[Jeff Higgins]

A lot of talented young drivers enter the big series with teams that are on a race-to-race, shoestring budget. They fight and claw their way up the ladder, proving their mettle in less than stellar equipment. They finally "make it" and secure a ride with a big team with some money. Then they start qualifying well, placing well, and perhaps winning.

Not that many start out with top name teams, unless they come from one of the big name families or something. When they get to start in top drawer equipment, their results need to reflect that. Some actually do have talent and start doing well fairly quickly. Some linger on forever as also-rans, hanging on only because of the family name. Some wind up dropping out, trying some other racing venue, or whatever.

Racing is a tough sport; you need to either win, or bring something else to the table for your sponsors. In the case of the "big name" kids, they bring that. It allows them to continue to drive and attract sponsors beyond where their talent would allow. Danica simply brings something else to the table. Granted, she has enough talent to run with the big dogs and not hurt herself. But let's not kid ourselves; that is most decidedly not what keeps her in the car. She has had fantastic equipment her whole career (pardon the pun). You guys are comparing her record to guys that had to work their way up into that equipment. To paraphrase how Rusty Wallace described Jeff Gordon almost 15 years ago "(s)he was born with a silver spoon up his (her) ass..."