thought Sam had crowded her at the finish, and she was just taking care of business right then and right there, in the best traditions of Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Allison. A talk in the NASCAR hauler at Darlington should suffice. No real harm, no real foul. She just barely tapped Hornish in retaliation, so she was probably sincere when she apologized and said she didn't know the little payback bump would put him into the wall. Remember, this rivalry goes back to when the two of them were kids in go-karts, so when Hornish drifts high in front of her at the finish, what is she supposed to think? There is no comparison, despite what some fans are howling, between this incident and the Kyle Busch wrecking of Ron Hornaday Jr. last year in Trucks.
So here's a Hornish question, seperate from the recent Talladega race. His IndyCar career was before my time, but I recently heard mentioned that he has 19 race victories. He's won the championship three times, and he's won the Indy 500. By anyone's standards I would think, that's awesome. I'm reading his bio, and i am quite impressed.
All of this made me wonder, is there an objective reason why certain TF members give him more of a free pass in NASCAR than Danica, in just about every way? I'm partially bringing this up in response to posters who, from day one, claim that Danica should be winning races because she has good equipment. Some of these people also claim that the fact that she was in open wheel racing means she should be good at NASCAR right away. But Sam was a great IndyCar racer. He is in Penske equipment. And he's been in NASCAR since 2006. My understanding is he got demoted from Cup, and it took him until the end of last year to get a Nationwide win. If it were truly that easy to transfer from one type of racing to another, then shouldn't you expect him to have done way better, way quicker?
My suspicion of course is that some people are basing their criticism and praise on the fact that they like Sam more than Danica. In fact, some people use as "proof" of their argument, statements such as Sam is a "real NASCAR racer" and Danica is not. But obviously that statement is also subjective, and an opinion. As always, I give major props to people who openly admit their bias. In case I am being unclear, I do not have a personal issue with the guy. I am simply illustrating the discrepancies that I see from people who claim they're just being objective.
Will Power fan club. No wankers allowed!
First time in Darlington. Finished the race. No wall contact. Currently 10th in the standings.
If I understand the terminology correctly, a punt is different from a bump. A bump is a tap to let the other know you don't appreciate what he (or she) just did. A punt is a move that either spins the other car or puts it off the track or prevents its forward motion in some way. My understanding is that Danica did not "punt" Hornish and did not intend to spin him. She intended to give him a bump and didn't know that his right front tire was going down, which caused the bump to send him to the right and into the wall.Originally Posted by CARTer
As compared to her teammate .... the rookie Cole Witt .....
Cole had two Nationwide starts in 2010, Danica had 13. Cole had one Nationwide start in 2011, Danica had 12. This year they are both driving full time in Nationwide.
Cole is 5th in points, with 283, while Danica is 10th in points, with 219 .... she's behind him by 64 points.
Her numbers aren't very impressive when compared to a rookie teammate ....
Cole is the best.
Cole ran a full Trucks season last year though (25 races), Danica only ran two part-time schedules the last two years (25 races).
Second, she finished 38th at Daytona BECAUSE of Cole Whitt's inability to bump draft and 35th at Fontana because of some debris that put a hole in the radiator. Take those two races away and she's 25 points behind him for the other 7 races, that's just a two point difference from the margin (23 points) Stenhouse holds right now over Sadler for the NW points lead.
Preached safety and warned of death at Daytona this year and then drove like the Grim Reaper for three hours - Robin Miller talking about Tony Stewart
1. She also had years of major racing experience in Indy Cars. And is close to 10 years older. Maybe he's just a more naturally talented race driver?
2. You could use the same excuses for about any race driver. A bad pit stop here. A mistake by someone else there. The scoreboard is the only thing that matters. And right now, with one of the best staffed and most well-funded rides in Nationwide, she is outside the top 10 (when there are only 20 legit entries to begin with). That isn't impressive in the least.
Prime Minister of Gackland
What is wrong with believing Cole Whitt is a more talented driver and still rooting for Danica? Hell, I think Cole Whitt could be something special and be a competitive cup driver for years - assuming he keeps progressing. I think Danica can compete in Nationwide but I don't have much hope of her doing better than top 20's in Cup. That does not stop me rooting for her as I like the underdogs.
I'd say by any objective standard, Sammy has disappointed.
He was an IRL stud on ovals, but this is a much different type of racing.
As for fan connection, Sammy is a lot like 20 other guys in Nascar.
He's done better than Franchitti, who might have improved if he lasted longer in the series.
I don't think any reasonable viewer expects Danica to become a top 10 regular in NWS or a top 20 regular in Cup. But the fact that she's landed the new Coke Zero deal tells your her longevity may be based on factors other than performance.
"Turn right to go left" Doc Hudson
It's about time that Jenna Fryer finally got p**d off and took off the gloves.Way to step up @JennaFryer!!
"Noone can define the "IT" factor but, by God, she's got it!" quote by fan @ 2005 Indy 500 ----"You are now our new American hero." ROGER PENSKE @ Daytona 500 2013-----"She's magical!"~~~RICK HENDRICK @ Daytona 500 2013
Stop hating on DanicaCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Danica Patrick raced 513 laps around Darlington Raceway last weekend.It's about time that Jenna Fryer finally got p**d off and took off the gloves.
What did you do?
Chances are, if you're an ardent NASCAR fan, you might have snickered at the very mention of her name. You probably grumbled about the attention she received all weekend, and your level of anger likely grew every time her bright GoDaddy green car was shown on TV.
It's OK; Patrick learned to ignore the haters long ago.
If she paid attention, she never would have chased her dreams of being a professional race car driver. If she listened to the criticism, she probably would have hung up her firesuit years ago.
And now, with Twitter? The vile spewed at her in 140-character bursts, well, a weaker woman might crawl under the covers and never come out again.
But that's not Patrick. She strong and she's brave and she rolled into Darlington, NASCAR's oldest superspeedway and the track known historically for separating the men from the boys, and didn't back down from the challenge.
She's not celebrated for any of that, at least not among the majority of racing fans. They instead fixate on her one win in 115 IndyCar starts, and now her struggles in NASCAR.
First order of business: Thanks Alphard, for taking the time to post photos,etc. Never know what you're gonna come up with, but it's always entertaining!On another note---- For those who may be interested, here's a quote from DP's boss: "The 1st time I came here,{Darlington} by about the 4th time I crashed, I was glad that they finally couldn't fix it. I had had enough for one night. I'm pretty proud, as a car owner, what she did both nights." ~~~~Tony Stewart
Regarding the Charlotte race, she is still consistently getting inhaled during restarts. Something never change.
Aloha Buddie,,,
Your pictures, or the pictures you post are just outstanding,,,
Great HQ pictures,,, all... I have really enjoy'd them, keep
up the great work...
Yes,,, Yes,,, Tony,,,
Your Grandfather was a friend of Roger Penske,,,
Your Grandfather did business with Roger Penske,,, but
Your Grandfather never trusted Roger Penske,,,
Last edited by Alphard; 06-05-2012 at 10:02 PM.
15 minutes of fame just keeps on going.....picking up more sponsorships along the way
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/seg...dtm-2012-06-05
Great pictures, and clip keep them coming,,,
Here's a clip for her fans,,, both of us,,, LOL,,,
As it looks like we may of lost Danica Fan,,, hope not...
This is a great clip,,, Texas,,, Top 3 finish... I either
forgot how good she was, or was to busy bad mouthing
her, to look... This is a great clip,,,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=6kvfEJQ8R9Q
Look at that crowd reaction as the top 3 come back the start/finish line with 10 laps to go, I really hope Indycar and TMS can work out their issues because this track NEEDS to stay on the schedule.
She put on a great show at TMS in 2010 too...ran with TK for the lead for dozens of laps and finished second.
Anyone that runs the way she has at Indy and TMS knows how to drive just fine...
Danica Patrick to make dirt-track debut at Prelude
By Chad Leistikow, USA TODAY
Tony Stewart's annual charity race Wednesday night will have a star-studded cast that includes (of course) the three-time Sprint Cup champion himself, NASCAR stars Jimmie Johnson and Kyle and Kurt Busch and former IndyCar teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick.
This is the eighth year of the Prelude to the Dream in Rossburg, Ohio, on the half-mile clay oval of Eldora Speedway.
The Prelude will include hot laps, qualifying, heat races and a 40-lap feature in Late Model cars.
Other stars in the field include NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series stars Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon; World of Outlaws dirt-track specialists Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz; and NASCAR's Clint Bowyer (the defending champ), Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte and Aric Almirola.
"This event is fun," Kyle Busch said. "It takes you through a whole night of short-track racing at a local dirt track. You get some practices in, you get the local show that comes out and still participates. But then you also get all your stars."
A commercial-free broadcast of the race begins at 8 p.m. ET and is available for $24.95 on HBO Pay-Per-View. The top 10 finishers in the Prelude To The Dream, Proceeds benefit Feed The Children, a U.S.-based charity which will send a food truck to one city of each of the top-10 finishers' choice.
Source
On Ovals.
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