If the rumors are true about Danica Patrick, then her choice to run a partial Nationwide, Truck, and ARCA schedule while still running the complete IRL schedule in 2010 is the safest thing she could do. It leaves her an out if she cannot figure out how to be successful in a stock car, but still gives her plenty of opportunities to learn.
The transition from open wheel to NASCAR has proven to not be an easy one, and Patrick has many obstacles in her path. But, with Tony Stewart as a mentor and what will probably be a long line of companies lining up to sponsor her, she should be in the very best equipment with plenty of good people around her.
Her toughest challenge in being a competitive driver in NASCAR, I believe, is going to be learning how to give her team the proper feedback. In the IRL, setting up a car is heavily aided by the use of onboard computers. In NASCAR, there will be no computers to tell the team what the car is doing. Danica will need to understand her car enough to know how to tell her crew how to make it go fast.
She also needs to be prepared to be roughed up by the boys club on track.
I personally still have my doubts about how good she will be in a heavy stock car, and I feel like if she is really serious about NASCAR, then she should jump in head first and leave the IRL behind. But I understand her position, and realize the path she is taking is probably the safest one.
What do you think about the ongoing Danica mania? Is she making the right decision? Will she be the first woman in the modern era of NASCAR to win? Are you rooting for her or against her? The floor belongs to you…
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on Sep 8th, 2009 at 2:55 am
I stoked for this news honestly… She’s such a popular celebrity that it can’t do nothin but bring good things for the sport. Hopefully she will bring more viewers, and fans at the races. So I am definitely rooting for her. I also think it’s the natural tendency for a man to want to root for the beautiful women…I mean lets be honest who would you pull out of a burning car first Tony Stewart or Danica Patrick =P
I also believe she is going about things correctly, but the NASCAR fan in me wishes she would ditch IRL completely and run a full Nationwide Schedule….all in all I’m just excited to see how she’ll do!
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I agree with (I can’t remember who said it), but, Ms. Patrick needs to prove she is a winner in the IRL. So far, she has NOT done that. She is a 7th place driver in a series lacking in both drama and talent. NASCAR does not need another voice! NASCAR needs talent! And I do not believe adding Ms. Patrick does that!
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 7:57 am
I won’t say that I’m rooting for Danica Patrick to succeed, but I’m not rooting against her, either. I’m just glad that it is finally happening and we can stop talking about an abstract event.
Danica’s a solid driver in IRL, and some of that experience will be useful, but I think the key to making the transition successfully will be to get her as much seat time in stock cars as possible, as soon as possible. Meaning right now. Put her in a couple of ARCA or truck races this season.
From a business point of view, this is a no-brainer. Good for the sport, good for the team that puts her on the track and good for her. It will put more butts in the seats and viewers in front of the tube, which will obviously be good for advertisers.
It would be a great story if she achieves some success on the track, but I think everyone will have to be really patient. The danger, though, would be if she makes a half-hearted effort or runs quickly back to IRL. That will set back the position of women in NASCAR for another decade. It’s going to be a struggle for Patrick, and there will be some very dark days. We’ll see pretty quickly if she’s a fast learner. And, in Tony Stewart, she’ll have a mentor and cheerleader that will help to buy her a little more time.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I have yet to hear someone say that “of the available talent pool that exists, DP is the best candidate for winning races and championships in IRL or NASCAR or any series for that fact.” Does anyone honestly think that Andretti’s keen desire to secure DP for another round has to do with winning races, or just winning sponsor $? Does anyone honestly think that Stewart’s motive to pave DP for NASCAR entry is anything different?
I agree w/ you T.C. in that to dabble in stock cars for 2010 is “safer” than head first, but the flip side is dividing time between two totally different beasts will mostly likely hurt both efforts. Win, or not, DP sure draws a lot of attention=$ and especially in this day and age owners put the premium on just that. Not sure that formula makes for the most competitive racing!
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 10:01 am
If she comes over to NASCAR I’d wish her the best of luck.I do think she’d be good for NASCAR,any series.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Given the number of open whl. drivers that have’nt been able to do this deal, I think Danica will struggle mightly. She is a fine driver, but so are all the other Cup and Nationwide guys. It takes alot more than that, just ask JPM. What will be fun will be all the hype and exposure she gets. I don’t care how well she does, I will watch her.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I think its an insult to the women that are already participating in Nascar such as Alli Owens. You act like she’s the only woman in racing. These women are racing also and in sub-standard equipment. Do I ever see you reporting on them? Nope.
The reason you are all hot on Danica is that she is willing to take her clothes off for sponsors. The reason Tony is so hot to take her on is money. He wrecked Chris Wallace’s career by getting involved with her.
This is all bs. And I can’t wish her success otherwise you guys will be promoting models and sluts to get into racing. And Nascar has enough problems with pit lizards.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
As a complete outsider looking in, this seems to be the smartest way for Danica to come to Nascar. Tony Stewart took a simular path and has been the most successful driver to make the switch from open wheel to Nascar. Also he will be helping her along the way. I don’t think the Tony wrecked Chrissy Wallace career either.(That is who you are talking about, right Yowser?) Perhaps her father and Toyota hurt her along the way, but I am still hoping she can make a comeback. Good luck to Danica, Chrissy, Ali and all the female drivers.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Yowser – I guess you missed the post 2 months ago that TC did on Johanna Long. You should check it out. I also think you should check out some of the other discussions here around driver development. The vast majority of folks want to see good racing and could care less about the skin color or gender of the drivers.
Stanley – Interesting comments. So she needs to be a proven winner in a “lower series” before allowed to compete in Cup? You mean like Paul Menard, Casey Mears, David Stremme or Jamie? All of course had stellar careers before signing contracts for Cup rides.
And, in case you missed it, she HAS won in IRL. I know fuel mileage was involved, but if you want to take away fuel wins – then let’s give JJ the win at MIS this year and take it away from Mark.
She is 5th, not 7th in points. She is 5th (in what virtually every observer will say is non-competitive equipment) behind the two powerhouse teams in the series. She has run much better than Kanaan who has lots of IRL wins and a championship. She has run better than former champion and multi-race winner Wheldon.
Neon – I agree that she may not be the “best candidate for winning races and championships.” However, there are not that many candidates this year. So I would say she is as good as there is out there. Plus, as you know, the best candidate does not always get the ride. Just look at Kyle getting the boot for Jr to take his place. If “best candidate” is the only requirement, that deal never happens.
Zieke – While I agree that some of the open wheel guys have struggled, be careful not to stereotype. Just because a driver from any particular background does well or not, it does not mean all drivers from that background will do well or not.
Shoot, you could look at the Busch series champions (Truex, Jr, Jeff Green, David Green, Nemechek, Benson, Vickers, Grissom) and determine that they are NOT the best chance to win races and championships. But you would miss guys like Harvick, Biffle and Labonte.
I always have to laugh when the owners start the “monkey see, monkey do” stuff. When Jeff Gordon came from USAC and did well, USAC became the ladder series. Then came Blaney, Leffler, Yeley, Raines and Kahne. Clearly some have done pretty well. Others have not.
JPM is in the top-10 in his 3rd season. That is not too shabby. Mears, McMurray and Sadler all “grew up” in these types of cars and they have been in Cup several years. He is out running them every week. Background must have nothing to do with it.
Sam & Dinger are in their second year and are right there with those guys. Again, they grew up without fenders and are running as well as the guys with fender backgrounds.
Stewart has clearly adapted well. Robby is Robby’s own worst enemy and you cannot blame his background for his lack of performance.
Dario had a rough go at it, but that was not all driver learning curve. Lots of issues going on behind the scenes there.
Guys like Papis, Christian, Carpentier and Jacques either never gave it a real chance or were not given a real chance. So you have to discount them.
Don’t get me wrong. I do think there will be a learning curve and she will struggle some. I would just not lump her into a group of any kind.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
I honestly respect her, for not just jumping in with both feet.
Taking the time to do truck arca and bush will giver her some street cred if she does well.
If she were to just hop right on in to a cup ride, at say SHR with Hendrick equipment, i dont think she would get any respect from the fans, let alone the other drivers.
I had next to zero respect for her as a driver. Now Im starting to get some…..
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
It will be interesting to see which team Patrick gets for her planned, ARCA/Truck/NNS runs. It might be with Kevin & Delana Harvick’s team, or maybe, JR motorsports. But in either case, I think she will have to bring sponsorship (GoDaddy.com?).
Comparing Danica to recent, promising female NASCAR drivers like Erin Crocker and Chrissy Wallace, the difference is that she will be performing without a net. While Tony Stewart may be her catalyst, I don’t see him being an over-cautious mentor like Ray Evernham or Mike Wallace.
There are probably some contractural hurdles still left for Patrick to get over before she can make her move to NASCAR. She has lucurative P.S. contracts with most of her sponsors, including Honda. Keeping her P.S. deal with Honda in the IRL and driving another brand of car/truck in NASCAR and ARCA may be a problem. This could also adversely impact the favorable engine lease deal that AGR currently enjoys with Honda. But these are details that the lawyers and agents should be able to hash out.
I say, “Bring her on…”
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
First, she will get this shot primarily BECAUSE she can bring sponsorship. Anyone who says to the contrary is delusional.
Second, the open-wheelers have had varying successes. Those who jumped right into Cup (Franchitti, Carpentier) bombed out fast, while those who began in the “minors” (Montoya, Hornish, Speed) have done better. And remember that a lot of them had no sponsorship (Villeneuve, a former F1 champ!)
Given the inherent unfairness in who gets a ride and who doesn’t, she’s playing the same game as everyone else. All the crap about her being a nice-looking woman is just that – crap. It has nothing to do with her racing, but a lot to do with her getting sponsorship and publicity. I’m rooting for her, and see a timeline like this:
Year one: a few truck races, a few ARCA races, a few Busch races, maybe a cup race in November.
Year two: full-time Cup, qualify for 25 races.
Year three: in the T35 all year long
Year four: ??
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
If she’s doing it solely for the money or to make her daddy happy, she’ll never make it. Hopefully, she will realize just how big of a challenge she is biting off.
She will bring fans to all of the lower series in which she competes. Many of the lower touring series have struggled this past year for full fields. Just her presence will increase media and the numbers. Maybe the attention will highlight sponsor possibilities for other teams.
Would I personally want to work on her team? Hmmmm. Don’t know. Job security for the bodyman for sure. Also rough season for crew…would need veterans that can take the heat.
If she does come over with the right attitude, I’ll support her.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 7:42 am
TC..question for you. DW made some really dumb comment early in the year about women not having the physical strength to drive a stock car. I’m not talking endurance..I mean STRENGTH. Is this true?? I doubt she will be successful..she’s not that talented. But I will watch…and I guess that’s the bottom line. $$$$
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 7:56 am
rain: I think saying a woman doesn’t have the physical strength to drive a stock car is very ignorant. The transition for Danica to stock cars will certainly not be an easy one, but her physical strength is not a reason I would cite as why. It will have more to do with her actual racing talent and how quickly she can learn the cars. It’s not like it’s 1950 and cars don’t have power steering…
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I am tried of the whole “IRL driver wants to drive a stock car” deal. With all of the solid stock car drivers out there looking for a ride it ticks me off to see this.
I don’t see her being a competitive driver in Nascar for at least 3 seasons, if at all. There is no doubt Danica will bring new fans to Nascar and millions of drivers but it’s going to be a joke. She can barely handle an IRL car, and they are easy to drive compared to a stock car.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Bobby#7Fan – uhhh, the irony here is pretty good.
“I am tried of the whole “IRL driver wants to drive a stock car” deal.”
Uhhh…isn’t Robby an IRL driver that wanted to drive a stock car?
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 8:53 am
OK folks, now I am not so naïve as to suggest that the racing game is something other than “all” about $ income. After all, money = hp = wins = money. So lets put away our emotional cap on whether DP is good for “any” series based on exposure, $, fan draw, TV ratings or whatever.
Now…..put on your owner’s cap and base your driver selection purely on ability to win races and championships. Is DP your driver of choice amongst the available talent? Careful now! If your life depended on it…… I ask you…..is DP the soldier for battle?
I have yet to hear someone (anyone) “bet the farm” on DP solely based on talent.
Knob-while we can agree that AGR may not “now” be on the same level as Ganassi or Penske, let’s not forget that AGR was a proven winner w/ Dario prior to his NASCAR and the Ganassi stints. AGR suffers (even Kanaan) w/o Dario’s input and that is my point. DP has relied on the coat-tail setups and not proven w/ outright pace and race prowess of her own doing. 5th in pts, or 7th in points, w/ “0” outright wins on sheer pace = team strategy performance. DP-show me just a single win on speed and I’m I believer. Maybe a return to Motegei coming up will prove worthy.
Personally, having neither like, or dislike for Paul Menard…why is DP in NASCAR any different? PM and DP both come in w/ less than stellar racing credentials, just a bunch of funding. PM just happens to get it from pops and DP gets it from Motorola or GoDaddy, etc. OK, she is better looking, and I’ll give ya that one!
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Neon – The easy answer is – of the available talent, I don’t think any of them are going to win me championships or races. If you think there is somebody out there that will, I would love to hear who.
So, if I am stuck with “also-rans” to put in my car, I might as well get one that has marketing potential. No disrespect to Riggs, Blaney, Stremme, McMurray, Kvapil or Gilliland; but not a lot of marketing potential there.
No, as I said, her win was not outright pace. But I think when you take Dario/Scott/Helio/Briscoe out as they are certainly in a class of their own, she has done well relative to her teammates, Wheldon, Rahal or Tomas. Again, not the greatest thing since Joey Logano, but not as bad as most people make her out to be.
Saying AGR is a proven winner is like saying Yates is a proven winner. AGR WAS a winner. Both teams are a long way from being winners today. AGR has teammates fighting with each other on & off track. Marco would just as soon wreck Tony & Danica as let them have room. They have lost engineers and managers. They are a mess.
It certainly helped that they had Honda motors when Penske/Ganassi had Toyota. They also had Herta, Dario & Kanaan that worked great together. I think it was Fontana that Kanaan clearly lifted at the checkers to let Dario win. Anyway, they all worked well together creating setups and race strategy. Thanks to Kim, Kevin & Mike that has all gone away.
By the time she got to AGR they were “post-peak.” Dario & Tony helped her a lot in 2007 with lines, braking points, etc… I think she improved a lot with their help. And continues to seek input from TK & Dario. To a large extent, that is why I would choose her over the other options. I do not think she has reached her potential yet. She has shown a willingness to seek help/advice and learn.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Just a question here. If DP drives for an IRL team such as AGR or whoever, could there be some problems for her to be allowed to race elsewhere for fear of her being hurt and not being able to drive IRL? Could contract language come into play? Haven’t there been other drivers who have faced this? If I were an owner with a highly visible driver, under contract, whom I’m paying well I certainly wouldn’t want him or her racing for someone else. Just wondering.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
OK let’s do this. For fun, let’s change the name Danica Patrick to “Dan” Patrick. In “his” professional career, “Dan” has zero wins in 2 seasons of Atlantic competition (in top equipment I might add), a single win in 3.5 seasons of IRL, zero sports car wins and nary a single win in “any” stock car series. “Dan” is bucking for a seat on my Cup, Nationwide or Truck team. Now, I want to fill a seat with someone who will give my team the best shot at winning races and a championship in the relatively near future. That is why we are here, right?
“Dan” is up against my short list of (mostly young) the following drivers from their respective series. Just to be fair I am only considering those Cup drivers currently outside the top 20 in pts. Boris Said, McMurray, McDowell, Yeley, Kvapil, Gilliland, Regan Smith, Brad K, Andy Lally, Scott Speed. Nationwide drivers Justin Allgaier & Michael Annett and trucks Brian Scott, Colin Braun, Timothy Peters and Taylor Malsam. If I want to spend some serious money, I may even pluck Helio, Dixon, Power or Brisco out of IRL and Patrick Long away from ALMS Porsche factory.
Folks, I’m looking for a proven, consistently fast and race savy driver that will propel my “stock” car team to the top step of the podium (Oops! they don’t have podiums in NASCAR).
I ask you this:
1. Is “Dan” my man, or woman to carry my team in the future?
2. Oh, I forgot to mention…”Dan” is a nice looking guy, or girl and has a bunch of money behind him, or her.
Knob-I’ll give you the AGR point. Michael Andretti has but three goals in securing DP. #1: the funding for Marco, #2: to be “the owner of record” if & when a woman wins at the Brickyard and #3: the $ and exposure that goes w/ it.
caio
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Neon, you said, “Personally, having neither like, or dislike for Paul Menard…why is DP in NASCAR any different? PM and DP both come in w/ less than stellar racing credentials, just a bunch of funding. PM just happens to get it from pops and DP gets it from Motorola or GoDaddy, etc. OK, she is better looking, and I’ll give ya that one!”
Why is Patrick different? Because she’ll sell more merchandise and get far more publicity for her team and for NASCAR than Menard ever will. We need look no further than Hendrick’s decision to hire Junior and boot Kyle. Thinking that Junior would win races was a reasonable plan (even if it isn’t working out now), and we all knew Kyle would win races, but who’s gonna sell T-shirts and the like? That’s why they might hire Danica Patrick over Dave Blaney or J.J. Yeley.
It has nothing to do with driving talent. Patrick is as reasonable a bet as anyone else without a track record.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Neon – first, let’s go back to “available drivers.” I do not think many of the guys in your list ARE available…Power, Allgaier, Helio, Dixon, Briscoe. We know Brad K is not.
But if Justin or Power WERE available and I had a couple of years (of time, but most importantly money) to invest in a driver to put my team on the podium, I would take either of them. Both have proven to be fast, do not get frazzled behind the wheel or do stupid things.
Now, let’s assume they are not available. Let’s also assume that all of the “experienced” drivers that are available right now are mid-pack drivers at best. Let’s assume that with the exception of your Dan, none of them come with any type of sponsorship and have minimal marketing potential. Now, Dan has tremendous marketing potential and virtually ensures my team will be well funded for quite some time.
With that, I hire Dan. I take the excess cash flow from Dan’s program and find the young, promising driver that needs 5-6 years to develop into my star Cup champion.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
KnobCreekFan, yes you are right. The difference is that I like Robby Gordon and he made the move years ago like Stewart did, not because it’s where all the money and fame are. I know I am a hypocrite on the subject, all Nascar fans are in one way or another.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Sarah Fisher still holds the record for the fastest lap by a woman at Indy and still holds the track record at Kentucky. She was the first woman to win a pole in the IRL and her second place finish at Homestead-Miami was the best finish for a woman until Danica won at Motegi. She was voted “Most Popular’ driver three years in a row including a year with a partial schedule. She proved what she could do with first rate equipment. When Danica arrived in the IRL, she had some disparaging remarks about Fisher. Danica was in Bobby Rahals’ equipment and Fisher was with Dreyer Rinebold who never seemed to field anything competetive. So Danica becomes the IRLs’ new sweetheart and Fisher ends up out in the NASCAR West series with their “diversity” program. Danica kicks Rahal to the curb so she can bring her “brand” to AGR who was winning at the time. Sarah Fisher is back with her own team and is slowly getting back to form. She was let down by the IRL and is making her own way back. I say to NASCAR take Danica and keep her. I’d much rather watch a woman show her class and not her ass.
on Sep 9th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
good 4 her. Stewert-Hass is a great place 4 her. With tony’s guidence.she will be fine.
on Sep 10th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Knob- “Everyone” is “available” for a price. Above all, purposeful-awl-inspiring-talent should be waht commands highest reward.
Knob- Mid-pack drivers list? Hmmm I cannot quite figure out which drivers I’ve listed were mid-pack in their respective series. There is an awful lot of speed in my list. I kinda prefer (no…demand) that in my driver! Are you suggesting “Dan” (ie Danica) just the cash cow to fund my legitimately promising other young driver for the future? I thought that is what Menard is to Yates, yet everyone seems to boycott him.
Thanks Doug in CA & Knob for confirming what we’ve known all along. Racing is 90% marketing w/ the 10% competition being merely an occasional bonus.
Maybe it’s just me but, don’t you people have a yearning desire for a dog fight between 2, 3, 10, 30 or heck 43 drivers that at the end of the day leaves you speechless and exclaiming “damn I just witnessed a truly epic battle between the undisputed “best” gladiators on the planet??? Or are you one that cares most about the competition to sell the most t-shirts and commercials?
on Sep 10th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Now Neon you are changing the rules. If we are assuming everybody has a price and money is no object, then give me JJ, Stewart, Hamlin, Gordon, Kurt or Kyle. For the 3+ year championship plan, give me Joey, Brad K, Justin, JPM or Power. But back to reality; let’s assume you cannot pay Rick, Joe, Chip or Roger enough to break their contracts…
Mid-pack guys on your list…..Jamie has been in the series 7 years and has 2 wins and is currently 22nd in points. McDowell ran well in ARCA and DP’s a few years back, but has not impressed in NASCAR. Yeley was great in USAC, but did nothing in Cup while his teammates were winning races and championships. Kvapil did well in Trucks, but was mid-pack in Cup. Granted Regan has not had much of a chance in NASCAR, but other than Hooters or WKA, what has he done?
I will give you that some of the younger guys on your list have talent. No money, but some talent.
In an IDEAL world, yes, I want pure speed and talent…from my drivers and crew. Forget money and marketing, I want race wins. I also want to watch races that have dog fights, wheel to wheel from the front of the grid to the back, every corner, every lap.
But since most of us around here live in reality, let’s go back to what makes business sense. Again, assuming I do not have unlimited funds to develop one of your youngsters out of my pocket. With that, yes I take Dan or Paul Menard for the short term and invest in the young driver.
The problem is that most owners do not actually invest in the future (in racing or as we have seen with the economy, most industries). They take the excess cash flow and buy bigger/more houses, jets, helicopters and yachts. They do not invest in the young driver and try to develop their talent and marketing potential. Then when the cash cow driver leaves, the owner cries poor, shuts down the team, flies off to one of his houses and has a few bottles of wine. The fans and media feel sorry for them that they could not cash in their franchise for hundreds of millions of dollars like the stick & ball sports.
DEI is case in point…what did they do with the $$ from Menard (or even Jr’s Bud money)? They sure did not invest it in Regan. Yates is not doing that with Paul either. They fired all of their “development” guys and only kept the paying drivers.
So, Mr “I demand speed”, forgetting the ideal situation…who do you hire?
on Sep 10th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Because you can drive a pick up truck, does that mean you can jump right into a tractor-trailer and blaze the interstate highways? NO!
ARCA and the Truck series should provide the appropriate “training” opportunities for DP, and later to the Nationwide series she should go. A head first dive into the Cup series OR the Nationwide series would surely provide her with only failure. She has to experience the full contact sport of good old boy stock car racing from the ground up. Not from the middle, and not from the top.
From her previous on-track “he touched me” tantrums I’ve witnessed, I say she needs LOTS of seat time to get accustomed to being “touched” in some obviously intentional ways.
Dear Danika,
Sweetheart, you’re gonna crash every race, for awhile. Better get that padding into all of the right places. It’s gonna hurt!
on Sep 10th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Sorry……Danica, not Danika
on Sep 10th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Neon, I’d love to see that battle, but I doubt any of us ever will. One of the reasons my dislike of the T35 rule is pretty mild is that I really don’t much care who’s running 36-43. I think we have to be happy knowing that on any given weekend there are 10-15 cars with a legitimate shot at winning. Remember the 70s, when Petty, Yarborough, Pearson, Allison, and Waltrip won an amazing percentage of the races? No more.
And it’s not only because of the drivers – heck, it may not even be primarily the drivers. There may be 43 great drivers out there, but only 10-15 great cars.
And why must one either want to see a great race or want to measure T-shirt sales? Junior sells zillions of T-shirts; good for him. Now let’s see a race! But then again, I don’t get a cut of the T-shirt sales. If I did, I’d hire Junior or Danica right now!
on Sep 11th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Knob-Above all….thanks for your comments! Nothing better than a good old fashioned debate. From what I know (and feel free to correct me if I am wrong), you are involved in the marketing end of racing and have a keen “insiders” insight into racing business. IMHO, you seem to have a realistic approach and commentary, yet a passion for the art of racing. And not just NASCAR I might add.
I will whole heartedly admit that from my perspective, as a driver and all around motorsport enthusiast, we need to step outside the reality box and look at what “could be” in order to make racing the pinnacle sport. Otherwise, we are just another stick-n-ball sport.
Honestly, my fear in the whole Danica Patrick saga is that it makes a mockery of the “sport”….as an actual “sport”! If people are willing to accept racing as one big infomercial….then so be it! I know for sure that viewership would skyrocket for NASCAR when DP arrives…..at least for a little while. Therein lays the problem. As you say, owners don’t truly look into and prepare for the future (likely because they cannot afford to wait). If what we read is true, DP is propping up the IRL & DP is the most popular driver in the IRL. Yet DP hasn’t been involved in a single photo finish that has become common in the IRL.
So, Knob my friend, I feel as though we are on the same page in understanding what drives the “sport”. $$$$. Agreed?
I will go down kicking and screaming like a 3 year old, all the while demanding epic battles between ultimate warriors of the asphalt! So what’s it going to take? Settle for reality, manipulate a fake outcome in the form of a Lucky Dog, sell t-shirts, or simply pit me 43 old west gunslingers in a do-or-die shootout? I dunno, maybe I’m better suited for the Roman era in the coliseum?
on Sep 12th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Neon – thank you, I have enjoyed the friendly discussion as well.
Yes, I am invloved on the business/marketing side of the sport. I have been for quite a while now. I must say that I got into the sport because I loved racing. All forms. Cars, fenders/no fenders, bikes, boats, dirt/paved, left, right or NO turns.
Early in life, I lived within earshot of IMS. Later in high school we moved out to the far westside of Indy within earshot of IRP (sorry O’Reilly’s, I cannot call it ORP). While I prefer some types over others, early on I learned to appreciate the differences of each form and that it takes a lot of talent to do well regardless of type.
But, while I got into the sport because I loved it, I was very naive. It is a business. Always has been. Always will be. For the crew guys, engineers & drivers it is about going fast and winning. They do not care about my side of the business as long as I get them enough money to be fast. But on my side of the sport, it is about money. Hopefully enough to let them be fast, most usually it is more important to make sure the owner can take distributions.
As you can see, over the years I have become very realistic (some might say jaded) about the sport. It has provided me with a nice living. I have done some really cool things that the 5 year-old hanging on the fence at IMS could have only dreamed about. But as the old saying goes…”follow the money.”
Sorry Neon, I was not there, but I am sure power, greed and politics were a part of the chariot races in the coliseum. It may not have been as blatant as logos on the horse’s blinders, but I am sure money was involved.
Now, back to Danica…..mockery?!?! First, that has already happened. Talladega Nights was not that far off! It was a comedy full of satire and silliness, but the sponsor references were pretty darn close.
Second, I would be more concerend if she were Milka. Milka is dangerously slow and horribly in the way. While Danica may not be the fastest driver on the track, she is only off the pace by fractions…not minutes like Milka. Especially relative to the non-Penske/Ganassi cars, she is very respectable.
Also, I will disagree with you a little on the owners being unable to wait. Yes, today most of them are unable to wait. However, it is mostly because they did not look to the future 6-7-8 years ago. Most of the teams that are going away today failed to invest in performance when times were good.
RYR was winning races and championships 7-8-9 years ago. Times were good. Cash was flowing black. But Robert failed to invest in performance improvements or developing drivers.
Kasey is just the example. Clearly Kasey had talent, but RYR did not find a way to invest in him. Meanwhile, Robert lived in one of the top-10 most expensive homes in Charlotte.
Roll the clock forward to a couple of years ago. Economy is still solid. Most teams are flush with cash, but RYR is going under. I know this is in a different topic, but Yates going under today is not a result of the economy. It is the result of poor management over the last 10 years.
With that, time to grab lunch, head to the track and avoid Laburnum.
on Sep 12th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Knobcreekfan- I think you have set a new record.
on Sep 12th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Shoot…that was a short one.