Making friends then is not part of her job - it's to get out as fast as you can and gain (or don't lose) as many positions as you can, even if you force another diver to check up a bit.She didn't make many friends exiting the pit though.
Making friends then is not part of her job - it's to get out as fast as you can and gain (or don't lose) as many positions as you can, even if you force another diver to check up a bit.She didn't make many friends exiting the pit though.
I congratulate her, but let's not get too excited just yet. Even her friend Tony Stewart said qualifying was based more on the car than driver at Daytona,where you just keep your foot in it. The "Pack" racing allows for many drivers over the years to finish higher than they normally do during the rest of the year, so let's see how the year plays out.
Mark
Time to admit it guys. Danica drove an excellent race.
Thanks ... Jay Novak
Not bad considering the alternatives
Considering the pressure on her - you know what the tone of the conversation would have been if she had screwed up big time or caused a wreck - I think she did very well. IMO, being a bit conservative was the right approach. Remember, she is essentially a rookie in Sprint Cup and she candidly admits she has a lot to learn.
Dave Weitzenhof
It was OK...she had a VERY fast cart
Originally Posted by Jnovak
I'm still trying to figure out how she dropped 5 places in the last half mile. makes me wonder if the spotters called the wreck and she lifted just a tad before realizing they were going to race to the end.
" ... Last summer she ran up front with the very best in Nationwide at Road America - many road course ringers - until JV booted her off. The TV commentators - damn knowledgeable guys - were full of praise....all justified by the excellent driving they were seeing.
So...uh...this ain't racing? Go down there and sit ten rows back and watch 43 cars go by at 195 MPH with six inches between bumpers and less than that between fenders !! And don't for one minute think the cars and engines are not sophisticated....in their own way. The engines scream - all of 'em - turning 9,000 RPM for 500 miles!!
Give the woman credit.....as Gordon did... " John Merriman
"... and I agree. She is the real deal. I do not believe that somebody/anybody "let" her take pole. She can DRIVE a car! ... Tom Owen
" ... [But] I feel she did a great job. Ran in the top 5 for almost every lap, kept the shiny side up, not a mark on her car, and finished well.
Again, she is the real deal, capable of competently racing at the front. Remember, many of the drivers around her have many more stock car races under their belts." ... Tom Owen
Time to admit it guys. Danica drove an excellent race.
Thanks ... Jay Novak
"Considering the pressure on her - you know what the tone of the conversation would have been if she had screwed up big time or caused a wreck - I think she did very well." .... Dave Weitzenhof
From my February 12, 2009 post :
"At an early age, convince her dad to let her compete in a totally male dominated sport; leave her family as a teenager and move to England to challenge virtually all alpha males (who brag about ALL of their “conquests”) in Formula Vauxhall Junior and then British Formula Ford, (see post 28) then the most difficult racing series in the world; make it to the FFF final round & then the podium; as slight framed female drive a high downforce multi-g race car (1525 pounds on oval courses, 1600 pounds for road / street courses) which is just plain difficult to drive let alone race and then compete with some of the best drivers in the hemisphere if not the world [and beating multiple “male” racecar drivers each weekend]; make multiple outside passes at Miami-Homestead over the years w/o lifting; for sure having an aggressive attitude but if she has a chip, others have a mountain on their shoulders ..."
Please now add - "Qualified on the Pole at Daytona in Sprint Cup, led laps racing under the green, upfront all day ---at the end, third and then eighth in the race ......"
Again, as others have said, I am NOT saying she is the next world wonder - just a good racecar driver who keeps plying her trade
Last edited by Swift17; 02.24.13 at 9:45 PM.
That is EXACTLY what happened. Her spotter (and it appears the car in front of her) were told about the crash and they lifted slightly. Wrong move. She even seems to indicate that in her interview when she said she did the best she could with the info given her.
There is only one John Force...
The media hype has been thick.
In an interview with the Arizona Republic, John Force made this observation:
"I get that Danica got the pole is a big deal, but it's not like she delivered the baby Jesus.”
“Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty.” -Peter Egan
Good for NASCAR, especially as the race itself was rather processional.
Best, T[/QUOTE]
F1 has tried for the last few years to get more passing in their races, cograts to NASCAR for the Gen6 conga line.
Kudos to Danica. A good driver in a great car. Now, if she gets that whole bump-drafting thing down... & perhaps NASCAR could throw a few more white flags during the event...
"An analog man living in a digital world"
She got snookered by no yellow after a wreck, and all day long they could slingshot to the inside and gain a car length, they just couldn't run with the outside line. So Jr. and Mark took the slingshot and passed, then a few people followed and all of a sudden the outside line was freight-trained to the back when they couldn't drop down to the NEW outside line... That is the difference, frankly, between a fast car and a great drive, and a fast car, great drive, and decades of experience... There isn't a quick way to get decades of experience...
Brian
Hey Danica
Back to reality for Danica as she starts 40th at Phoenix!
Well, it's not 43'rd.
CREW for Jeff 89 Reynard or Flag & Comm.
At least she won't have that pesky last pit on pit road to contend with! As you say, back to reality. I hope it doesn't rain, she's pitted out in the parking lot of the garage area, al fresco...
Brian
Another steller performance for the young lady! She started 37th and zoomed up to 33rd, finishing SIX laps down to the winner. She'll do fine on the superspeedways and perhaps road courses, but she'll struggle everywhere else.
Mark
Dude, leave it alone... before you make someone cry.
aaron
!!
Saying DUDE makes me want to cry!!!!
Emoticons do the trick for me, especially when used to preface a sentence.
aaron
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