[Rob B]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Well that was about as much fun to watch as that plate race in New Hampshire!

Lets see - last year two cars could go from the back of the pack to the front in a lap & a half - it was anyone's race to win with two to go! This year, if you weren't in the top 5 on the last restart you had no hope!

Pathetic performance on the part of the Gen 6 car!

That was the one Burton lead from start to finish!! This race wasn't that bad but damn close!!!! Remember when they put those huge wicker bills on the roof of the speedway car for a couple of years? Where they were changing leaders every other lap and the pack never separated??? Those races were fun to watch!

[Sirrotica]

You do know there is another 2 1/2 mile venues that NASCAR races on, yes?
They're called Indianapolis and Pocono, and have much flatter turns that the brakes need to be used at and the track requires no restrictor plates. So yes it can be done and already has been. Another is another thing that the draft is no where near as important as it is at Daytona and Talladega. The cars aren't driven with the skinny pedal nailed to the floor and don't take a lap to get up to speed. Oh yeah, another thing is the cars pass each other.

Please don't try to discredit what I said as I've been following NASCAR and oval track racing as well as been an owner, car builder, and driver, of my own oval track cars, for over 15 years, and following oval racing over 50 years.

I remember when Daytona wasn't a huge problem track and they put on good quality racing programs under 150 MPH. The tracks are outdated and because they were built in a time where litigation was not the norm the stands are too close to the track to be safe.

It's the tracks, not the cars.

I disagree that other tracks are as apt to kill spectators as these 2 tracks, not saying it's impossible, it is possible, however much less likely just by difference of design. Tracks that require the driver to brake for corners, and not running flat out all the way around makes for a better safety record and better racing.

[cuz68]

Well i am glad that all of you Danica haters got to watch the race Today and dont say you did not, Looks like she showed you haters that she can drive, And drive well, Dont miss next weeks race. BTW I won $90 on johnson to day had little E also.

[1969GTO]

Originally Posted by Rob B

I thought she did good. Needs a lot of help/practice getting off pit road though.
I like her comments after the race on why she didn't make a move, She was afraid that no one would follow her and hang her out to dry. She was protecting her position. If Biffle would have gone, I think she would have followed, hindsight I guess.
Otherwise that was a terribly boring race, I don't there was any real green flag passes for the lead once the pack got up to speed.

Remember to in her interview,Dum-eeeka said she was running only at half throttle

[Racer81x]

Originally Posted by cuz68

Well i am glad that all of you Danica haters got to watch the race Today and dont say you did not, Looks like she showed you haters that she can drive, And drive well, Dont miss next weeks race. BTW I won $90 on johnson to day had little E also.

She only showed that she can ride in line with everyone else.

The real props should go out to the following drivers that are from underfunded teams, and who started at the back and had to fight there way to the front, and didn't start at the front:
7th Regan Smith who started 40th
9th Michael McDowell who started 38th
10th J.J. Yeley who started 41st

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by 1969GTO

Remember to in her interview,Dum-eeeka said she was running only at half throttle

I can believe that. Drafting would have been the reason. At last lap, turn three, she was not racing. That's why she went from 3rd to 8th. I'm not a hater, just think she should know what to do by now.

[Racer81x]

Originally Posted by Held for Ransom

I can believe that. Drafting would have been the reason. At last lap, turn three, she was not racing. That's why she went from 3rd to 8th. I'm not a hater, just think she should know what to do by now.

X2!

[Bet Winner]

I saw over half the race, and she did better than most of the drivers out there. But she did try to play it safe--not a good quality for a race car driver. Can you imagine Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt playing it safe?

Getting out of the pits late may be her pit crew--at least partially.

I was very disappointed in the action. It looks like nobody can make a pass on these big tracks w/o being in a pack. That does not make for good racing at all. I assume the smaller tracks will not be so bad. They do need to do something about the big tracks in this regard.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by Racer81x

She only showed that she can ride in line with everyone else.

Yes that is true, but.... some of those other drivers couldn't ride in line as well as or as long as she did.

[Lightfoot]

President of the Danica Patrick fan club:



Vice President of the Danica Patrick fan club:

[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 Boss]

I have to say, of any of them, JR had it figured out. A number of times I watched him go outside when on the high line after getting a good run down the back stretch and everyone would go with him until somebody up ahead would pull out in front of him. The result was a middle lane that started going backwards.

[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?

[Sirrotica]

I have to agree Gary, thing is I'm not an armchair racer, Tony Stewart isn't either and he seems to have a lot of faith in her abilities. I respect Tony as one of the best racers on the planet, however what he sees in her, I don't.

He talks highly of her developing into a force to be reckoned with, I don't see her being anything other than the female version of Dale Jr. Wins occasionally, but has as much money coming in from endorsements as he does from racing and has a large fan base. Some of us are born lucky some of us are born with good looks and some of us are born with the talent to drive a race car. Wanica has 2 of the three, and has moderate abilities as a driver.

The thing is that Daytona is not a track to judge a drivers abilities at because of the way the cars are driven and luck has more to do with winning the 500 as a drivers skill does. Holding a restricted engine wide open all the way around the track and avoiding wrecks is not the basis for what constitutes a good driver. Tony Stewart has won 19 races at Daytona and in 15 years has not won the 500, Dale Sr and Jaws Waltrip, Mark Martin and that's just a few examples of top quality talent that have had trouble winning this race. Trevor Bayne wins his first time in the race talented he is, did his talent win it? Nope. just being in the right place at the right time. There are many drivers that have won Daytona and no other races in their careers, luck plays a more important role in winning the Daytona 500 than does skill.

[GT182]

Yeah Brad but you gotta admit she has the potential, just like any other racer out there behind the wheel. Maybe she'll do ok and maybe not..... it's a crap shoot just the same. But you've got give her credit tho... she's got the guts to go out there and give it a try running with the big dogs. Not many other women have done and stayed with it.

There's a lot more on the track that I don't care two poops for. I'll go for the underdog... Danica. It's not win or lose... it's how you play the game. At least she's not like Dale Sr. bumping cars and making them crash. People loved him... not me.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

I respect Tony as one of the best racers on the planet, however what he sees in her, I don't.

Tony wanted to start a third team in 2013.

Danica had her own sponsor willing to pay the freight.

That is what Tony saw in her.

[GT182]

Tony saw that she has the willpower and the potential. That's why he's helped her where few others have.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Tony wanted to start a third team in 2013.

Danica had her own sponsor willing to pay the freight.

That is what Tony saw in her.

I'm not agreeing with that because when she was driving a nationwide car he was sticking up for her and has continued to talk about her as a driver that has potential. I believe she's mediocre as you do though, time will tell.

I have wondered over and over what exactly he sees in her that I don't see. I know she brings a huge sponsor with her, but no one besides Jr was picking her up even with the big sponsor bucks.