Danica on Forbes

[NaBUru38]

I'm not sure if I will read the whole article on Forbes. The title is "A Winning Danica Patrick Is Nascar's Biggest Hope To Restart Growth", so you have been warned.

[NaBUru38]

Oh, my, I can't belive the article is so ridiculous...

Haters aside, by some measures, Patrick has raced very well. Her average start position this season has been 31; her average finish 26 – that 5-position gain is the best in the sport.

All the fuss is over a driver sitting 27th –about middle of the pack– in Nascar’s yearlong standings.

[Paradise City]

It's gotta be satirical.

Patrick is only one of 43 drivers lined up to race each Sunday, but on her slender back rest hopes for another growth spurt for Nascar, which exploded in the 1990s.

Looking at the top ten earners that the article links to, she's earns roughly as much as Jenson Button.

[IceMan_PJN]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Quote:
Haters aside, by some measures, Patrick has raced very well. Her average start position this season has been 31; her average finish 26 – that 5-position gain is the best in the sport.

All the fuss is over a driver sitting 27th –about middle of the pack– in Nascar’s yearlong standings.

"About middle" is still fairly generous. I'm looking over the standings for the 2013 season, and of all the drivers listed only about thirty-seven or thirty-eight have participated in the majority of the races. Several have participated in half or fewer, with some only involved in two or three races. She's presently listed at twenty-eighth. Out of only thirty-seven that have participated in the majority of races, ranking twenty-eighth puts her ahead of the bottom 25%. Three of the drivers ranked above her participated, for one reason or another, in fewer races than she did. Even if we look at her twenty-eighth place standing in regards to the top forty-three, she would still fall into the bottom half, below the middle.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by IceMan_PJN

"About middle" is still fairly generous.

As I said, I think it's a ridiculous term.

[Dragger]

If I remember correctly, during her entire Indycar career, she only won a single race(Japan oval race), and that was only because it was red flagged and stopped early due to rain while she just happened to have been in the lead at the time during pit stops.

Has she ever won anything else, ever, besides that single Indycar race???

[Paradise City]

She's a competent, competitive Indycar driver. I wouldn't understate her ability either. But she's at sea in NASCAR bar a rare appearance in the top twenty. Her equipment is good but I don't see much left in her to improve.

[rwintle]

People love to dump on Danica, and I agree her NASCAR campaign doesn't look impressive, but she had a decent run in IndyCar. Six top-ten finishes in seven Indy 500 starts (highest third). Similarly, six top-ten finishes in the IndyCar championship out of seven years (highest fifth). That seems pretty consistent to me.

Now I have to go and read that article, because it sounds like it might be... entertaining.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by rwintle

People love to dump on Danica, and I agree her NASCAR campaign doesn't look impressive, but she had a decent run in IndyCar. Six top-ten finishes in seven Indy 500 starts (highest third). Similarly, six top-ten finishes in the IndyCar championship out of seven years (highest fifth). That seems pretty consistent to me.

Now I have to go and read that article, because it sounds like it might be... entertaining.

You are only as good as your last race. It's a harsh, mean, competitive business. She ensured her seats by working the marketing angle well, but you can only run that for so long. If she doesn't win and win frequently within a couple of years, as she ages it's going to be a tougher sell.

[MCWB]

Originally Posted by Dragger

If I remember correctly, during her entire Indycar career, she only won a single race(Japan oval race), and that was only because it was red flagged and stopped early due to rain while she just happened to have been in the lead at the time during pit stops.

I'm hardly the biggest Danica fan ever, but that red flag/pit stop stuff just isn't true. She won it fair and square, passing Castroneves for the win.

Yes, the field was a bit depleted due to the Long Beach Champcar finale and she did win it because of superior fuel strategy rather than outright pace, but it's not like that's never happened before in the history of racing...

[NaBUru38]

Patrick obviously had decent results in IndyCar: 1 win, 7 podiums, 20 top 5 and 3 poles in 115 races.

Now, this season in Nascar Cup Series was terrible. Let's see some statistics:

o- Her only top 10 was an 8th in Daytona. She collected 8 top 20 in 34 races: a 12th place, 13th, 14th, 17th and three 20th places. She finised only 11 times in the leader lap.
o- Her qualifying average is 30.2. Her two best efforts were 1st and 11th at Talladega. Her next best two qualifying results were 21th.

She's 25th in the standings. In contrast, Juan Pablo Montoya is 22nd with four top 5 finishes, seven top 10 finishes, 20 finishes on the lead lap, seven top 10 qualifying results, and 29 top 20 qualifying results.

[wnut]

Comeback DanicaFan, I miss your posts!