Danica Patrick wins her first race

[the 4th hanson bro]

In her 50th race, she finally broke through and won one, the Japan Indy 300

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/indycar/columns/story?columnist=oreovicz_john&id=3355243

So now the question isn't "when are you going to win?" but now "when are you going to win again?"

 

[tomalak301]

Good for her. I think it adds a bit more legitimacy to her being in the Indy field, given what was talked about when she entered. I hope she wins more, and maybe even the 500 next month.

 

[Rat Boy]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now, but on the other hand, considering the exodus of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR, the competition in IRL is starting to thin out a little.

 

[Chaos Descending]

I think it adds a bit more illegitimacy to her being in the Indy field,

Huh?

 

[trampledamage]

I think it adds a bit more illegitimacy to her being in the Indy field,

Huh?

"What? And it couldn't just be a typo?"
"Fix it would you? Important people are going to read this."

Okay, I'm done with The West Wing quotes.

 

[tomalak301]

I think it adds a bit more illegitimacy to her being in the Indy field,

Huh?

It was a typo. Sorry.

 

[Calhoun24]

I've been a fan of her ever since she came on the scene, but as a driver. Yes she's very cute, but her ability is the reason I stuck around, and she has vindicated my belief in her with this win.

And now, maybe...just maybe, she could win Indy. That would be a sight to see.

 

[Captain Ice]

It's nice to see this milestone out of the way for her.

 

[pookha]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now, but on the other hand, considering the exodus of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR, the competition in IRL is starting to thin out a little.

wasnt she a lot more competitive then anna even if she hadnt won.

 

[Malcom]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now, but on the other hand, considering the exodus of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR, the competition in IRL is starting to thin out a little.

wasnt she a lot more competitive then anna even if she hadnt won.

Yes, she's got very good numbers and has finished 2nd or in the top 4 several times.

Hey, girls like to drive fast, too. Eleanor Roosevelt got pulled for speeding on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut while first lady.

Here, FDR checks out her wheels:

http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/images/photodb/09-1768a.gif

 

[RevDMV]

yea, I remember a a couple of women, who drove the heck out of their cars in SCCA events I used to drive in.

Go speed racer

 

[Rat Boy]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now, but on the other hand, considering the exodus of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR, the competition in IRL is starting to thin out a little.

wasnt she a lot more competitive then anna even if she hadnt won.

Kournikova came close a few times but couldn't get over the hump. Like Danica until this season, she had far better competition.

 

[Malcom]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now, but on the other hand, considering the exodus of drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti to NASCAR, the competition in IRL is starting to thin out a little.

wasnt she a lot more competitive then anna even if she hadnt won.

Kournikova came close a few times but couldn't get over the hump. Like Danica until this season, she had far better competition.

Patrick was a competitive driver from the very beginning, hence the whining from a handful of other drivers that her small size was an "unfair" advantage [it is in straightaways, but not on turns]. Kornikova was a joke for quite a while and not competitive in major events.

 

[Rat Boy]

wasnt she a lot more competitive then anna even if she hadnt won.

Kournikova came close a few times but couldn't get over the hump. Like Danica until this season, she had far better competition.

Patrick was a competitive driver from the very beginning, hence the whining from a handful of other drivers that her small size was an "unfair" advantage [it is in straightaways, but not on turns]. Kornikova was a joke for quite a while and not competitive in major events.

Majors as a singles player, no, but she did win a few doubles tournaments and a few of the more obscure ones by herself, which really is all this victory is for Danica. There's only one major in the IRL and that's the Indy 500. If she won that*, then the hoopla would be justified.

* = Or if she did what I thought she should have done and gone over to NASCAR, any win in either the Nationwide or Sprint Cups would have warranted the fuss.

 

[Nerroth]

As an aside, do the IRL ever run a race at Indianapolis that uses the same inner track that the Formula 1 Grand Prix would, or is the 500-around-an-oval the only spot on the calendar?


For that matter, how many IndyCar races in the season are on circuits which aren't ovals?



And one last thing - has there been talk of Danica Patrick eventually aiming for a berth in Formula 1?

 

[Timby]

Isn't this just her second open-wheels victory on any circuit?

 

[Good Will Riker]

Congratulations...it's about time!

 

[Captain Craig]

Late to the party but Congrats Danica!!
I know her recent SI layout was smoking hot!

 

[JM1776]

Guess the Anna Kournikova comparisons go out the window now...

They were asinine in the first place.

Kornikova was a joke for quite a while and not competitive in major events.

In a word ... preposterous.

The main knock on Kournikova was her failure to win a singles tournament ... but she reached world number eight, the round of 16 in New York and at Roland Garros, the quarters Down Under, and the semis at Wimbledon—not too shabby in the least. Her overall record was nine appearances in the Round of 16 or better in the 21 Slams she played, nearly an even money bet to reach the second week, and better than that until the numerous first round losses in 2001, after she'd injured herself pretty badly. She also won sixteen doubles titles, including a couple of Slams with Martina Hingis, lost in the final of another, and did pretty well playing mixed doubles, too, partnering with Mirnyi and Bjorkman to reach a couple more Slam finals. Despite public perception and media yammering, she did well for herself before the injuries hobbled her. Not every player with potential reaches number one ... and some pretty brilliant doubles specialists never even sniff a Slam final, let alone win two of the five in which they play.

I'll take a couple of Grand Slam titles over Patrick's accomplishments thus far every time.