Crazy Woman Driver
Crazy Woman Driver
By Kay Bell
It’s Danica Time
Get ready NASCAR fans, your sport is about to change with
the arrival of the darling of the racing world. But many of the
changes aren’t that good for fans or the sport.
N
Starting in February, the most popular female driver who has hasn’t won a race in
years will be driving a Nationwide Series car
for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the most popular male
driver to not win a race in years.
Years ago, I lauded Patrick as one of the
women chipping away at the asphalt ceiling.
tegi, Japan in 2008) and seemed poised to add
more.
Then life took one of its funny turns. Patrick’s open-wheel career plateaued; she never
won another open-wheel race. At the same
time, her marketing presence blossomed. Here
in Texas, we call that all hat and no cattle.
I suspect this style-over-substance ranching
metaphor will continue, and some in the rac80 January 2012
ing world think that’s not such a bad thing. Of
course, these folks tend to be on the business
side of the sport rather than the competition
side. As a fan, however, I see some downsides
All Danica all the time
Patrick will continue to get disproportionate
move, on and off the track, will be followed,
analyzed and in most cases delivered as a positive no matter what.
We’ve already seen this in her initial forays
into stock cars. Now we’ll get it in every Na-
If you’re already ticked off that the broadcasters don’t give your favorite driver enough
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