Danica Patrick took the sports world by storm in 2005 when she became the first female driver to lead a lap at the Indianapolis 500.
Her fourth place finish was the highest finish for a female driver in Indy 500 history. Patrick went on to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated shortly thereafter and became the most recognizable face of the Indy Racing League in the process.
But with Patrick’s increasing fame came backlash. Media and race fans have been vocal about her never winning a race.
She has also faced harsh criticism from other drivers. Established auto racing veterans including Richard Petty, Ed Carpenter, and Robbie Gordon have resented her for a variety of reasons including aggressive driving, her body weight giving her a competitive advantage, etc.
Patrick has been labeled by many as the “Anna Kournikova” of auto racing, referring to the fact that she is a beautiful woman, attracts attention for things off the track (i.e. Go Daddy commercials, FHM photo spreads, Jay-Z music videos, etc…), and because she has never won a race in her career.
In reality, Patrick is an extremely talented race car driver and much more than a pretty face.
She has been driving in the IRL for three seasons now and has shown improvement each year finishing 12th in the standings in 2005, 9th in 2006, and 7th in 2007.
Her career best is a second place finish in 2007 at The Raceway at Belle Isle.
Patrick is back for her second season with Andretti Green Racing after racing with a mediocre Rahal Letterman team in 2005 and 2006.
Andretti Green has superior racing equipment to Letterman and in the IRL, where successful qualifying is a major key to success, having quality equipment is the first step.
With Andretti Green, Patrick has learned a wealth of knowledge about her car and the various race tracks working side-by-side with the likes of 2006 Rookie of the Year Marco Andretti, 2004 IRL IndyCar Series Champion Tony Kanaan, and 2007 IRL IndyCar Series and Indy 500 Champion Dario Franchitti.
Patrick also seems to be more comfortable with her race team, more trusting of her equipment, and she is slowly gaining respect in the garage area which will ultimately translate to favors on the race track.
The departure of Dario Franchitti and the three-time IRL Champion Sam Hornish Jr. to NASCAR will also help her chances tremendously. Franchitti and Hornish Jr. finished in first and fifth place, respectively, in the point standings last season.
The time has come for Patrick to fully mature as a race car driver.
2008 will be the year she breaks through, silences her critics, and takes her first career checkered flag.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
11 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Don Burkes about 1 year ago
When Michael Andretti signed her last year, he was fully aware that she hadn't won a race, yet he jumped at the chance to sign her when she became available. There are those who say it was only about the money and sponsorship that she could bring to the Andretti/Green stable, but Michael had wanted her on his team since he saw her amazing performance during the qualifying sessions for the 2005 Indy 500. The bottom line for Andretti/Green is winning, and that potential is what now puts her in the number two position on the team behind Tony Kanaan.
Michael himself stated that he was basically getting a rookie, since her previous two years with Rahal/Letterman had left her with only a basic understanding of the cars, the tactics, and the meaning of teamwork. He promised her all these and more, and the results last year show marked improvement. Not only did she have one second place and two third place finishes, she also qualified in the front row on two road courses, a dramatic improvement that led Franchitti to remark, "I'm bloody impressed." After Indianapolis, she was running up front in virtually every race, and that is where you need to be to win, either to claim victory flat out or to take advantage of mistakes by the leaders.
This could very well be the year that Danica silences her critics. Yet, when she does win, there will always be those who will attribute it to something other than her talent and determination. As someone else remarked, "Even if she were to walk across the Mississippi river, it would only serve to point out to some that she can't swim."
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Ben Gunby about 1 year ago
You should ask your editor to include a picture of Danica, or at least an IRL car, and not an F1 machine.
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Derek Bolender about 1 year ago
We were having trouble with a picture of Danica earlier and the F1 car is hopefully temporary.
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Sarah Braunstein about 1 year ago
I think it would be great to see her win. Did you happen to see her spread in the SI Swimsuit Issue? Not sure it will help with her persona as a pretty face who can't win a race, but her Q&A with Dan Patrick was pretty funny, especially the part about how she goes commando under her racing suit.
Nice article.
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Rob Durkee about 1 year ago
Well, at least there was no mention in this article of that often-referred to fact (usually by her propoganda people) that Mrs. Hospenthal (a/k/a Mrs. Winless) was named 2005 IRL Rookie Of The Year. After all, Mrs. Winless "won" that "coveted" rookie honor by defeating exactly TWO people!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Danica will win many races. How many male veterans are out there with no wins and never finished better than Danica has in her only 3 years. She's had some of the same things happen to her that some of the best drivers in the world have had. Some of her problems have not been on her own either. Ask Kim Green. She has brought more than anything, DISCUSSION on IRL and bringing back the interest to open wheel racing. Thank God for that. She is a refreshing face and just because she is pretty in a swimsuit I can almost assure you, she could wipe any of us here on the track. She is a class act who isn't afraid of the big boys. I'm sure she is respected more in the garage than she is here. I wish her and Mr. Hospenthal all the luck in the world. The Patrick family should be awfully proud!!!!!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Danica Patrick is one of the most talented drivers in the IRL! It doesnt matter that she hasn't won a race yet, she could still kick most of the guys butt! Their are plenty of drivers who have been driving for a longer period of time than Danica that have not won a race. For example, Vitor Meria has been racing in the IRL since 2002 and he has yet to win a race. I give Danica props for standing up to all of the critics who say she is all beauty and no skill. I can't wait to see Danica take her first checkered flag, maybe people will get off her cases and FINALLY SHUT UP!!! Lets face it Danica Patrick is the best thing that has happened to the IRL, she is putting the Indy Car back on the map and it about TIME! I wish her all the luck in 2008 and many more seasons to come and keep kicking BUTT!
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Marcel SJ Rossignol about 1 year ago
she could have won if she stay out instead of pitting in the last laps.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
I never could understand in the first race where Franchitti flipped and they had the long yellow, AGR had plenty of time to change the tires as well as putting enough fuel in to finish. Kim Green so eloquently took the blame on that one. I am certain track position played into it and she was better on longer runs with worn in tires but after the flip there had to be a bunch of debris. Who knows but I feel she WILL win in 2008. She is an awesome driver and proved it in areas where she is still learning. Road courses. You can't compare Danica to Anna Kournicova because they are 2 different sports for one and different mind sets for each. Other drivers who have won and haven't won have had some of the same "strange" occurances happen to them and many have yet to win their first races too. Give her a break and watch her kick Butt in 2008
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
If the same old mid-pack racing like she did in Homestead on Saturday night and all previous seasons is your idea of kick-butt, then she certainly will.
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Derek Bolender about 1 year ago
i think this one is settled now ...
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