Thank You Miss Patrick's Fans For Watching The Indy 500

**Ernest Miller** · 05-28-2012 09:45 PM

Like everyone else, I was worried that since Miss Patrick is no longer in the Izod IndyCar series, the Indy 500 TV ratings would at least drop by 50%. I arrived at this number from the last five years of reading posts about the number of Miss Patrick's fans wanting her autograph, fan club members and twitter followers.
Imagine my surprise when the ratings only dropped from a 4.3 in 2011 to a 4.1 in 2012. When I first saw this number, I assumed that a .1 ratings point must translate into at least five million households since Miss Patrick took her ten million avid followers with her to the greener pastures of NASCAR.
The only logical conclusion one can come to is this. Miss Patrick commanded her loyal followers to watch the Indy 500 even though she wasn't in it. She is still the reason why people watch IndyCar! AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti move over! Miss Patrick was, is and forever will be the face of IndyCar! Even though the evidence proves otherwise. Ernest

**DaveL** · 05-28-2012 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Ernest Miller

The only logical conclusion one can come to is this. Miss Patrick commanded her loyal followers to watch the Indy 500 even though she wasn't in it.

She did that for two reasons: The first reason was pity. Because she's a big hearted person she didn't want Indy to get a 0.9 so she commanded her followers via subliminal messages in her Go Daddy commercials to watch. The second reason is related to the first. Had she not commanded her loyal legions no one would have seen the Go Daddy car race at Indy.

**nascarnation** · 05-29-2012 09:59 AM

Indycar must feel she's pretty important, because on race day, Danica's coulda woulda mighta proposal for "the 2013 double" was the lead news story on Indycar.com much of the day.

**Jakester** · 05-29-2012 11:57 AM

uh, MRS Patrick.

**DamonG19** · 05-29-2012 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by nascarnation

Indycar must feel she's pretty important, because on race day, Danica's coulda woulda mighta proposal for "the 2013 double" was the lead news story on Indycar.com much of the day.

They also had her picture on the site with the headline, "wins the 96th Indy 500", so take it for what it's worth

**Ernest Miller** · 05-29-2012 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by nascarnation

Indycar must feel she's pretty important, because on race day, Danica's coulda woulda mighta proposal for "the 2013 double" was the lead news story on Indycar.com much of the day.

I missed that. To me, that is pretty sorry of IndyCar.com to give her any mention at all. It just goes to show that after seven years they still haven't learned their lesson. What are they thinking over there with that? Ernest

**nascarnation** · 05-29-2012 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Ernest Miller

What are they thinking over there with that? Ernest

In our celebrity worshipping, update craving, Tweatering, Facebooking, and Kardashianized world, she's the IT girl. Just the theoretical possibility that she could return to the 500 apparently is enough to set hearts fluttering @ 16th and Georgetown.

Wasn't it Danny Wheldon in 2005 who had a shirt that said something like "I'm the person that actually won the 500' ??

**#7batmobile** · 05-29-2012 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Ernest Miller

Like everyone else, I was worried that since Miss Patrick is no longer in the Izod IndyCar series, the Indy 500 TV ratings would at least drop by 50%. I arrived at this number from the last five years of reading posts about the number of Miss Patrick's fans wanting her autograph, fan club members and twitter followers.
Imagine my surprise when the ratings only dropped from a 4.3 in 2011 to a 4.1 in 2012. When I first saw this number, I assumed that a .1 ratings point must translate into at least five million households since Miss Patrick took her ten million avid followers with her to the greener pastures of NASCAR.
The only logical conclusion one can come to is this. Miss Patrick commanded her loyal followers to watch the Indy 500 even though she wasn't in it. She is still the reason why people watch IndyCar! AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti move over! Miss Patrick was, is and forever will be the face of IndyCar! Even though the evidence proves otherwise. Ernest

Oh come on, Ernest. You should still be basking in excitement, the thrill and glory of the 2012 Indy500. Instead, you create an OP about a driver who didn't even participate? Apparently, she still weighs heavily on your mind. Too funny!

.

**#7batmobile** · 05-29-2012 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by Ernest Miller

I missed that. To me, that is pretty sorry of IndyCar.com to give her any mention at all. It just goes to show that after seven years they still haven't learned their lesson. What are they thinking over there with that? Ernest

Pot, meet kettle. Ernest, you created this thread about her in the 1st place! Now, your gonna scold Indycar.com by "giving her any mention at all." Do you not see the irony....???

**Ernest Miller** · 05-30-2012 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by #7batmobile

Oh come on, Ernest. You should still be basking in excitement, the thrill and glory of the 2012 Indy500. Instead, you create an OP about a driver who didn't even participate? Apparently, she still weighs heavily on your mind. Too funny!

.

Actually, I created this thread to tell all of Miss Patrick's fans I TOLD YOU SO! I've been beating this drum for a long time. I have always felt she drove away at least as many fans as she brought in and this proves it! The final rating is better than last year with Miss Patrick in it! A circus side show is only interesting once. After you have seen it one time there is no reason to see it again. But the suits in IndyCar never got it (and still don't). The American viewing public got tired of this mid-pack driver being stuffed down our throat every telecast. It turned people off to IndyCar. NASCAR will find out soon enough you need to be more than just a pretty face if you want to keep your race fans. Ernest

**Dry Slick** · 05-30-2012 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by DamonG19

They also had her picture on the site with the headline, "wins the 96th Indy 500", so take it for what it's worth

I saw that, too and thought it was pretty funny. Was the site hacked???

RB now tweeting that the latest ratings were up from last year's 100th anniversary:

Randy Bernard @RBINDYCAR
@INDYCAR #INDYCAR ratings up 8 percent over last year 4.34 it was a 4.0 on centennial (AP's Jenna Fryer also tweeted it's a 4.3 after more data gathered).

**ElMaestro** · 05-30-2012 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Ernest Miller

Actually, I created this thread to tell all of Miss Patrick's fans I TOLD YOU SO! I've been beating this drum for a long time. I have always felt she drove away at least as many fans as she brought in and this proves it! The final rating is better than last year with Miss Patrick in it! A circus side show is only interesting once. After you have seen it one time there is no reason to see it again. But the suits in IndyCar never got it (and still don't). The American viewing public got tired of this mid-pack driver being stuffed down our throat every telecast. It turned people off to IndyCar. NASCAR will find out soon enough you need to be more than just a pretty face if you want to keep your race fans. Ernest

There are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many variables to make a clear cut decision that Danica Patrick had no impact on ratings. If all other things were fixed, sure; however, that's not the case.

However, there is one thing consistent in this thread though...

**Ernest Miller** · 05-30-2012 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by ElMaestro

There are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many variables to make a clear cut decision that Danica Patrick had no impact on ratings. If all other things were fixed, sure; however, that's not the case.

However, there is one thing consistent in this thread though...

Yes, she had an impact. All bad. Ernest