Woman on pole

fast_eddie_72 wrote: Show of hands: How many of you have won the poll of a NASCAR race? Yeah, get back to me when you have. My god, could we be more sterotypically sexist? Give her a break already. She puts herself out there, sure. So talk about her in a swim suit and all that all you like. But the whole "she can't drive" nonsense from a bunch of wannabes is stupid.

QFT

The Danica Hate is as strong as the GM Hate, and equally misguided IMO.

Needs more of that Russian chick rally driver that was in Playboy or something.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

Right there with ya man.

I really don't get the hate of her being successful at something in NASCAR. So what if she does endorsements, should Earnhardt jr stop doing wrangler ads because he can't win? Maybe Michael Jordan should get Nike to stop making Air Jordans since he hasnt played in, what, 15 years. GTFO of here if you are telling me she is stupid for doing endorsements.

As stated before, not really a fan of hers and really didn't follow Indycar as I can't stand open wheel racing, so I don't know a lot about her past. But last year I saw her having a string of bad luck that had a lot to do with traffic around her.

It should be interesting to see her on a team that has the money, equipment, and crew that produced a champion a couple of years ago. If she can't do it where she is now, there will be no excuses anymore. Those three things were the 95% that got her car to the pole this week.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: Show of hands: How many of you have won the poll of a NASCAR race? Yeah, get back to me when you have. My god, could we be more sterotypically sexist? Give her a break already. She puts herself out there, sure. So talk about her in a swim suit and all that all you like. But the whole "she can't drive" nonsense from a bunch of wannabes is stupid.

Yeah typical lets find a sub category so we can praise some one response.

Here is a question, how many people here have the Pulitzer prize for literature? Get back to me with your stupid forum comments when you have.

Doesn't take a great driver to recognize a mediocre one.

I will PRAISE Danica when she does some winning. Otherwise, she is just another dog and pony show, regardless of race, gender or nationality.

Flight Service wrote: I will PRAISE Danica when she does some winning. Otherwise, she is just another dog and pony show, regardless of race, gender or nationality.

Yes this, 100X this. This is not a "hate" comment. This is not a sexist comment. This is not a jaded comment.

Flight Service wrote: Here is a question, how many people here have the Pulitzer prize for literature? Get back to me with your stupid forum comments when you have.

I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense. If someone were criticizing someone's writing that would be appropriate. But in this context, I think its kind of apples and bananas.

Flight Service wrote: I will PRAISE Danica when she does some winning.

Well, I'm certainly not saying she's the best driver in history, but she has won.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/motor/irl/2008-04-19-japan-results_N.htm

Not to mention three polls and seven podium finishes. I'm not an expert, but it seems to me she must not be a terrible driver. I'm sure there are IRL drivers with worse records.

I think it comes across as sexist only because no one starts a thread about all the high profile male NASCAR drivers who aren't any better.

I edited the last to posts in an effort to make them a bit less spicy. I don't care one way or the other about Danica. I just think it's kind of silly to knock her, at least for her driving skill. This is America - any of us could have persued a career in racing. God knows you don't have to be a looker to get a ride. Just look at some of those guys. But I do think you need to drive pretty well.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

OMG you are so right!!!! The fact that I flipped your comment around is completely irrelevant. The fact a professional race car driver has only won 1 race, 3 poles and 7 podium finishes in 14 years of upper tier driving and I haven't makes me notice how awesome she is! The fact that other people doing exponentially better with less equipment, support and backing is completely irrelevant!!!

Even though in other forms of Motorsports there are women who are awesome drivers, and win, and qualify first and win championships doesn't matter because if you say anything against Danica's mediocre record you are a sexist that doesn't want to give her a chance. Just because she was on a team that was producing winners in her league, it wasn't her fault she was losing it was the cars, and the team, and the other drivers, right? I know it wasn't the fans because she was the most popular driver all those years.

When this foray into NASCAR fails it will be Tony Stewart's teams fault and the car and people like me who realize that better drivers were passed up because she has a vagina, but if she wins and is successful it will because she has the most skill in the history of the world and did it all on her own!

Racing to those that love the sport is about competition. I don't fault anyone for watching the freak show, but some of us still care about what goes on on the track. Don't get mad at me because I ain't buyin' what she is selling. Just win and then I will cut you some slack.

WAIT... you're watching NASCRAP for the racing? I think I found the problem! lol

mazdeuce wrote: She is everything that a sponsor could possibly want. Would it be nice if she could pull out that last half percent and win some big races? Sure it would, but she's driving cars, selling product for people, and getting paid.

+1.

I'm not exactly a fan because... I'm not really into NASCAR or Indy but she presents well and has had some success in the car... and to win you need a good team and good equipment. I expect she will do better for having sold herself into a solid ride.

I'll sign on as a bonefide fan when she puts up a win at Sears Point.

Or is involved in a DP at the 24hrs (sorry... too many pole jokes not to go for a dp joke too)

In reply to Flight Service:

Without looking it up, I'm fairly certain that there are a few well respected male drivers out there that had similar records in the length of time she has been driving. Michael Waltrip comes to mind. And switching from open wheel to NASCRAP isn't that easy, just ask all the male drivers that have struggled with it.
She's not the best and she's not the worst. She has some "assets" to market herself that she uses effectively. I wonder how many of the women in the pictures you post on that other thread have done the same thing.

Flight Service wrote: Even though in other forms of Motorsports there are women who are awesome drivers, and win, and qualify first and win championships doesn't matter because if you say anything against Danica's mediocre record you are a sexist that doesn't want to give her a chance.

And yet, those women don't get talked about... until people start bringing up Danica.

She gets publicity beyond her skill level. She is not the only driver out there to do that. I think it is good that the awareness of her as a female driver raises the general exposure of competitive female drivers to those people who don't follow racing as closely.

Beer Baron wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Even though in other forms of Motorsports there are women who are awesome drivers, and win, and qualify first and win championships doesn't matter because if you say anything against Danica's mediocre record you are a sexist that doesn't want to give her a chance.

And yet, those women don't get talked about... until people start bringing up Danica. She gets publicity beyond her skill level. She is not the only driver out there to do that. I think it is good that the awareness of her as a female driver raises the general exposure of competitive female drivers to those people who don't follow racing as closely.

Which brings up an excellent question, why don't people talk about the Forces, or Lynn St. James, or Simona de Silvestro, and Shirley Muldowney?

Flight Service wrote: In reply to fast_eddie_72: OMG you are so right!!!! The fact that I flipped your comment around is completely irrelevant.

No one said "You're not a great writer!" So no point talking about writing credentials. But several people did say something along the lines of "She's not a great driver". So driving credentials get to the heart of the argument.

Point is, there are a lot of profesional race drivers who aren't all that great. Michael Waltrip got to run in all those races, and even won Daytona, but as a driver, does anyone really think he's that great? He drove for years an only won a handfull of times. Kyle Petty won more races than him. Still, he has to be up near the top of the endorsement earning chart. Why? He's kinda funny and charasmatic. Doesn't have anything to do with his driving. But I'm not starting threads saying the guy can't drive.

Kenny Wallace never won a race in 18 years. 344 Cup starts, zero wins. But there's no thread hating on Kenny Wallace. Hey, how come he get's to be on Top Gear? I guarantee Danica is a better driver than him. I like Kenny too, and I am SURE I could learn a ton about driving from him.

I just don't get all the complainging. What did she do to rub so many people the wrong way?

Bobzilla wrote: WAIT... you're watching NASCRAP for the racing? I think I found the problem! lol

You may be on to something there Bob.

Beer Baron wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Even though in other forms of Motorsports there are women who are awesome drivers, and win, and qualify first and win championships doesn't matter because if you say anything against Danica's mediocre record you are a sexist that doesn't want to give her a chance.

And yet, those women don't get talked about... until people start bringing up Danica. She gets publicity beyond her skill level. She is not the only driver out there to do that. I think it is good that the awareness of her as a female driver raises the general exposure of competitive female drivers to those people who don't follow racing as closely.

Well, yeah- and there are a load of NASCAR drivers in the Michael Waltrip tier who don't get TV or endorsement deals. You're not giving credit where credit is due. Mikey and Danica knew how to leverage the skill they did have and turn it into the kind of fame that made them some money. Good for them. I think it's great that there's a woman in NASCAR getting some attention.

Beer Baron wrote: She gets publicity beyond her skill level.

I'm not sure you can really say that - Is Will Power a better driver, yeah. Is Tony Stewart? Sure. But look at the chumps filling out the rest of the spots in the field - can you really say she is worse than all the other guys who you cannot name off the top of your head but struggle to put up a top 10 every now and again?

I think it is a lot of sour grapes because she has an asset they don't and she uses it to her advantage. I'm totally cool with that. Steve McQueen wasn't a great driver, McDreamy isn't a great driver... adequate, yes. They are/were in the same boat - popular and wealthy enough to use some other means to get a real ride because nobody was paying them to drive.

If McDreamy shows up in NASCAR it won't be on his winning record either.

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

Flight Service wrote: In reply to fast_eddie_72: OMG you are so right!!!! The fact that I flipped your comment around is completely irrelevant.

No one said "You're not a great writer!" So no point talking about writing credentials. But several people did say something along the lines of "She's not a great driver". So driving credentials get to the heart of the argument. Point is, there are a lot of profesional race drivers who aren't all that great. Michael Waltrip got to run in all those races, and even won Daytona, but as a driver, does anyone really think he's that great? He drove for years an only won a handfull of times. Kyle Petty won more races than him. Still, he has to be up near the top of the endorsement earning chart. Why? He's kinda funny and charasmatic. Doesn't have anything to do with his driving. But I'm not starting threads saying the guy can't drive. Kenny Wallace never won a race in 18 years. 344 Cup starts, zero wins. But there's no thread hating on Kenny Wallace. Hey, how come *he* get's to be on Top Gear? I guarantee Danica is a better driver than him. I like Kenny too, and I am SURE I could learn a ton about driving from him. I just don't get all the complainging. What did she do to rub so many people the wrong way?

Mediocre career and on every front page of paper that has a Nascar demographic for the last 2 days.

The Waltrips are a racing family. Just like the Pettys, Wallaces and the Earnhardts. I like Kyle, Michael, and Jr. All are nice guys. (Don't get into a a drinking contest with Michael. Whoooa boy.) But I think they all are mediocre drivers. Michael even won the 500, but he isn't what I would call a great driver.

But I don't see everyone going ga-ga over it. I was raised on Nascar. I wanted to see more diversity. I was at Bristol for Gordon's rookie season. Thought he could drive. Him and Jr are about the only two that I can remember creating as much hype as Danica. Jr's Daddy had the rules bent for him and was a continuous cheat but he was loved and that transfered over to his son. Gordon came in his rookie year with more driver's championships than anyone on the track, he was a "California pretty boy" so the ladies loved him and the guys felt threatened.

One lived up to the hype, one is still trying to. Danica has nothing in her past that says she will. I hope she does great. Like I said, I will praise her when she does well. But like Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, I think all the press and hub bub is pre-mature, time will tell.

So Danica congrats on the pole and good luck in the race.

Flight Service wrote: Which brings up an excellent question, why don't people talk about the Forces, or Lynn St. James, or Simona de Silvestro, and Shirley Muldowney?

They don't have the marketing to back them.

Why Danica has more marketing than these other women... I can't say. Is it because she's willing to use her sexuality to help promote herself? That probably has something to do with it, but certainly isn't everything.

She is not dominant, but she is certainly competitive. The attention on her is showing the wider world that women can be competitive in male-dominated venues. That she is now a very visible woman competing in the machismo world of NASCAR, and being competitive at the top levels, is a big deal. I think this will help expand the pool of women who are able to get into professional racing. Once that pool is expanded, maybe we will then find a woman capable of being truly dominant.

In reply to Flight Service:

Okay, I think you're saying what you mean to say now. Front page in the paper? That's not really anything on her is it? That's the folks at the paper. But think about it for a second - is there anything wrong with noting that in the paper? She's the fist woman to do it. That's neat!

Kenny Wallace was a big deal in the paper and on TV news here in Denver when he drove for the Furniture Row team. Kind of the same deal on a smaller level. We never had a NASCAR team based in Denver. No, they weren't great, or even good.... uh, or even mediocre. Okay, they kinda sucked. But it was a big deal because it was the first and only. Same thing. Man bites dog. It's news. People get excited about things.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

I have always viewed racing from the top to the bottom as the only thing holding any one back is some resources and skill. Race, Nationality, Gender doesn't matter, first across the line.

Kind of nice that way.

I just don't get all the complaining. What did she do to rub so many people the wrong way?

And cue more pole jokes.

What did poor ol' Kenny Wallace do to get dragged into this? Who is next? Buckshot Jones?