Now, That’s Indy

Did everyone see Vitor Meira’s pass of Ed Carpenter and then Scott Dixon in turn one? This is what we have come to expect at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May — the unbelievable.
Many racing pundits state that more U.S.-born drivers are needed in the IRL. I would agree, so long as the show does not suffer in intensity. I would rather go watch a gutsy driver from Timbuktu than an average guy just because he was a fellow countryman.
Off-the-track personalities that are easy to relate with have been great for NASCAR. On the track, skill and bravery — as seen in Meira’s pass — are what keep this open-wheel fan interested and going to 16th & Georgetown.

Notes For Danica

Here are several suggestions for Danica Patrick:
1. Contact Tony Stewart and get details on attending anger-management class.
2. Quit driving and go to acting, you’re a natural.
3. Stop acting like a spoiled brat.
4. Get to know Sarah Fisher, maybe some of Sarah’s class will rub off on you.

Indy Delivered

Wow! What an eventful Indy 500. The range of emotion that I went through watching it ranged from joy, sadness and utter anger. I want to first focus on the anger: Briscoe, you damn idiot!
What Briscoe did to Danica in the pits was inexcusable and uncalled for. You impatient, reckless moron. Not once did I see you try to make things right on your end for your clear stupidity. Danica, no doubt, had a top-five car and, thanks to your stupidity, she came in 22nd. I take great consolation as a result of your 23rd-place finish.
On to the sadness: Sarah Fisher, tough break! I was so rooting for her to finish well, seeing the tears in her eyes was no doubt heartbreaking for any fan of hers. I hope that somehow, through the generosity of her fans or some other means, she is able to continue her operation and continue her racing career.
Congrats to Scott Dixon on his win. He is a good driver, and he deserved it.

Ganassi Gaffe

I would ask if anyone remembers a car owner stealing the first drink of milk from the racer who wins the Indy 500? Does anyone remember someone buying the qualified position of George “Ziggy” Snider from his friend, A.J. Foyt, in the 1981 Indy 500? One and the same, Chip Ganassi.
I must give him his due in rising from obscurity and using his family’s money to become a major force in racing. However, these actions are not what most racing fans would ever say they expect from a person with class.

Not A Fan

Following her win at Motegi, Japan, over a split field, Danica Patrick’s mother was quoted as saying, “We finally got the win that everybody has been waiting for.” Not quite everybody. I am not a Danica fan. I am a long-time motorsports follower and have tremendous respect for the other ladies in the IRL, Sarah (Fisher) and Milka (Duno). That doesn’t extend to the tempermental, grandstanding, don’t-tread-on-me Danica.
The other ladies aren’t playing NASCAR against the IRL, have no interest in parading in the SI swimsuit issue, haven’t acquired the Hollywood, oversized-sunglasses look and aren’t constantly complaining about being discriminated against in a male-dominated sport, even though they’re relegated to inferior racing equipment.
Am I alone? I don’t think so. At least in the North Vista at Indy, Danica’s introduction was greeted with an equal combination of cheers and boos. For me, the term spoiled brat comes to mind.

Love Danica’s Fire

When Danica Patrick crawls in that race car, she is one of the boys. When she climbs out of the car with fire in her eyes to give a piece of her mind or punch someone out, if she gives it then she should get it in return.
I love her fire, but as long as the men back off and treat her like a girl there isn’t going to be an answer for either party. Men have the same rights. Few punches are better than on the track at 200 miles per hour.
As a girl in high school, I played on the men’s football team. I got punched out plenty of times, but they got punches returned. One young man quit because I always punched him out. I was one of the boys and have never back off with my opinions.
Danica’s fire is why she’s a good a driver as any man racing against her. Keep it up.

Right On, Dave

Great article from Dave Argabright in the May 28 issue. The angry female racer is a most worthy top in this day, but I feel that he skirted (no pun intended) around his true, deeper feelings.
This is what I believe most racing fans would say is a great solution for any female racer becoming physical with a male competitor: In order to save face and not spend too many days in jail, they could take the bratty female over their knee and with an open hand, spank her soundly 10 or 15 times. If news cameras were available, it would be an ideal situation so as to set a good example for others.
As for the angry Ms. Patrick, I would say learn a little 1950s grace and keep on racing.

Chauvenist Dave?

In what seems a thinly veiled hatchet job on Danica Patrick (‘Confrontation with Danica,’ NSSN 5/28), during which he suggested repeatedly that she nearly assaulted Ryan Briscoe physically and, “when the day comes,” may assault another driver, Dave Argabright wrote, “See how it works? He can't win, and she can’t lose.” No, she loses simply by doing what goes unnoticed or unremarked for any male driver: Showing anger at an inexcusably arrogant and stupid move that removed her from sixth place in the biggest race of the year, and walking toward the culprit’s pit, something that has happened countless times. Then one of America’s most loved and respected auto-racing writers hints that her behavior was humorous and (clairvoyantly?) assumes unlikely nefarious intentions, while several other commentators alter pit events to assign shared responsibility, and the hate mail escalates.
 For the great male icon of our sport, this and much more demonstrative pit-lane behavior is laudable, but for a diminutive female, it’s a “hissy fit.” Past societal issues that should not even apply in racing, Dave’s main “point” is moot anyway, since conflicts between men of different physical statures are nothing new. I never expected the man who otherwise so sensitively portrays what we love in our sport, to buy into this hypocrisy and pettiness and fail to recognize and allow for the motivations and intensity that drive real racers.
Ryan Briscoe said he needed to drive wide to clear Wheldon’s pit, and that Patrick left him no room, had more space to give and should have braked. Based on the Google-Map photo of IMS, DVR frames from network TV and a stopwatch, this is what I saw. Patrick was traveling in a line of cars along pit lane, having reached the rev limited pit lane speed about 2.4 seconds (over 200 ft) before contact, and was initially moving from 11 to 14 feet wide of the pit box line.
Rather than following his teammate and Meira along the correct acceleration lane, Briscoe continued across the pit lane for a full second after his rear tire cleared Wheldon’s pit before significantly changing direction. Patrick swerved nearly six feet to her right after the pit lane widened near pit exit. At impact, she was approximately 20-feet right of the pit-box line, giving Briscoe three-car widths (6.5-feet each), and placing her right tire wide of the original wall. She had entered the pits ahead of him in seventh place and was due to exit ahead in sixth place. Speeds differed greatly, with Briscoe about 1.5 seconds short of reaching blend speed.
Having recovered from a long stop in an understeering car (62-degree steering-wheel lock once in early TV telemetry) to run hard in sixth through eighth most of her last 65 laps, passing Briscoe again, she might still have showed us something after the final adjustment.
Instead, we hear how bad Briscoe’s luck is and how Patrick was  “never a factor.” Perhaps Ryan’s Milwaukee win will steady him some; at least that seemed to be a worthy performance. Meanwhile, writers, including Mr. Martin, need to consider the kind of record they leave in NSSN, a prime historical archive that many call the “bible” of U.S. auto racing.