Danica Patrick thread - finally won a race - in Japan.

[yoMAMA]

I haven't paid attention to indy 500 in years....

but this year's different.

Danica Patrick [a girl that's pretty cute :wink: ] almost won it! :eek:

she ran out of gas in the final lap, and finished 4th.

but overall, I'm so proud of her.

and this was a pretty good race.

kudos to her and indy racing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8026657

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/05/26/danica.patrick/patrick1.jpg

:biggrin:

[hooligan]

Hear the Jeff Gordon was whining that she weighed like 100 lbs? Everyone on the internet is telling Jeff Gordon to go lose some weight. WAAA WAAA, Jeff.

[yoMAMA]

Hear the Jeff Gordon was whining that she weighed like 100 lbs? Everyone on the internet is telling Jeff Gordon to go lose some weight. WAAA WAAA, Jeff.

LOL.....

whinning men.

[Grasshopper]

Yeah it was pretty cool. I tuned in with 28 laps to go when internet radio said she was leading.

I didn't know that she almost wiped out earlier.

She's 5'2" 105lbs and some 200lb crybaby guy :tongue: was complaining that the low weight gave her an advantage.

It looked like she was going to win it but the fuel gamble cost them. Not enough fuel pressure. It almost looked like she was going to run out of gas before finishing. And that may have happened with out the crash and yellow flag.

Letterman is a co-owner so she'll be welcomed as a hero on the show Monday I guess.

The winner Weldon is having a great year and yet he's a side story. :biggrin:

[yoMAMA]

The winner Weldon is having a great year and yet he's a side story. :biggrin:


weldon who?

:tongue:

[yoMAMA]

Yeah it was pretty cool. I tuned in with 28 laps to go when internet radio said she was leading.

I didn't know that she almost wiped out earlier.

She's 5'2" 105lbs and some 200lb crybaby guy :tongue: was complaining that the low weight gave her an advantage.

It looked like she was going to win it but the fuel gamble cost them. Not enough fuel pressure. It almost looked like she was going to run out of gas before finishing. And that may have happened with out the crash and yellow flag.

Letterman is a co-owner so she'll be welcomed as a hero on the show Monday I guess.

The winner Weldon is having a great year and yet he's a side story. :biggrin:


without a doubt, a great race.

it was competitive and entertaining, which can't be said of Indy racing for a while....

I'll watch it again next year [assumng she's in :biggrin: ]

[VV o n g B a]

with the importance of weight in these races, i'm surprised that women aren't more prominent in things like horse racing and f1 racing. and why is jeff gordon saying anything at all about f1 racing? is he now in both nascar and f1?

[yoMAMA]

with the importance of weight in these races, i'm surprised that women aren't more prominent in things like horse racing and f1 racing. and why is jeff gordon saying anything at all about f1 racing? is he now in both nascar and f1?

i don't think it was jeff gordon.

i think it was bobby gordon was something....good ole boy jeff is not stupid enough to offend women.

:wink:

[hooligan]

i don't think it was jeff gordon.

i think it was bobby gordon was something....good ole boy jeff is not stupid enough to offend women.

:wink:
Yes, it was Bobby Gordon. haha, Sorry JEFE!

[yoMAMA]

with the importance of weight in these races, i'm surprised that women aren't more prominent in things like horse racing and f1 racing. and why is jeff gordon saying anything at all about f1 racing? is he now in both nascar and f1?

well, isn't women in general smaller and shorter compared to men?

because danica is only 5'2 therefore she weights alot less than her male counterparts.

she's also incredibly lean and fit, and does hardcore yoga. :biggrin:

[Faithless]

I don't get it. So everybody's supposed to be fat to make things fair.

It should all come down to strategy -- which is what kept her from winning the race.

I understand from the news that she had a chance to get gas during a yellow flag, but didn't. Is that her fault or that of her pit crew?

I like her bio: http://www.danicaracing.com/bio.shtml

...An avid fan of music she likes everything BUT country and classical. Her favorite singer is Alanis Morissette and she also list Norah Jones, Queen and Nelly among her favorites...

Danica, the Non-Story (http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/16554/)

Written by: Jeff Olson Motegi, Japan – 4/29/2005

Danica Patrick is on the front row for the Indy Japan 300. At the risk of being misunderstood and branded an oinking descendant of Bobby Riggs, I’ll state a basic truth: This story is not news.

Her best qualifying lap at Twin Ring Motegi narrowly missed being the best of the bunch for Saturday’s IRL IndyCar Series race. Immediately, the breathless reports began. Most contained a reference to gender within the first few sentences, usually something as ridiculous as “first woman to start on the front row for an IRL race since a woman did it two years ago.”

Um, yeah. Sun rises in the east, and – stop the presses! – it rises in the east again the next day.

A crusty old journalism professor I had the honor of knowing liked to drop this bomb on his freshman classes: It’s been established that “man bites dog” is considered news. But if man bites dog every day for a month, at what point does it cease to be news? Preferably on the third bite. Fourth at the latest. His point being, of course, that repetition kills news value. The first time, it’s news. But the 23rd time? Irrelevant.

Someday we’ll get over this idea that women driving race cars against men is newsworthy. Or even appropriate to mention. Probably not in my lifetime, but someday. The newsworthiness of the subject ended the day Shirley Muldowney received her NHRA license in 1965, or perhaps when Janet Guthrie raced in the Indy 500 and Daytona 500 in 1977. Since then, women have blazed the trail to the point of defoliation. Lyn St. James, Shawna Robinson, Sarah Fisher, Tina Gordon, Ashley Force, Rhonda Hartman, Kim Hiskey, Melanie Troxel, Christi Passmore, Erin Crocker, Michelle Theriault, Misheal Abbott, Katherine Legge.

Say when. I could fill an entire page with nothing but names of women who drive race cars on a professional level. It doesn’t end there. Karting is overflowing with talented young female drivers, and virtually every Saturday night dirt track in the country features female competitors. Obviously, the idea that a woman competes at a top level of motorsports is hardly news. But here we are, 40 years after the barrier was broken, bringing up a detail that should be immaterial.

Maybe your grandchildren will see the day in which a woman not only wins the Indy 500, but wins the Indy 500 and isn’t distinguished from other racers by gender while doing it. Don’t expect it soon, and don’t expect it in the Indiana I know. Judging from today’s bold step into the 1950s with legislative approval of Daylight Savings Time, progressive thought isn’t the largest entree on the Hoosier plate. Get back to us when we figure out how to synchronize traffic signals.

At St. Petersburg, I happened past the Rahal Letterman transporters while people were losing their minds and dignity – as people often do – during a Danica encounter. It’s become a common and undoubtedly disturbing occurrence for Patrick. Having witnessed it more than once, I’ll give a nod to the immense (and occasionally weird) public interest in her. Furthermore, I’ll admit that the interest is a product of gender, as it is for Sarah Fisher. Both will agree that they are popular because they are women – women who compete against men. But popularity and newsworthiness are not always related. Nor should they be.

Every respectable female racer has encountered the same sprain of fame. They’re popular not for the reasons they should be popular (i.e., because they can drive the wheels off a race car), but because they’re female. There’s something slightly backwoods about that approach, as if people haven’t quite come to terms with the idea that women can compete with men in motorsports, with the racetrack serving as metaphor for real life. Frankly, it’s time for us to get over it.

If you want to know how badly worn this subject is (and how demeaning it is to female racers), keep in mind that the same idea, in nearly the same form, passed through this very keyboard 13 years ago in a feature story about St. James. At the time, she wondered when the public would accept her as a racer, not as a “lady” racer. It’s a valid point, made more than a decade ago. You’d think we would be blasé about the latest female phenomenon, but we aren’t. We still act like she’s the first.

Fisher often makes light of the way she is portrayed in the press, which still (in 2005, for crying out loud) uses words like “cute” and “attractive” and “pretty” to describe her. I can only wonder what would happen if I used those words to describe Tony Kanaan or Buddy Rice. Nobody seems to give a flip what they look like, but there seems to be an unhealthy obsession with the appearance of female drivers. I doubt whether an unattractive woman could succeed in racing in this environment. It’s that twisted.

Imagine, if you will, this particular subject isn’t gender, but race. Imagine that, 30 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s racial barrier, the press still reported the play of every black player as if he had been the first. Imagine if we used demeaning racist terms about appearance while describing those players. Imagine if modern sportswriters made any distinction whatsoever regarding race in their coverage.

Exactly. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and the NAACP would be at the door, and they’d have a compelling case.

Ask almost any driver in the IRL about Patrick, and they’ll give you an answer surprisingly void of gender. They’ll tell you she’s a tough racer. They’ll tell you things they’ve noticed about her driving style, perhaps offer constructive criticism, maybe suggest tricks that helped them become accustomed to IRL racing. But few of them will make reference to the fact that she’s a woman. Know why? Because almost every male race driver of this era, at some point in his career, has raced against women. It’s simply not an issue. It’s yesterday’s news.

Unfortunately, the public and the press don’t see it that way. We just can’t seem to get past the idea that women are capable of driving race cars against men. We just can’t seem to let go of the idea that gender is somehow important or pertinent in this sport. We’re simply not ready to take that bold step into the 1950s and change the damned clocks.

Instead of reading and hearing another rehash of the look!-it’s-a-girl-racer report, we should be reading and hearing about Danica Patrick’s front-row accomplishment at Motegi in the same terms as her male counterparts. We shouldn’t be reading about Danica Patrick the Female Racer. We should be reading about Danica Patrick the Promising Young Rookie.

Period.

[thaite]

She don't look very Asian. Is she mixed?

[Grasshopper]

She don't look very Asian. Is she mixed?
I think she's Cauc-Asian. :tongue:

http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/6993/files/danica-patrick.gif

http://www.womanmotorist.com/images/articles/racing/alms/060903danicaphoto.jpg

[yoMAMA]

She don't look very Asian. Is she mixed?

there's a hint of asian when she has her hair dark black, but when she has brown hair, not really.

I think she's Cauc-Asian. :tongue:



she's HOT :biggrin:

[Tao]

is she related to tera patrick =P

[yoMAMA]

is she related to tera patrick =P

tera who?

googles to find out..........

:biggrin:

[Fireblade]

holy fuck... she's only 23?!! She's incredibly skilled.

btw, I don't think she's all that attractive. Just her skills in motor racing. lol.

[lethal]

I don't get it. So everybody's supposed to be fat to make things fair.

It should all come down to strategy -- which is what kept her from winning the race.

I understand from the news that she had a chance to get gas during a yellow flag, but didn't. Is that her fault or that of her pit crew?

If she got gas, she would've gone to the back of the pack. Basically the only reason she was even in contention was because her team took a risk and left her out there without pitting. Of course, if she didn't stall in the pits or spin out on a restart damaging her front wing (both rookie mistakes), she wouldn't have needed to take the gas risk.

Race strategy kept her in contention. Her driving mistakes kept her from winning.

[Faithless]

If she got gas, she would've gone to the back of the pack. Basically the only reason she was even in contention was because her team took a risk and left her out there without pitting. Of course, if she didn't stall in the pits or spin out on a restart damaging her front wing (both rookie mistakes), she wouldn't have needed to take the gas risk.

Race strategy kept her in contention. Her driving mistakes kept her from winning.
Okay.

I thought I heard her, in an interview second guess herself, that maybe she should have gotten gas.

[Tao]

my question is...who actually watches nascar?

[yoMAMA]

my question is...who actually watches nascar?

rednecks :tongue:

[lethal]

Okay.

I thought I heard her, in an interview second guess herself, that maybe she should have gotten gas.

I believe she was lamenting that she could not run all out in the end because she was trying to conserve gas. If she somehow got gas and stayed out front (you know, in that miraculous situation where fuel suddenly appears in your gas tank without pitting).

If she didn't stall leaving the pits (the only driver to make that mistake all day) or spin out without being touched, then she would've had a better shot. She had among the best equipment and among the best pit crew and race strategy dictated by her crew chief.

Next year when she's more experienced, I expect a better showing out of her, perhaps even a victory She made a couple really bad mistakes and it cost her this year.

And Tao, yoMAMA...I watch NASCAR on occasion. Got a problem with it? For your sakes, I hope you don't.

[deez nuts]

And Tao, yoMAMA...I watch NASCAR on occasion. Got a problem with it? For your sakes, I hope you don't.

yeeeeah, kick their asses. fuck em up.

(notice the thumbs up).

[Tao]

And Tao, yoMAMA...I watch NASCAR on occasion. Got a problem with it? For your sakes, I hope you don't.
What's that I hear playing? oh yeah, that's right, banjos.

[yoMAMA]

I believe she was lamenting that she could not run all out in the end because she was trying to conserve gas. If she somehow got gas and stayed out front (you know, in that miraculous situation where fuel suddenly appears in your gas tank without pitting).

If she didn't stall leaving the pits (the only driver to make that mistake all day) or spin out without being touched, then she would've had a better shot. She had among the best equipment and among the best pit crew and race strategy dictated by her crew chief.

Next year when she's more experienced, I expect a better showing out of her, perhaps even a victory She made a couple really bad mistakes and it cost her this year.

And Tao, yoMAMA...I watch NASCAR on occasion. Got a problem with it? For your sakes, I hope you don't.

no problemo...........

[goes to the fridge and opens up a pack of busch lite] :biggrin: :wink:

:wink:

[deez nuts]

[goes to the fridge and opens up a pack of busch lite] :biggrin: :wink:


i love busch beer.

chilling and relaxing on a sunday afternoon with a cooler full of busch beer and old milwaukee with your buds. now that's life.

lethal's gonna kick both your asses. HELL YEAH

[yoMAMA]

i love busch beer.

chilling and relaxing on a sunday afternoon with a cooler full of busch beer and old milwaukee with your buds. now that's life.

lethal's gonna kick both your asses. HELL YEAH

dude, those are not beers.

:tongue:

[kpih]

Here's what I don't get with NASCAR, Indy Car, dirt track and most American racing series: what is wrong with turning right? Are the rednecks too stupid to turn both ways?

The technology of these series are light years behind F1 and other European/World series.

[bluemonq]

dude, those are not beers.

:tongue:
so there's a big meeting for all large western breweries on the current state of the craft; all of their executives are there. so they have presentations and talks and what not. after the meeting, a few of the ceos head over to a local bar: miller, coors, anheuser-busch, and guinness. so the miller ceo gets a miller lite, the coors ceo gets a bottle of coors and the anheuser-busch ceo gets a busch. the guinness ceo however orders a diet coke. the miller ceo asks with a smile, "how come you didn't order a beer, arthur?" the guinness ceo shrugged and said, "well, i kinda wanted to, but i figured since you guys aren't getting a beer i shouldn't either."

[yoMAMA]

so there's a big meeting for all large western breweries on the current state of the craft; all of their executives are there. so they have presentations and talks and what not. after the meeting, a few of the ceos head over to a local bar: miller, coors, anheuser-busch, and guinness. so the miller ceo gets a miller lite, the coors ceo gets a bottle of coors and the anheuser-busch ceo gets a busch. the guinness ceo however orders a diet coke. the miller ceo asks with a smile, "how come you didn't order a beer, arthur?" the guinness ceo shrugged and said, "well, i kinda wanted to, but i figured since you guys aren't getting a beer i shouldn't either."

haha.....good one.

:tongue:

[yoMAMA]

what a bunch of losers...... :tongue:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050804/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_irl_patrick_s_dilemma

[Grasshopper]

They should be jealous of her fiance. :wink:

[yoMAMA]

They should be jealous of her fiance. :wink:

why?

:confused:

[Grasshopper]

why?

:confused:
Why?

Because he's about to marry a 21 year old multimillionare who looks like this:

http://hotrod.com/racers/113_0504_danica_01_z.jpg

http://hotrod.com/racers/113_0504_danica_02_z.jpg

...........other than that, no reason really. :biggrin:

[yoMAMA]

Why?

Because he's about to marry a 21 year old multimillionare who looks like this:

http://hotrod.com/racers/113_0504_danica_01_z.jpg

http://hotrod.com/racers/113_0504_danica_02_z.jpg

...........other than that, no reason really. :biggrin:

those are good enough reasons! :biggrin:

[kimpossible]

Not much to do with Japan but I just thought it was cool that she won.

Patrick makes history in Japan

8 hours ago

Danica Patrick made history at Twin Ring Motegi as she used great pit strategy to win the Japan 300 and become the first female driver to win an IndyCar Race.

Patrick passed pole-sitter Helio Castroneves with just three laps as both benefitted from an extra pit stop after the last caution, giving them both enough fuel to finish the race.

Patrick, who won in her 50th IndyCar start, had fallen as far back as ninth in the final 20 laps, but most of the cars in front of her were forced to make a quick refueling pit stop over the final 12 laps.

The series point leader, Castroneves finished second for the second straight race and Scott Dixon placed third.

Dan Wheldon was next and Tony Kanaan rounded out the top five. The race was expected to take place Saturday morning but was postponed after rain soaked the track over the past two days.

Patrick said: "It's been a long time coming, finally. I can't say the last fuel stint was hard. We were taking it easy and taking care of the car. I was fast and managing to save fuel. I had been saving a little extra fuel and didn't want to make the mistake of pushing really hard to get by Helio."

When the race finally got under way, Castroneves was able to build a decent lead in the early stages of the race.

He held the top spot for the first 92 laps before Scott Dixon, who won the first race of the season at Miami-Homestead, took over the lead.

Dixon grabbed first place on pit road after the third caution of the race caused by Vitor Meira brushing the wall.

Benefiting from the clean air at the front of the pack, Dixon managed to pull away from the field and led until being forced to pit with five laps to go.

[tommyhtown]

I saw the news on SportsCenter last night. I hope she wins a few more and makes her move to NASCAR.

[VV o n g B a]

^ i wonder if the nascar drivers would accept her as drafting partner or not. i kinda doubt it.

[tommyhtown]

She may have to prove herself on one of the 'shootout' events first.

[BillBlythe]

WOW. INCREDIBLE.



People watch Nascar?

[WONTONnPHO]

Danica is so cute =D