10:56 PM
JD
It is understandable that some fans and reporters would be unimpressed by her IRL career. One win in seven seasons is hardly impressive. To make it worse, she had nothing but horrible finishes in her first partial season with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series- all but one finish was outside the top 20.
But even so, it is unlike NASCAR to outright say someone is undeserving of the ride. That is what Kyle Petty, former Sprint Cup driver and son of the “King” Richard Petty, said as a commentator on Speed during Sprint Cup coverage on Friday. Petty inferred that there were other drivers more deserving of the ride and that she (Patrick) has not yet beaten Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch in the Nationwide series.
One might remind Mr. Petty that there were several drivers on Sunday that could not beat Edwards or Busch on Saturday. Those would include J.J. Yeley, David Stremme, Erik Darnell, Jason White, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill and others. Not to mention half of the Sprint Cup regulars for that matter. In fact, I’m not sure even Kyle Petty ever beat Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards. I’m not saying he or the others aren’t good drivers, it’s just not practical to say that unless a driver beats NASCAR’s current best in the NNS that they should not get a ride in the Cup series.
Now don’t get me wrong! I do not think Patrick is going to take NASCAR by storm, at least, not on the track. I do not discount her and say that she should do more to prove herself than say Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish, or any others who have attempted the move to NASCAR.
In my previous posts I showed how Patrick has improved her finishes in 2011 over 2010. She has not posted a lower finish on any return trip to a track which shows she is adapting and learning. Will she be able to step into a Cup ride and immediately compete for top 10’s? There aren’t many Cup drivers that could do that if moved to another team, so how is that a sane assumption?
If anything, NASCAR fans and reporters should allow Patrick to make it or break it on her own. Don’t hold her in contempt simply because she seemingly gets some “passes” off the track due to her looks and her sex. Would Paul Menard have been given a ride at DEI if he did not come with his father’s sponsorship money? Would Kyle Petty have made it to the Winston Cup Series had his father not been the “King”? No. But that does not mean that the two could not drive, nor does it mean that they were unworthy of a ride.
Posted in: Carl Edwards,Dale Earnhardt Jr,Danica Patrick,JR Motorsports,Kyle Busch,Kyle Petty,Nascar,Nascar Blog,Nascar Nationwide Series,Sprint Cup
4 comments:
If you've read the things Tony Jr says about Danica, it shows you one reason she's doing so well- she actually finally has someone who isn't just taking the money and running with it, they actually care about her racing. Tony Jr has 100% faith in her... and he's a true piece of why she's picked up.
People can say "oh that was fuel mileage or luck"..... At Vegas, without fuel mileage she was going to finish 8th. I actually recall her passing Trevor Bayne- Mr. Daytona 500 winner- by actually racing him. Or wait, did he let her by because she was a girl? Is that going to be an excuse too?
I really wouldn't be surprised if she won next year... or heck, even this year. A 1 1/2 mile oval would suit her perfectly. Need I also bring back the memory of Daytona... she learned how to push and lead and switch in one weekend. When Cup drivers start working with you and trusting you to be hooked up to their cars... it says something.
Also, to be reminded, even after this year she will have only finished 2/3 of a full NNS season. Remember how Ricky Stenhouse Jr had that first half of the year last year where nothing was really coming from him then at the end of the year he burst onto the scene? .... She isn't even to the half-way point of one season yet and she's already posted solid finishes.
I'm a fan of hers, and I've just given up on what people say about her.... and if she wins-she wins, if she just keeps a solid-finishing car for 90% of the time-sweet, and if she sticks back there in the top 20 for the rest of her career... hey, at least she's not driving those boring indycar road courses anymore.
-rant over-
I compare her to Scott Dixon....like Scott, it wasn't until her third full season before she got into a top car. Like Scott, her first win was fuel mileage. That's where it ends however and yet who gets more media coverage?
I'm all for her leaving Indycar if it means they will focus on the rest of the field finally.
I dislike the coverage and rides she get that are not based on merit. Not just her, but others like Steven Wallace are a joke in a race car.
If she were not some sort of celebrity she would not be in ANY race car! That is undeniable. A man named Joe Blow with the same record as her would not have a ride in a top NW car.
But, she does have a top ride, and, like Jr, she will continue to come just close enough to top finishes to keep her fans over-excited.
Hey JD! (What I tell ya about Gene?)
I think we all better get resolved to the fact that Ms. Patrick is gonna be in our face for at least a couple of years... I can think of a lot worse things (like Obama getting re-elected and being in our face for another FOUR years. YUCK!!!!)
Post a Comment