Um.......Kudos to Danica.

[bblocker68]

Can't believe I'm doing this but, uh, she was damn good today. She was stuck between two of the fastest street course guys and held her own pretty darn well.

Guess I'll cut you some slack for at least a day or two, DanicaFAn :)

Great job by the lady.

[Gluaistean]

Can't believe I'm doing this but, uh, she was damn good today. She was stuck between two of the fastest street course guys and held her own pretty darn well.

Guess I'll cut you some slack for at least a day or two, DanicaFAn :)

Great job by the lady.
Although race strategy played a large part in this I must agree with you and give her recognition. Now, if only she and Michael could get a personality I believe I might even cheer for them.

[RJL25]

her strategy got her to the front, but once she was there she was running with those guys. She seems to be actively trying to better herself on street courses which is a comendable thing and appears to be paying dividends. I don't like Danica's attitude, I do believe Milka Duno was spot on when she said "you love show!" and I really hate it how she feels the need to stamp her feet, push people out of the way and get into fights with other drivers if things don't go her way, but she seems to be actively trying to fix that part of her personality too! So congratulations to her, i'm all for anyone who actively tries to be a better person and better driver and she is doing her best and it seems to be working.

Good on Will Power too, couldn't have been easy to change cars mid weekend, get an inexperienced crew to run your car, have no radio or telemetry to sort out your strategy in what is a massive strategy sport, and all the while knowing your out of a drive, to still bring it home in second was impressive.

[elis]

Hey how's about a little parity & have a few 'kudos' threads for other drivers? Just askin'.. I mean it's not like this driver's the only one who had a fair race, or who's ever finished in 4th place. What's the big deal? it's what they're paid to do, it's expected. :s ;)

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I think Danica and the rest of the AGR guys did a great job of recovering from a horrific qualifying effort. They must have done some magic overnight on those cars because those weren't the same cars they qualified.

I think Hideki would have been right up there too if he hadn't gotten tangled up in some mess.

Great drive Danica !!! I was very impressed when she showed the pace sandwiched between two great road racers (Franchitti and Power). It took pit brilliant pit strategy to get her up front, but it took driving talent to keep herself there. GREAT GREAT DRIVE

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Hey how's about a little parity & have a few 'kudos' threads for other drivers? Just askin'.. I mean it's not like this driver's the only one who had a fair race, or who's ever finished in 4th place. What's the big deal? it's what they're paid to do, it's expected. :s ;)

Not every other driver has the haters that Danica attracts so I think this thread is completely appropriate to give her her due for her great efforts on Sunday

[DazzlaF1]

Very suprised, thats probably the best i've seen her drive on a road course,

[jimispeed]

There's alot to be said about alternate strategies on streetcourses. Great job by her team, and by her for staying quick, and keeping it on the track!!

[downtowndeco]

Yes, good job by Danica & a round of applause to those that were big enough men to give her credit when she did a decent job. Cheers!

[coogmaster]

You get stuck in these cars, especially on road courses. You gain or lose positions on pitstops, it doesn't matter really what team you drive for now (unless your Carpenter or Barrett, sorry guys) and you get stuck. Can't pass unless the person in front of you screws up, and vice versa. It's just the way the cars are - low powerbands, no variety in speeds, everyone is following everyone else because that's all they CAN do. Unless it rains, the racing is bland.

That being said, Patrick did well because she finished. We all know she's in a great car, but she kept it off the wall, and through pit strategy got a top 5. I really think that in this day and age anyone can get a top 5 on a road course, if they have the right things fall into their laps. So yea... Kudos to her.

I think yesterday showed us that this new formula can't come soon enough... current formula is NOT conducive to street racing.

Also I believe that right now Indy is the only place where the unexpected still occurs, although rare nowadays.

[garyshell]

It was a great team effort. The strategy got her in the position, but she showed the skills needed to stay in that spot once she was there. Best road course outing for her yet.

elis, how many other drivers had a better road course day than usual?

Gary

[TURN3]

Credit for the strong finishing position as any driver would deserve. Fact she stayed on the race pace was more due to everybody running lean and doing the fuel conservation run, including her. When you take 75 hp away all the cars tend to equal out no matter who's driving it...even Ed Carpenter was keeping up there before he pitted. I wish they'd take away the mixture adjustment like Champ Car did at the end. Then at least saving fuel comes down to skill again. Whatever it takes to see some good racing I'm for.

Great finish as I said, all the credit in the world for that but it doesn't change who she is or how good she is.

[Chamoo]

You get stuck in these cars, especially on road courses. You gain or lose positions on pitstops, it doesn't matter really what team you drive for now (unless your Carpenter or Barrett, sorry guys) and you get stuck. Can't pass unless the person in front of you screws up, and vice versa. It's just the way the cars are - low powerbands, no variety in speeds, everyone is following everyone else because that's all they CAN do. Unless it rains, the racing is bland.

Amen to that. I still enjoy watching the races, but they need to fix the formula, or do something.

I know this is a bit different track layout for LB, but this is what we need to get back to. Watching guys slide around, and able to pass, the end of this race is awesome. 98 Long Beach GP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLo0yYRXUfE

As for Danica, good for her to run where she did, however, I can't understand how she was running 2.5 seconds off the pace near the beginning of the race, then all of a sudden she was staying up with the leaders.

[TURN3]

As for Danica, good for her to run where she did, however, I can't understand how she was running 2.5 seconds off the pace near the beginning of the race, then all of a sudden she was staying up with the leaders.

See my fuel mixture post from above...this explains your question but also goes to say how the racing can be improved by eliminating in car mixture adjustments. If you look at lap time stats, DP only had 14th fastest lap of day and most (not all) of the people behind her didn't finish or never had the chance to run out of the fuel saving train in clean air. Pretty much the entire field was running the entire race on fuel strategy for 2 stops...Matos I think only exception. Lose fuel mixture control please!

[chuck34]

I must say, she did drive well. Sure pit strategy got her to the front, but she had the same strategy as Dario. Does that make Dario's win somehow less? Plus she didn't get passed nor did anyone really have a good shot at her once she was up front. That says something.

[bravefish]

Hey how's about a little parity & have a few 'kudos' threads for other drivers? Just askin'.. I mean it's not like this driver's the only one who had a fair race, or who's ever finished in 4th place. What's the big deal? it's what they're paid to do, it's expected. :s ;)

Exactly - a team of that quality especially...

[Easy Drifter]

I am not a Danica fan but agree she drove a good race, albeit I don't think she passed anyone on track. She was fast and steady with no mistakes.
I do feel she was her normal self in the interview when she whined about the blend line and her own teamate TK at the blend line. She darned well should know where the blend line is.
That aside it is the first time in many races that I feel she earned her keep.

[Chamoo]

I must say, she did drive well. Sure pit strategy got her to the front, but she had the same strategy as Dario. Does that make Dario's win somehow less? Plus she didn't get passed nor did anyone really have a good shot at her once she was up front. That says something.

Well Dario was running up front before the pit strategy even came into effect. Danica qualified 18th (?) and stayed around there for half the race or so.

[harvick#1]

Plus she didn't get passed nor did anyone really have a good shot at her once she was up front. That says something.

Will Power passed her on a restart, and I don't know how TK got ahead either

[beachbum]

I really don't like Danica, but she did have one of her best races. While strategy did get her to the front (great call from Michael), she did make the most of it. She also was very lucky. When she got up front, she was running at a pace that was very near her best in practice, while others were obviously cruising and saving fuel. If the last yellow hadn't come out, she may have had to stop for a splash. But everything fell her way and she did what she needed to do. Nice drive.

Everything was great until she started whining about the blend line after the race. Take the great 4th Danica, congratulate your crew and Michael for a great job, pat yourself on the back and move on with pride. Quit whining.

[chuck34]

Will Power passed her on a restart, and I don't know how TK got ahead either

I missed how Power got by her I guess. TK got by on a pit stop deal. I didn't see it on TV but she was crying about it after the race, something to do with the blend line?

I'm not saying she was great or anything. She was just waaaaaaay better than her "normal" road/street course self. For that she does deserve Kudos. However, she better keep improving, or she goes right back in the "dust bin".

[chuck34]

Well Dario was running up front before the pit strategy even came into effect. Danica qualified 18th (?) and stayed around there for half the race or so.

If I'm not mistaken he was NOT in the lead when he made that first stop.

[bblocker68]

Hey how's about a little parity & have a few 'kudos' threads for other drivers? Just askin'.. I mean it's not like this driver's the only one who had a fair race, or who's ever finished in 4th place. What's the big deal? it's what they're paid to do, it's expected. :s ;)

Sorry, I had to give her props because I cap on her all of the time.

As for fuel mapping, your guys need to pay attention. They were saving fuel with their feet by letting off the gas before they hit their braking point. Justin and Graham's in-car view showed it quite clear, exactly as they did it in the Champcar days. Eliminating the blend switch will not take away drivers' conserving fuel.

[TURN3]

Sorry, I had to give her props because I cap on her all of the time.

As for fuel mapping, your guys need to pay attention. They were saving fuel with their feet by letting off the gas before they hit their braking point. Justin and Graham's in-car view showed it quite clear, exactly as they did it in the Champcar days. Eliminating the blend switch will not take away drivers' conserving fuel.

Dude, before you get aggressive telling people to pay attention, you'd better figure out what you're talking about first. Yes the guys were lifting ahead of the braking zone and saving fuel manually. This takes skill and if it were the only way of saving fuel I think would add to the racing based on driver skill/technique. IN ADDITION, every team out there was mapped to make it a two stop race thereby giving even drivers without the ability to also save fuel (i.e. I believe rookie Matos had 3 stops). Take the in car fuel mixture adjustments away and you'll improve the racing. That is the reason Champ Car did it.

[bblocker68]

I love it when people get all irritated on the interweb, Dude.

[coogmaster]

Amen to that. I still enjoy watching the races, but they need to fix the formula, or do something.

I know this is a bit different track layout for LB, but this is what we need to get back to. Watching guys slide around, and able to pass, the end of this race is awesome. 98 Long Beach GP.




Yea that's a great finish. Love Zanardi's banzaii moves that always seemed to work out for him.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

I missed how Power got by her I guess. TK got by on a pit stop deal. I didn't see it on TV but she was crying about it after the race, something to do with the blend line?

I'm not saying she was great or anything. She was just waaaaaaay better than her "normal" road/street course self. For that she does deserve Kudos. However, she better keep improving, or she goes right back in the "dust bin".

I believe she pitted a lap later thank TK and TK was just passing by when she emerged from the pit lane. But she had to stay on the far right of the track until the end of the yellow line, so TK was in a much better position for the braking zone of T1.

But anyway, kudos to Danica for her performance. I never really liked her but I was rooting for her yesterday because I always root for drivers who are hated by so many people. When you take into account that Marco has been even more unimpressive than Danica recently it's hard to understand the hostility towards Danica and the obvious double standards.

For example, if she attempted that stupid move on Wheldon in the hairpin that Marco did, this forum would be all over the place. I mean, some people don't even need a reason to bash her, they can insert a random Danica joke or degradatory comment in basically every thread.

[Rex Monaco]

Her driving was good and so were her commercials. There is no other driver I'd like to see remove their driver suit. :)

[NickFalzone]

Oddly enough, the IRL did not add the fuel mixture adjustment until last season. And I completely agree, it hurts the racing. Fuel efficiency by the pedal separates the men from the boys. Someone get an email to Barnhart about that.

[Alexamateo]

Oddly enough, the IRL did not add the fuel mixture adjustment until last season. And I completely agree, it hurts the racing. Fuel efficiency by the pedal separates the men from the boys. Someone get an email to Barnhart about that.

Actually they had it before, but they took it away after the ethanol switch. I don't remember the particulars, but some teams were illegally injecting methanol and water into the mix along with somehow rigging the air temperature sensor to gain more horsepower. (Don't ask me how it was supposed to work, I don't know.) All I know is that DRR was fined for being caught with Methanol in the fuel tank, and Honda afterwards disabled the temp sensor and gave them only two fuel settings (100% rich, and yellow flag mixtures.) After the bugs were worked out, they went back to multiple settings last year.

[jimispeed]

We're saying alot to pay good respect to Danica Patrick for doing her part as a driver.

But, does anyone besides me wonder why danicafan hasn't even commented on this thread? I thought he'd be one of the first to comment! I know it's not important but, I'm just sayin....

[harvick#1]

There is no other driver I'd like to see remove their driver suit. :)

cough cough are you sure???

http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=622502#post622502

;)

[jimispeed]

cough cough are you sure???

http://www.motorsportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=622502#post622502

;)



http://www.burcucetinkaya.com/images/news/big/2009.jpg

Sorry, I know it's way off topic...

[colinspooky]

Yeah, but pretty boring race where virtually no one passed anyone - so anyone with a modicum of speed was going to stay ahead. Great pit stop was a pure coincidence for Dario too, but well done anyway.

I hate street circuits that are too narrow - these cars are super wide making them very processional.

Kansas should show who has pure speed.

[chuck34]

http://www.burcucetinkaya.com/images/news/big/2009.jpg

Sorry, I know it's way off topic...

HOLY COW! I don't watch much Rally (just highlights on the Speed Report). I may have to start now. Who is that?

Sorry we're so OT now.

[DBell]

Kansas should show who has pure speed.

Kansas will show us who has the best aero parts and that'll be Penske, Ganassi and AGR.

[SarahFan]

she passed Stanton!

credit when it's due

[colinspooky]

she passed Stanton!



Doesn't everyone? ;)

[Dr. Krogshöj]

she passed Stanton!

credit when it's due

Indeed. Don't forget that Stanton is ahead of the defending champion in the points right now. :D