HOMESTEAD, Fla. — One of the more significant rules changes over the off-season was a driver/car weight requirement which was aimed at making it more fair for the heavier drivers in the series over the advantage of the lighter drivers.
It’s a rule that is used in practically every other form of major racing, but Danica Patrick believes she is being unfairly singled out by the new rule.
Patrick, who weighs in at barely 100 pounds, has an advantage over the bigger drivers in the series when it comes to street and road-course races compared to 165-pound Ed Carpenter or 193-pound Justin Wilson.
It has been calculated that the weight disparity between Patrick and a driver 65 pounds or 93 pounds heavier could account for as much as a one mile per hour advantage on a road or street course.
The difference in weight is not as important on an oval because once the cars reach race speeds, it’s all about momentum at that point.
“I just have the pure objection that all of us drivers are small, we are under 5-foot-8 and less than 150 pounds, so it’s not like we are very big to begin with and it’s not like I’m going against guys who are 200 pounds,” Patrick said. “They don’t take away the stature of an athlete in another sport. There is no weight limit in football or height limit in basketball. The rule has never been that way before.
“What about the strength aspect? What have they done to fix that? As a smaller driver, I have to work harder in that area, so how does that impact me going against drivers who are bigger, so how are they going to fix that?”
The weight rule will be more relevant at this week’s street race at St. Petersburg, Fla.
“I think it’s kind of a touchy subject, to be honest with you,” said Brian Barnhart, the president of competition for the Indy Racing League. “I don’t know if I could address Danica’s argument. I don’t know specifically what hers is other than probably she doesn’t like it because she is one of the lightest drivers out there.
“It’s a challenging position and one that we have felt has not had much of an impact in terms of competition when we’ve been an all-oval series. Once the mass is up and moving, it really doesn’t make much difference. But as we road race more, it becomes more critical because of braking and acceleration. We felt it was time to take that into consideration.”