Indy 500: Danica Patrick: Top 10 Reasons She Will Win the Indy 500
The Indy 500 is this weekend, and the field of 33 drivers is set. With that being said, I wanted to take a look at 10 reasons why Danica Patrick will be favored this coming weekend and why I think she should win.
Even with her heartbreak on pole day and an emotional bump day, I think she will prevail. The following lists a combination of reasons why I think she will win and everyone should want her to win.
10. 100th Anniversary of the Race/Indy Car Needs Her To Win
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Imagine the attention the Izod Indy Car Series would get if Danica won the biggest race of the season on its 100th year anniversary. The media tour the following week would be insurmountable.
All the news outlets will already be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, but if she landed a victory here, it would be breaking news all over the world. Not only would the typical ESPN, ABC and Versus channels be covering the news of her victory, networks like MTV, E! and other social television networks would be covering it as well.
The attention would go far beyond just race fans, and into the younger culture of people waiting to hear the next celeb gossip.
With that being said, look for the series to do anything in their power to help aid Danica before the race. Thankfully, there is no way to fix the race, but there are a lot of measures the people in charge can take to make sure Danica is feeling good about herself because if she wins, it will be the biggest moment in the history of sports.
Randy Bernard knows this, and he's not dumb
9. Could Be Her Last Indy 500
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Let’s be realistic here: Danica is going full-time to NASCAR next year.
JR Motorsports is linked to Hendrick and is looking to move the operation full-time to the Cup Series. With her high-profile status, Danica will bring more than enough funds to the operation to allow for the top of the line equipment, so why not leave now while she has an opening with a top-notch team?
There is so much more money in NASCAR, which is just another reason I fully expect her to go.
With that being said, she wants to win the biggest race in the world before she makes the jump. She has the determination needed to win this race. Look for her to be more focused to win this year than any other race she's ever been a part of.
8. The Girl Can Start Anywhere
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Danica has shown time and again that it does not matter where she starts the race; it matters where she finishes.
Andretti's cars haven't really had great qualifying speeds lately, so this is nothing new to them. Danica started 23rd last year, and worked her way up to sixth. Her teammates Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay started mid-pack with her last year and had great results too. Marco finished top-five and Hunter-Reay was running in the top 10 before the horrific wreck with Mike Conway at the end.
Look for this to happen again this year. Her race setup will be just as good, if not better, than everyone else. She didn't forget how to get around this track, and with her finally pushing harder than ever for the win this year, she will be very competitive at her favorite track.
7. Lucky No. 7
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Luck is definitely on her side.
First, take a look at bump day. The rain came down extremely hard, and it looked as though she wasn’t going to be able to try and bump her way into the Indy 500 lineup. Miraculously, the rain stopped and the track dried extraordinarily fast. As luck would have it, she got a chance to get back in the qualifying line and make an attempt.
Second, let’s not ignore the lucky No. 7. Not only is she driving the No. 7 car, this is also her seventh start on the oval at Indy. Take an even deeper look and you will see that Danica's lap average was actually 19th-quickest in the field, but since the top 24 was locked in on pole day, she had to settle for 26th position. If they went off of overall times of both qualifying sessions she would start inside of row seven.
Seven is known as a lucky number all over the world, and I do not think that should be ignored. What a great number to have on your side going into the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
6. Qualifying Speed Wasn't Actually That Far Off
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People may say Danica was way far off on her qualifying speed and it was a major disappointment, but if you look at the numbers closely, she really was just over a second off compared to the pole speed on a day with more ideal conditions.
As a whole, the field is the closest in 500 history and Danica is not far off compared to the rest of the drivers in the field. Her car is pretty powerful in comparison to the other cars as well. Again, her four-lap average actually is 19th-quickest in the field, not 26th where she is starting.
5. Car Has Handled Well in the Draft
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Danica’s car looked good all week in the draft. Before people question: No, I'm not talking the draft like Daytona, but a draft that she gets from closing in on other cars.
Her car seemed to handle really well, and she was able to hit her marks and stay in the throttle. She seemed really confident with how the car was handling all week.
Her speeds in the draft were very competitive with the field. After last Thursday and Fast Friday, she ended up 10th-quickest, but only because Team Penske turned it on in “Happy Hour,” setting the days first, third and fourth-quickest speeds on Thursday and the top teams running qualifying setups on Friday.
The only other practice session was on Monday and she ended up 15th on the charts, but once again, her car had great handling and was great in the draft. Her speeds were also very comparable to the leaders that weren’t on race setup. Danica has been quoted all week as saying this is the best car she’s ever had, and if that’s the case, look out on Sunday because her stats will not lie here.
4. She's Not Hard on Equipment
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In a 500-mile race, you have to be around at the end to win. You can’t make dumb mistakes and take yourself out early. The drivers that win this race have a sense of calmness and patience that allows them to be around late in the race. Additionally, winners know how to take care of their equipment and not put themselves in situations that are harmful to the car.
If there was any driver in this field that takes care of their equipment best, it has to be Danica. She doesn’t have very many DNFs for her career. In fact, she has had only one DNF since the 2009 season (which happened to be the first race) and currently has a streak of 37 straight races where she was running at the finish. That’s an Izod Indy Car Series record.
Prior to 2009, Danica did have one DNF here at Indy in 2008 when Ryan Briscoe hit her on pit road late in the race. Even still, she completed 171 of the 200 laps that day.
If Danica is around late in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, do not count her out.
3. 1st-Year Ganassi and Penske Haven't Been Dominant
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This is the first year in the last decade that people can officially agree that a Penske or Ganassi care may not win the Indianapolis 500. Their dominance in the 500 since 2000 has been impeccable, with one of the two teams winning eight of the last 10 Indy 500 races, including the last three straight.
There is no doubt that this year has been different. Penske has struggled here this month, with Will Power being the only driver starting in the top 10 (fifth) and he’s not even an oval-track threat.
Helio Castroneves is really Penske’s only threat to win the 500 and he has been uncharacteristically off this month, starting on Sunday back in 15th. Ryan Briscoe, the third driver in the Penske stable, wrecked his primary car on pole day and will start one spot behind Danica in 26th and his backup car did not seem to be running well at all.
Ganassi’s boys have struggled as well. Dixon is carrying the banner starting second, but Dario ran out of fuel in Turn 3 on his final lap of his qualifying run and will start ninth. Rookie Charlie Kimball and second-generation driver Graham Rahal were bump-day qualifiers and will start 28th and 29th respectively.
Without any true team dominance in the field, look for a different team to win this year’s Indianapolis 500.
2. Double-File Restarts/Pit Strategy
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The double-file restarts are new to the Speedway this year and will cause a lot of problems. Drivers will make bad moves and cause some contenders to get caught up in the misfortunes of others.
As stated in a previous slide, Danica is smart, patient and doesn’t put herself in those sticky situations. She will not put herself around a wreck on a restart.
Because of everyone wanting to win the 100th anniversary race, be prepared for at least a couple of yellows at the end. With the late yellows, look for some cars to make bold pit strategies to get track position on a late restart.
Who better for a late pit strategy than Danica’s crew? Her only win was a result of a pit-strategy call and the only time she led the 500 was because of a strong pit strategy.
I truly believe this race will end on a yellow, and if it does, I expect to see Danica in victory lane.
1. Her Best Track on the Circuit
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There is no denying: Danica’s stats are remarkable in the 500.
I know she won in Japan, but Indy is special to Danica. Of all the tracks in the series, she’s the biggest threat at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Danica has only one DNF in six races. She has led 19 laps, and has five top-10 finishes.
She also has two top-five finishes with her career best (third) only two years ago. Long story short, she has been in the top 10 every year she has finished the Indy 500 and I think it is time she actually took home the victory.
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