[The Champ]

Originally Posted by ho428

She actually did what she should have in the 125. Get out of the pack and protect the car since she's already on Pole for the 500, nothing to gain, everything to loose if you have to switch to a back up car.

When Wanica was interviewed prerace, she said she was planning to RACE hard and gain more experience in the new car. She didn't need to drive hard to win the race - but she should have at least driven hard enough to stay in the draft. If she wasn't going to stay in the draft, she should have just parked the car after the first lap.

You can't learn anything just driving around making laps that far off the pace.

[quoteI tried to find a stat but couldn't. In the modern era how many Pole winners have actually won a 125 race? Or been in the top ten?
Seems like a lot of them dropped way back in the duals.[/QUOTE]

FWIW - it's a 150 mile race now...

Without knowing for sure what you consider the "modern era" - I'll just list all of the drivers that started on the pole and won the race - there aren't all that many...

The first pole winner to win the 500 was Fireball Roberts in a Pontiac in 1962.

Richard Petty did it in a Plymouth in 1966.

Cale Yarborough in a Mercury in 1968 and in a Chevrolet in 1984.

Bill Elliot in a Ford in 1985 and 1987.

Jeff Gordon in a Chevrolet in 1999.

Dale Jarrett in a Ford in 2000.

In 2004, Greg Biffle won the pole but changed an engine. Dale Jr. then started from the pole and won the race in a Chevrolet.

One thing to note - rookie pole winner best finish is 22nd (Loy Allen jr.)...

[Racer81x]

Originally Posted by The Champ

When Wanica was interviewed prerace, she said she was planning to RACE hard and gain more experience in the new car. She didn't need to drive hard to win the race - but she should have at least driven hard enough to stay in the draft. If she wasn't going to stay in the draft, she should have just parked the car after the first lap.

You can't learn anything just driving around making laps that far off the pace.

[quoteI tried to find a stat but couldn't. In the modern era how many Pole winners have actually won a 125 race? Or been in the top ten?
Seems like a lot of them dropped way back in the duals.

FWIW - it's a 150 mile race now...

Without knowing for sure what you consider the "modern era" - I'll just list all of the drivers that started on the pole and won the race - there aren't all that many...

The first pole winner to win the 500 was Fireball Roberts in a Pontiac in 1962.

Richard Petty did it in a Plymouth in 1966.

Cale Yarborough in a Mercury in 1968 and in a Chevrolet in 1984.

Bill Elliot in a Ford in 1985 and 1987.

Jeff Gordon in a Chevrolet in 1999.

Dale Jarrett in a Ford in 2000.

In 2004, Greg Biffle won the pole but changed an engine. Dale Jr. then started from the pole and won the race in a Chevrolet.

One thing to note - rookie pole winner best finish is 22nd (Loy Allen jr.)...[/QUOTE]


Well said about wanica, also whatever happend to Loy Allen Jr

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Racer81x

Well said about wanica, also whatever happend to Loy Allen Jr

Loy Allen Jr. had a 6 year career in the Cup Series and his only real claim to fame was winning the pole for the 1994 Daytona 500. He did win 2 other poles.

In 48 Cup Starts he had 1 Top Ten, 3 Poles, 30.0 Average Finish and failed to qualify 29 times...

[arbys]

Nationwide.

[The Champ]

[Racer81x]

Originally Posted by The Champ

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by The Champ

My vote for one of the best post so far on this thread.

[Dennis H.]

That picture is a classic!

[The Champ]

Thanks guys...

In the words of my brother in law (former racer - may he rest in peace), if Danica didn't drive so slow, that little girl wouldn't have hit her in the rear...

[Jim Zeek]

Nothing to say now champ? I think she did pretty good today.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Jim Zeek

Nothing to say now champ? I think she did pretty good today.

And that would be your own opinion. Some people like to believe all the hype.

Danica didn't race yesterday, she played a game of follow the leader.

When it came time to race, she either didn't have the talent or the courage to race (I'm thinking she didn't have either).

As already noted - she said she was afraid if she made a move that she'd be hung out to dry... It's her own fault that she failed to finish 3rd or better.

If she had actually raced last Thursday and built some confidence in her own abilities and proved to the other drivers that she could draft she might have had a different result.

Jr. was right there - a fellow Chevy driver - to push her if she had the guts to go.

Jr. is her car owner in the Nationwide Series - you know he would have helped her. It would have made him money by being able to cash in on her success when negotiating future sponsorship deals.

Jr. got tired of waiting for the Princess to go and went by himself. He finished 2nd and Wanica finished 8th.

[Rob B]

Originally Posted by The Champ

A
Jr. was right there - a fellow Chevy driver - to push her if she had the guts to go.

Jr. is her car owner in the Nationwide Series - you know he would have helped her. It would have made him money by being able to cash in on her success when negotiating future sponsorship deals.

Jr. got tired of waiting for the Princess to go and went by himself. He finished 2nd and Wanica finished 8th.

I agree that she was a little hesitant to drop down and go for the pass. I had the feeling that Biffle was waiting for her to break out of line so he could drop down with her but she didn't plus I think he was afraid to have her push him, that is probably why he didn't drop down to go for the lead. My biggest fear would have been her dropping down in front of Jr when he was chugging along and causing "the big one".
It appeared her goal was to just finish the race and prove that she could with a good finishing position rather than winning the race.
If she was going for the win, she would have taken a shot at it on the last lap and wherever she ended up in the final running order, if she didn't take the lead, wouldn't really be important points wise. What are the chances of her really making the chase???

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Rob B

What are the chances of her really making the chase???

Somewhere between zero and none.

[GT182]

It amazes me how armchair racers know what someone should do or should not do in a race. Until you're out there in the mix give her a break. She doesn't call the shots, the spotters and the crew in the pits do. A least she didn't wreck or blow up the engine.

Look at it this way...she racing and you're not. Now why is that?

[limejudge69]

She did good. I thought Danica/Biffle/Dale Jr let Johnson go too long without making a move.

[salem1912]

Originally Posted by limejudge69

She did good. I thought Danica/Biffle/Dale Jr let Johnson go too long without making a move.

X2

Should have made the move with 2 to go. But a top ten at Daytona is great.

[Held for Ransom]

I don't know what to think about her performance. To me, it looked like she was in it for the ride, not racing to win. And, she needs to work on her pit exits.

[Big Injun]

NASCAR viewership had to be at an all-time high today with Danica in it to the end.

[carcrazy]

Don't follow Nascar much but it would seem to me she did well.

[60man]

She did well...but I think Dale Jr. got tired of waiting for her to pull out so he blew by her and got second....he could have been pushing her butt past Jimmy !!!