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May 30, 2005
Women Drivers
The two women who, before 2005, were the only women to have raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Memorial Day weekend had problems being taken seriously. Many might have expected the same fate for 23 year old Danica Patrick, especially after the layout she did for FHM magazine ahead of this year's Indy 500.
But anyone who thought Danica Patrick was a made-up, image-building piece of eye candy had better think again. This chick can race.
On Sunday, Patrick became the first woman ever to lead a lap at Indy Importantly, among the laps she led were laps 168-193 out of 200. She almost won the darn thing. She finished 4th, the highest ever finish for a woman and a very impressive finish for a rookie on the circuit.
More impressive than her finish, at least to me, was the way she handled the inevitable questions about her gender at the end of the race. Quite simply, she wasn't having it. It's very clear to see that this person considers herself a race car driver before she thinks of herself as a woman race car driver. And any questioner who tried to reverse that order was quickly and smoothly corrected by Patrick's thoughtful responses.
Asked what it meant that she was the first woman to lead a lap at Indy, she replied that every lap she led meant that she and her team were one lap closer to winning the race. Asked what kind of a statement she'd made by finishing fourth, she responded that she had made the statement that she was a rookie who'd made some rookie mistakes in her first Indy -- stalling out her car in the pits, getting spun out in an accident, and so on -- and that she could only get better. No matter how many reporters tried to take her down the gender path, this poised young woman just wasn't going to go there. She was an Indy car driver, and she'd just keep repeating herself until everyone got it.
You know what kind of impact Patrick can have on open wheel racing? I am a prime example. Yesterday, while picnicing in Pennsylvania with the Doc and Tim families, we boys kept checking the Internet periodically for updates on Danica's position. Tim and Doc have basically the same attitude about car racing that I do: Left turn... left turn... left turn... left turn... left turn... left turn... hey, isn't there something more exciting to watch on the Paint Drying Channel?
But when Danica Patrick took the lead with 32 laps to go yesterday, we boys abandoned the grill, the sunshine, and our Bacardi hurricanes and retreated inside. We wanted to see if she could do it. We wanted her to win, and we were cheering excitedly for her to do it.
Three guys who couldn't care less about racing were glued to the TV to watch Danica race. I suspect we weren't the only ones in that spot yesterday. This is a driver and a person around whom Indy can build for years -- because she's not a token or an oddity. This chick can race.
One last thing... while I am sure there are some who are upset with Patrick's revealing photo spread, I don't have a problem with it. Let's face facts: sex sells. Doesn't matter whether we're talking women or men; we like looking at attractive people. Danica Patrick is a very attractive woman. This is not a crime. Derek Jeter is a good looking man, and his looks are part of the reason that the fourth best shortstop in the game is seen by many as the best. Marquee idols sell more tickets than other athletes. Male or female, no matter the sport, good looking athletes have more fans than average looking ones. Deal with it.
And besides, if the fact that Danica Patrick is hot can get more people to watch Indy car racing, I can't imagine that Danica herself considers that to be a bad thing. She's winning viewers to the sport she loves.
Congratulations, Danica. I'll be watching.
Comments
I'll be watching, too! ;-)
(take THAT Robby what's your last name NASCAR driver!)
Posted by: jillian at May 30, 2005 02:20 PM
Unfortunately she came off pretty obnoxious on Letterman last week. I'm chalking it up to nerves (he's her boss as well) and I hope that that wasn't representative of her personality.
Posted by: eden at May 31, 2005 02:36 PM
I thought Danica came off pretty human on Letterman. All athletes are a bit arrogant (or obnoxious), especially ones who have to be on the defensive.
I was watching it, it was very exciting...Fuck NASCAR.
Posted by: Corey at May 31, 2005 02:52 PM
