[tharbert]

Ever heard "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game"? The whole point of professional racing has little to do with drivers much like the NBA has little to do with the score. It really is about, as Sammy put it, "...a whole bunch of mush-headed fans who can be manipulated and brainwashed with a stupid TV commercial." It's about the money. Yeah, there's great incentive to put on a good show but, as a group, the sponsors don't care who wins. They care about the money flowing back to them because of their sponsorship. And let's face it, sponsorship fuels the whole thing. $1.4 for 1st at the Daytona 500 wouldn't keep the winning team in engines for a year.

Danica has commercial power, much more than most all the other drivers together. She has a certain appeal just like the train wreck that was Brittany Spears. To Danica credit she's kept her legs together and car and career on track...mostly. If it really were about racing, she wouldn't stand a chance. But, she brings to the table a modest racing skill set and the commercial appeal that will keep her in the sport. Once done with driving, she'll be some major network's sports/race co-anchor. I think she's here for the long haul. I, for one, like the oddity of someone who looks equally great in a G suit and a G string.