Apparently I’ve raised eyebrows with my Bleacher Report column about Danica Patrick. I published it the very same day that “The King” Richard Petty drew attention by his denigration of Ms. Patrick while at a press event in Canada.
Bottom line here: He’s wrong, I’m right.
Despite all his years in and out of the sport of NASCAR racing, this time Richard Petty is off the mark with his comment about Patrick.
I am not.
Is It Crazy to Call Danica Patrick a Contender for the Daytona 500?
Remember, the column for Bleacher Report.com you just read was written by the same guy who wrote this about Patrick for Yahoo! Sports over five years ago:
Putting Patrick’s Victory in Perspective
I have to admit, that since she moved her show to NASCAR, I have become a Danica Patrick supporter. She’s more talented in a race car than nearly half the field she’s racing against. It takes seat time to make a great race car driver. And while she may never be considered great, over time, she will gain the respect of those haters out there who see her as nothing more than a sophisticated PR machine (as Petty’s son Kyle called her) who doesn’t belong in NASCAR.
Sorry boys and Mr. Petty, but this is 2014 and the girls get to do everything the boys do – and sometimes they do it a lot better.
Thanks for stopping by.
Only time will tell whether he’s right or you’re right. I’ll just say that her record in both NASCAR and Indy leans toward Petty being right. But I understand where you are coming from. He’s only a 7 time champion with 200 wins and a lifetime spent in racing. His appraisal is meaningless.
That doesn’t mean she will never win a race. There are times where circumstances play out where the winner just gets lucky (fuel mileage, weather, etc.).
Bill, Petty’s statement reeks of the “Good Ole Boy” mentality in NASCAR that permeates the sport and is a big reason why it (NASCAR) is finding it difficult to attract a younger audience. All that’s missing from “The King’s” statement is “…and she (Patrick) needs to get back in the kitchen where she belongs, barefoot and pregnant.”
Well if being a Good Ole Boy just means that you throw political correctness out the window then I am fine with it. After reading some of the comments below I’ll just add…
The last decade is filled with drivers that came from Indy/F1 with very impressive stats that couldn’t find that level of success in NASCAR. Do you really think that Danica is a better driver than those drivers? I guess I’d like to know your logic in having that much faith in Danica .
As for the younger demographic that NASCAR wants, I would actually think that with the prevalence of reality television shows (which, by the way NASCAR seems to be morphing into) that people behaving badly and saying outrageous things, would attract more of them.
Lastly, the equipment you are in DOES matter. I will not downplay the role that chemistry plays in ultimate success, but without the funding there is a limit to how much success a team can achieve on chemistry alone. Or are you implying that money no longer buys speed?
Anyway, that’s the way I see it.
The King is right! As the old add said , SHOW ME THE BEEF, you keep the beefcake
I’m not sure the King was far off the mark. It really has nothing to do with her being a woman. Any driver that is given the best that money can buy and still runs behind so many other drivers that have marginal equipment and minimal support, they clearly have performance problems. She is driving only because her celebrity brings in money and fans. It has little to do with her racing ability. An ordinary person with her ability would not get a ride in the Nationwide series.
Seriously Mr. Margolis?
Yes, seriously! And please call me Bob. Thanks for your comment.
Bob, your 2nd link didn’t work. Anyway, I don’t disagree with Mr. Petty although I think he was unnecessaryly harsh in the way he expressed himself. I was pleased with Danica’s performance in the 500 but I don’t expect her to win a plate race or any other Sprint Cup event. The level of competition is just far too high. She’s made a lot of progress since she started running stock cars but it’s a steep learning curve and she really could have used a minimum of another full year in Nationwide.
Dennis, Thanks for the comments. I fixed both links, so please give them a try again, especially the second one.
Ms. Patrick has proven that she has the talent to be racing in the Cup Series. And while she may not have the outstanding talent of a young Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon or even Kyle Busch, she has earned her seat at the big kids table with much stronger credentials than a dozen or so male drivers who just run laps at the back of the field. The difference between them and her is that she will eventually move forward in the field, they will not. You know who these boys are. And it won’t be because Patrick has better equipment. That’s a weak argument. Equipment is only a part of the equation. A talented crew chief will tell you that the part that sits behind the steering wheel is responsible for 85-90% of the strength of your team.
Bob, you are wrong and Richard is correct. I’ve followed Danica’s career since her rookie performance at Indy. She “lucked” into her only win in Indycar and that is the only way she can possibly win in Cup (and if she ever wins in Cup, it will be at a “plate” track where talent is secondary). Also, many of your comments are completely off the mark. Maybe you should read all of Richard’s comments from that interview. He didn’t put down women and say they had no business driving or that a female would never win–he only stated Danica would never win. He was also correct about his statements that NASCAR is no longer about the racing–instead it is about the show and build-up. He also stated Danica is good for NASCAR because of the PR she brings. So instead of being a typical media hack and only jumping on a single sound bite, perhaps you should comment on the entirety of his comments.
Since you have already decided I am a “media hack,” I guess anything else I might say at this juncture would be pointless. Thank you for your comments.
Bob, unfortunately, you’re incorrect. The reason that Nascar finds trouble attracting a new generation of fans is because it isn’t “instant” enough to satisfy them. For instance, football consists of, at the most, 4 downs of live television coverage, then we get commercials, then the other team goes. Cellphones are instant this, instant that–from coupons to finding out what kind of drugs Justin Biebers’ doing now. Danica doesn’t have the background nor the history of winning or success in ANY form of racing she’s participated in. Sure, she’s a trailblazer but what about Janet Guthrie? Where are all the young women racers? In fact, why haven’t drivers like Chrissy Wallace and Johanna Long received sponsorship? Bottom line is this–Danica Patrick is a pretty face, a pretty body and that sponsorship she has is associated with that…it’s much like that other crappy Yahoo News article I read about the high school in CN enforcing a dress code policy on wearing “yoga” pants. Now, we all know that yoga pants are NOT designed to disrupt contours but rather, emphasize them. In the same article we have a young lady telling us that she ISN’T responsible for how she dresses…disgusting. Like Danica, preaching about how young ladies should take the opportunity to strive ahead in the world (but at the same time, allowing herself to be objectified for the media in her GoDaddy ads). Hypocrisy. As for this situation, I’m with King Richard, because until Danica puts her tail into results that demonstrate her driving ability, she’s just an also-ran.
Oh and, King Richard never said, “Racing is just for men.”
well she could win a race if she is at front at the right time Called because of rain A pile up in front of her, But Flat out race for a win NO.
Like they say even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile
It’s time for the king to rub the sleep from his eyes and wake up it’s 2014
Your name is vaguely familiar but you don’t have any credibility with me. I watch the races and Danica is a joke. Period. She drives the green car in the back, right?
Wow, Bob; how much does NASCAR pay you? This has nothing to do with sexism or a “Good Ole Boy” attitude. Danica was lousy in Nationwide, and what was her reward for being lousy? She was promoted to Cup! If she had been a guy (or an unattractive woman), she would have lost the Nationwide ride several years ago. Petty is 100% correct; there are many great drivers, male and female, who don’t get rides. Danica simply is not a very good driver; it has nothing to do with her sex. It’s just a shame that you would throw a legitimate legend like Petty under the bus to jump onto the Danica PR Train.