They way I look at it, shes down in Daytona sitting behind the wheel of a nextel cup car, with a multi millinon $$ contract.

Im sitting here in a firehouse eating chicken wings. not my place to trash her abilities....

Bingo!

Agreed.

Even if she finished last at the Indy 500,(which she didn't) she was in it .


And Vinman. If your sitting in a firehouse I assume your a fireman.
Big Time Respect goes to you too and your fellow firefighters.

Each driver has different assets. And given that racing lives on sponsorship and sponsors live on advertising, they look at the whole package. While you can argue about her times and finishes, the popularity of the "chest" and "butt" threads here and elsewhere on the interwebs show that Danica's assets beyond driving have significant value.

More power to her. Guys buy their way into rides all the time. She can drive and she's hot looking - she doesn't need to bribe anyone.

She will never make it to the chest thread.

Got a tracker?

I'll bet those are some good wings though.

There's no room for me to pass opinion on anyone's racing skills as I have none. But I have to say I do think she's goofy looking. Not that it matters but some think she's way hot. I don't. Of course I don't think Palin is all that either.

[QUOTE=lonewolf;6583446]

I'm sure many on this forum have had some sort of competitive racing experience and hope this in all good fun between. For me, yes to having a little seat time but only in pure purpose built craft such as low h.p. FF-open wheel and SCCA spec racers and a few other non-car related. Meaning, like most of the amateurs, I had to buy my seat time. Also when you've had a taste of it, it gives a greater appreciation for the talents of professionals. Some take the hobby or interest level further, hiring a coach, emphasize more track time, etc. or go further full time pro.

Pro's today do have talent but mostly are buy-in and it’s more about the image plus how much sponsor money they can bring to the team. Not the other way around such as driver talent first and then the money package. That’s the problem and the balance has unfortunately changed.
On the contrary, I’m guilty too and don't have an issue with those 'couch potato' racers who bash drivers. Pro level racers are expected to have the highest skills. Unfortunately many are not. Most are wonderful and humble people but are over their head in the big leagues.

It’s only ones nature to rank and compare when the goal at the end is to win. So I say go ahead and critique. Someone mentioned Daytona- To me, it looks more of a hobby league wannabe with a mix of pros. You’d be laughing and shaking your head in amazement when you see many team drivers who mostly buy the ride anyhow (and with all respect, terrific to participate) BUT what’s up with the sleepyheads when their scheduled drivers change is in minutes?! Do these guys really care to be competitive or are they dangerous back markers at night? Honestly… this is racing for some in 200 mph capable crafts which in fact they don’t belong there.

Back to D. Patrick
Indy Car is a disaster with many who shouldn’t be in those cars. She left because the offer was greater in NASCAR and that’s probably a godsend. There's far more talent out there but logistics and the way chips fall, we will never see them. Danica Patrick has’ some’ talent and rightfully should as she's been racing since a kid. The big leagues only see her for the package and sponsor money. Because of that alone she really doesn't have to prove herself as a top contender. Just an opinion here but from her Indy days, if only she had some patience, respect to other drivers (not talking of a personal level but on-track) she might have earned real spots on the podium. Forget Japan… that was a gift and with much more about behind the scenes. She also has some disrespectful behavior problems with team mechanics / engineers and will always point blame to them. Her attitude is not hidden and was often seen televised. For those reasons alone, I don't care for her as a pro driver but only respect her incredible business career.

Oh and about the Press Club talk: Listen to her.. "um, oh, ya' know um' well ah Bobby Rahal gave me the open door BUT the 'media' mainly drove me as a sensation". Which immediately equates to sponsor dollars. Thats how it started. Graham Rahal as a rookie in ChampCar proved the talent right out of the gates. (There's more to that to. Bobby wanted his son to prove his worth so Graham was not associated with his fathers team ventures. Very commendable.) That same year comimg off the first win and of the youngest driver ever, his non-particiption in Japan was purely politics because of the division and nothing was ever noted about it.. So for the Patrick fanism they only see her looks and its media driven. She actually admits it.

+1
There ya go.

Does NASCAR weight the cars with the driver or without?

I seem to recall some guy named Franchitti went to Nascar with a top team and big sponsorship without much success. He ended up scurrying back to Indycar only to win championships and the 500. Maybe someone should ask him about the skill required to be successful in Nascar.

There is an additional amount of weight added for those drivers under 200#. Based on the actual weight of the driver taken 3 or 4 times a year. It is based so that all the cars weigh 3600 with the driver.

Do they take weight out of the Stewart Haas cars to get to 3600#?

No.

I think most of your post is well written and pretty accurate with the exception of what I am quoting out of context. I don't think deleting what I did affects these statements though. And I don't agree. If you were talking about ARCA, this is more the case. That is a hobby league and when they get to superspeedways it shows.

I have seen some fairly talented drivers hop in a Sprint Cup car and look foolish. P.J. Jones comes to mind. Also we should consider those that were once in the front and now at an older age run towards the back. Did they lose talent or did the younger drivers bring more ability?

Me thinks a little of both. Whatever. If you can't keep up, you won't last. The only exception is the 1 or 2 teams that have figured out how to make money doing a start and park which I think is despicable. And even they have to qualify to be able to do that.

Another way to look at it: she's sitting behind the wheel of a nextel cup car, with a multi-million dollar contract, despite the fact that there are many better, more talented, more deserving drivers out there without that contract.
She's nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Here's an example, this was a press release that just came out:

They mention this year's top qualifier, AND DANICA.

They didn't mention the other drivers in the race.
They didn't mention the drivers who qualified better than her.
They didn't mention the drivers who have won a whole bunch of races.
They mentioned a female WHO HAS ONLY WON ONE RACE IN HER ENTIRE CAREER for no other reason except that she's a female (who happens to resemble a 12 year old boy with long hair).
And that's another thing, I don't see the physical attraction. I just don't get it.
She's not physically attractive at all IMO, and her personality reminds me of a spoiled little brat who never learned what discipline is.

Nope, nothing there to justify that prefferential treatment, except a whole bunch of mush-headed fans who can be manipulated and brainwashed with a stupid TV commercial.

12 YO boy? I guess you haven't paid attention to things like the Sports Illustrated swim suit edition. No, she's not my cup of tea, but at one time, maybe.

And what do you expect from PR folks? At one time Franchitti's name could have been inserted in that PR. Or at one time it would have mentioned where in the order Jeff Gordon was starting. It's all in the hype. Don't we expect that?

A whole new demographic is watching Nascar because of Danica.
Check out the sales figures of her swag compared to all the other drivers.

She's great for business,pure and simple.

its fun to youtube danica. she has never been at fault for anything. even when she passed the pace car.

Thank you!:)