Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

[DanicaFan]

Race 2 of 17

Race - Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Location - Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida

Date - Sunday, March 28th

Time & TV Schedule - 3:30 PM Eastern - ABC

Course Type - 1.8 Mile Street Course

Distance - 100 Laps / 180 Miles

Practice Sessions - Friday, March 26th - 10:40 -11:40 am Eastern & 2:10 - 3:10pm Eastern, Saturday, March 27th-9:55-10:55 PM Eastern

Qualifications - Saturday, March 27th -1:20 - 2:50pm Eastern

2009 Winner - Ryan Briscoe

[Mark in Oshawa]

I am saying Will Power..right now..I think he is the guy to try to STOP

[TURN3]

I am saying Will Power..right now..I think he is the guy to try to STOP

It is already over, Power wins. Congrats to Will. :D 2nd place goes to....Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, or Wilson.

[DanicaFan]

What about Danica ? She is due for a good race.

[Chamoo]

What about Danica ? She is due for a good race.

Yea, the first chance she has to do that is Kansas where she doesn't have to turn right.

As for the St. Pete GP, I'm looking forward to it. I think you have to look at Will Power, RHR, and Franchitti as being near the top of the leader board. Even having Rahal in the field will be an underdog.

Should be another exciting race. Doesn't look like rain though at the moment. I know we are still pretty far out from the race, but at the moment, they are calling for a 71.6 F high with 0% chance of precipitation.

Looking forward to this race.

[TURN3]

What about Danica ? She is due for a good race.

My bad, you're right. I'd expect a top 15 out of her this weekend. St. Pete is an attrition fest so that becomes a possibility for a no talent hack in top equipment. Her teammates look to be near the top 5 though.

[garyshell]

What about Danica ? She is due for a good race.


And has been for a mighty long time. But yet doesn't deliver the goods, except for one momentous occasion when she should have taken the team strategist and pit crew out for a Kobi steak dinner.

Gary

[Mark in Oshawa]

If Danica gets to the top 10, it means she outlasted a lot of guys trying to win and failing with concrete kisses. Sorry DF, this isn't her milieu and you should know that.....

Let her get to Kansas and glue that gas pedal to the floor....like 24 other people (Milka still lifts...)

[DanicaFan]

Here is the entry list for this race...

Car # & Driver / Car Name / Team

#2 Raphael Matos / HP Luczo Dragon / Luczo Dragon Racing-DeFerran Motorsports
#3 Helio Castroneves / Team Penske / Team Penske
#4 Dan Wheldon / National Guard Panther Racing / Panther Racing
#5 Takuma Sato / KV Racing Technology / KV Racing Technology
#6 Ryan Briscoe / Team Penske / Team Penske
#7 Danica Patrick / Team GoDaddy.com / Andretti Autosport
#8 EJ Viso / PDVSA-Jet Aviation-KVRT / KV Racing Technology
#9 Scott Dixon / Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 Dario Franchitti / Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#11 Tony Kanaan / Team 7-Eleven / Andretti Autopsort
#12 Will Power / Verizon Team Penske / Verizon Team Penske
#14 Vitor Meira / ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt Racing / AJ Foyt Enterprises
#18 Milka Duno / CITGO / Dale Coyne Racing
#19 Alex Lloyd / Boy Scouts of America / Dale Coyne Racing
#22 Justin Wilson / Team Z-Line Designs-DRR / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#24 Mike Conway / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#26 Marco Andretti / Team Venom Energy / Andretti Autosport
#32 Mario Moraes / KV Racing Technology / KV Racing Technology
#34 Mario Romancini / Conquest Racing / Conquest Racing
#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay / Team IZOD / Andretti Autosport
#67 Graham Rahal / Dollar General-Sarah Fisher Racing / Sarah Fisher Racing
#77 Alex Tagliani / FAZZT Race Team / FAZZT Race Team
#78 Simona De Silvestro / Team Stargate Worlds-HVM / HVM Racing
#06 Hideki Mutoh / Formula Dream-Panasonic / Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

[DanicaFan]

Here is a map of the track layout..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/GPStPete.jpg (http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/?action=view&current=GPStPete.jpg)

[TURN3]

Here is a map of the track layout..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/GPStPete.jpg (http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/?action=view&current=GPStPete.jpg)

Can I get a report on locations of port-a-johns please?

[Mark in Oshawa]

It is my favorite street layout.....but that and a quarter wont get me coffee.

[harvick#1]

I am saying Will Power..right now..I think he is the guy to try to STOP

I hate agreeing with you, but your 100% correct :)

[NickFalzone]

I like Will, but I don't see him getting 2 in a row. My money's on Franchitti, Briscoe, or Castroneves. Longshots of TK or Tagliani.

[nigelred5]

Have to agree WP's the favorite. He's quite possibly the best road course racer in the field at this time, in a Penske. I think it's his race to loose.

[Easy Drifter]

Come on folks. Danica is a shoe in to win! :eek:
After all there are only 20 better drivers in the field! :s mokin: some good stuff!

Darn far too much Brandy!!!

[gofastandwynn]

Can I get a report on locations of port-a-johns please?

http://www.starmazda.com/results/2010/02-stpete/documents/safety%20zone%20and%20no%20anchorage%20zone1.pdf

prob the most in-depth track map

[Dr. Krogshöj]

What happened to Team 3G? I thought Antinucci was going to start St. Pete.

[F1boat]

Hopefully Dario will win :)

[bblocker68]

Briscoe looked great at St. Pete last year, so I'm betting on him. Power will be top 5, as well as Dixie and Dario. Look for RHR to be the top Andretti driver.

Good looking field for IndyCar.

It'll be interesting to see how Graham does in a small team car. He should do well if he gets through lap 1..............Same goes for Sato and Moraes :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

I hate agreeing with you, but your 100% correct :)
You like agreeing me at times....just not a lot lately! Come to the dark side tho...lol

[SUBARUTEAM]

I hate agreeing with you, but your 100% correct :)

yip, hard to argue with that, unless he puts it in the wall

[SUBARUTEAM]

Briscoe looked great at St. Pete last year, so I'm betting on him. Power will be top 5, as well as Dixie and Dario. Look for RHR to be the top Andretti driver.

Good looking field for IndyCar.

It'll be interesting to see how Graham does in a small team car. He should do well if he gets through lap 1..............Same goes for Sato and Moraes :)

someone needs to remind sato that he dosen't have those fancy f1 brakes!!!
he'll be quick

guys, this is a decent field.

there is one thing for sure, this will be a better race then f1 will put on this weekend.

[harvick#1]

You like agreeing me at times....just not a lot lately! Come to the dark side tho...lol

neva :laugh:

[DanicaFan]

Here are the pit lane assignments..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/pits.jpg

[DanicaFan]

Practice Session 1 is over.

Here are the results...

Rank / Car# & Driver / Lap Time

1. #12 Will Power / 1:03.6471
2. #10 Dario Franchitti / 1:03.6503
3. #6 Ryan Briscoe / 1:03.7836
4. #3 Helio Castroneves / 1:03.8211
5. #06 Hideki Mutoh / 1:04.0107
6. #11 Tony Kanaan / 1:04.0742
7. #9 Scott Dixon / 1:04.1544
8. #37 Ryan Hunter-Reay / 1:04.2322
9. #22 Justin Wilson / 1:04.4940
10. #5 Takuma Sato / 1:04.6610
11. #67 Graham Rahal / 1:04.7353
12. #26 Marco Andretti / 1:04.7539
13. #77 Alex Tagliani / 1:04.7849
14. #4 Dan Wheldon / 1:04.8431
15. #24 Mike Conway / 1:04.9805
16. #19 Alex Lloyd / 1:05.0150
17. #7 Danica Patrick / 1:05.1765
18. #14 Vitor Meira / 1:05.1765
19. #8 EJ Viso / 1:05.1937
20. #34 Mario Romancini / 1:05.2430
21. #2 Raphael Matos / 1:05.3002
22. #78 Simona De Silvestro / 1:05.4215
23. #32 Mario Moraes / 1:05.5910
24. #18 Milka Duno / 1:11.7450

[DanicaFan]

The next practice session we should see the speeds up and the lap times go down. Im suprised that Matos and Moraes didnt do better than they did.

[TURN3]

So it is only practice 1 but what do we all think of Graham at SFR being 11th and pretty well on pace? I'd say given their time together that is a pretty good accomplishment. Good job to team and driver. Looks like they will be competitive and that is good news in every way.

What bleep is KV's deal though....they have been off pace ALL year so far. Sato was supposedly some savior, we've seen Moraes be fast everywhere last year, and Viso is usually pretty quick. I see all the signs of a team stretching their resources too far already.

[DanicaFan]

EJ Viso had car problems early in the practice so he didnt get much time in so I expect better results next session.

[TURN3]

EJ Viso had car problems early in the practice so he didnt get much time in so I expect better results next session.

That is true I should've clarified, he only ran the last 10 minutes of the session. His car problems were driver spins in T1. But he has been off pace at Barber and was way off pace in Brazil. My comments were as a whole so far, KV is not up to their pace from last year.

[DanicaFan]

Yes, I agree, KV isnt as strong so far early in this season as I expected. It will get better Im sure. EJ didnt do to bad though for a few laps. He almost had the speed of my girl, Danica. :(

[SarahFan]

The next practice session we should see the speeds up and the lap times go down. .

seriously?

do you really think so?

[Lousada]

Simona not very good so far :s

[Dr. Krogshöj]

seriously?

do you really think so?

It's the norm on street circuits. The more track running takes place, the more rubber goes down on the surface so the grip increases. They're still a good second off Graham's 2009 pole time. Obviously I treated your question as a genuine one and respectful to other members.

[TURN3]

KV Racing is a joke this year. So far they've had at least 1 car out in less than 1 lap of about every session of both race events this year. Commented earlier, looks like Viso actually has a little speed so far in P2 but Moraes crashed on lap 1 of practice. Viso crashed on lap 1 of practice this morning. Sato and Moraes crashed turn 1 of Brazil, Moraes wadded up a car in Brazil practice....AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN FAST!!!! Could be the fastest team from up and coming to joke status in history.

[TURN3]

KV looked much more racy that session, thats what I'd hope to see. I'll retract my previous comment for now but with that lineup they have the potential of setting records for most loss laps in a season and highest cost to complete a season in the team catagory.

Check out Graham in the top 10 with SFR! Many people will find that a refreshing story!! Way to go!

[DanicaFan]

Practice Session 2 is over.

Here are the results..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/scoring2.jpg

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I can probably imagine why, but what was Danica's deal slamming down her helmet after that practice session after exchanging words with her engineer/strategist ??? Then the camera stayed on her and she stomped away at a prety good clip with a pouty mouth.

My theory is she probably is not happy about sucking and bringing up the rear at AA duing the first sessions.

and she definitely did do poorly in the same equipment as her team mates

[Lousada]

Apart from the one on top and the one at the bottom it's pretty even. Everybody within a second!

[DanicaFan]

I can probably imagine why, but what was Danica's deal slamming down her helmet after that practice session after exchanging words with her engineer/strategist ??? Then the camera stayed on her and she stomped away at a prety good clip with a pouty mouth.

My theory is she probably is not happy about sucking and bringing up the rear at AA duing the first sessions.

and she definitely did do poorly in the same equipment as her team mates

Give her a break. She had quite a bit of handling issues with the car. I was watching the session from her cam the whole time.

I recall she had a good lap going and then a KV car in front of her practically stopped so she had to slow down which hurt her time real bad.

[beachbum]

Give her a break. She had quite a bit of handling issues with the car. I was watching the session from her cam the whole time.

I recall she had a good lap going and then a KV car in front of her practically stopped so she had to slow down which hurt her time real bad.Sorry, but the handling issues may have come from being all over track. She seemed to be taking very different lines than anyone else - even lap to lap. Slowing for one car only impacts one lap, not every lap.

Competition this years looks a lot stronger than previous years. Just getting out of the first qualifying session into the top 12 isn't going to be easy. The fast 6 should really be entertaining.

[e2mtt]

7 tenths on the rest of the field? Powers was flying.

[TURN3]

Apart from the one on top and the one at the bottom it's pretty even. Everybody within a second!


Yeah, very good point. I didn't realize Will was THAT much faster than Dixon in P2 there.

[TURN3]

Give her a break. She had quite a bit of handling issues with the car. I was watching the session from her cam the whole time.

I recall she had a good lap going and then a KV car in front of her practically stopped so she had to slow down which hurt her time real bad.

DF...I mean this very respectfully. If your request to give her a break holds water, then why can we go back through just about every single practice and qualifying session for the past (insert # of seasons here) and find her mired at the back? She used to be mid-pack until the merger when the quality of competition went up slightly. The quality is getting better and better every year and she keeps going further and further back. There are no excuses when it is session after session after session...and so on. If it is handling, why are her teammates all competitive? If it is handling, why is she the only one not able to figure it out? That is what she/you said after Barber, after Brazil...etc. When is it time to just admit she isn't that good...but you can still like her?

FYI, I was a huge Rick Mears fan growing up. The guy was an all around talent until his feet were crushed in an accident (Riverside I believe?). When he made his comeback, he was never as competitive on road & street courses. He was probably by far the best ever on strictly ovals though. I rooted for him race in and race out no matter what but I knew when he was in his element and when he wasn't.

Now make no mistake, Danica is no Rick Mears, and driving these cars today is like a stroll in the park compared to the glory days of all of auto racing...but...if you are going to root for her, great!!! Root for her with all your passion...but maybe you should present that passion to all of us with a hint of realism. She isn't very good...it is beyond a theory, it is a proven fact. She can run at the tail of a pack on a course where she doesn't have to lift, save your hopes of a miracle for a day when they run on those types of courses. In the meantime, try to get to know the other drivers a little so you can enjoy the competitive side of the sport instead of just the novelty side. I'm a PT fan now, look what I have to deal with, he isn't even full-time! So I watch objectively rooting for the ultimate competition level, not just my favorite driver.

What do you think?

[garyshell]

Give her a break. She had quite a bit of handling issues with the car. I was watching the session from her cam the whole time.

I recall she had a good lap going and then a KV car in front of her practically stopped so she had to slow down which hurt her time real bad.


Wow, taking lessons from her car owner huh? It's always someone else's fault. Michael the Whiner, lived by that axiom.

Gary

[px400r]

I think it was Sanair, but I could be wrong.

It was Sanair.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The story really is Danica is barely even the fastest woman, and considering her experience, the bloom is finally off the rose. This could be the year maybe the media wakes up to the reality that Danica Patrick is the Anna Kournakova of Racing, without the personality.

Her little hissy fit in the pits is just more evidence of her lack of tact, and her lack of poise in dealing with adversity. It is all fine in Danica's world when people kiss her heiney on the track. Of course, these guys wont, and they wont cut her one ounce of slack. She has alienated most of the guys on some level to the point I wouldn't doubt people block her almost out of reflex just to rattle her.

The fact is on road/street circuits, she is no further ahead than she was 5 years ago, and the level of competition has gotten a lot more fierce. She is credible and able to keep up to apoint, but no threat to win. No driver wants to be no threat to win....

[SarahFan]

FYI, I was a huge Rick Mears fan growing up. The guy was an all around talent ?

Rick was the bomb!

side story for ya....back in the early seventies my father and uncle raced a twoseater dune buggy in the baja 1000's etc.....against guys like mears, jones, evans etc...

anyhow....one year, i was 5 or 6 barely old enough to remember, they were running the Mint400 outside Las Vegas.....well the rest of the family was the unofficial pit crew in our Volkswagon bus...so were out in the nevada dessert and we come across none other than Rick Mears Broken down in the middle of nowhere with a tire that had broken off his racecar.....so he climbed into the back of the Bus with entire family, wheel and all, and we took him to the next check point...

needless to say we were huge Mears fans during his career....and rooted for him every May....he was (is!) magic at the speedway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVfD1FU28cM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hkVLBZlG2w&NR=1

[DanicaFan]

Milka is currenty 7 seconds off pace.

[SarahFan]

Milka is currenty 7 seconds off pace.

when Danica goes to Nascar fulltime in 2011 will you no longer be an openwheel fan?

[SarahFan]

Power to the top again....

but how about Viso in at p2...

[DanicaFan]

Practice Session 3 Results..

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee236/DanicaRules/practice3.jpg

[DanicaFan]

Here are the Qualifying Groups..

Group 1

#2 Raphael Matos
#3 Helio Castroneves
#4 Dan Wheldon
#6 Ryan Briscoe
#7 Danica Patrick
#8 EJ Viso
#10 Dario Franchitti
#14 Vitor Meira
#22 Justin Wilson
#26 Marco Andretti
#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#77 Alex Tagliani

Group 2

#5 Takuma Sato
#9 Scott Dixon
#11 Tony Kanaan
#12 Will Power
#18 Milka Duno
#19 Alex Lloyd
#24 Mike Conway
#32 Mario Moraes
#34 Mario Romancini
#67 Graham Rahal
#78 Simona De Silvestro
#06 Hideki Mutoh

[NickFalzone]

Says a lot about driver skill on roads/streets when the same Dale Coyne car was running up front in practice sessions last year, and this year with Milka is last and a full 5+ seconds off the next slowest car's pace.

[SarahFan]

Says a lot about driver skill on roads/streets when the same Dale Coyne car was running up front in practice sessions last year, and this year with Milka is last and a full 5+ seconds off the next slowest car's pace.


ya think it says more about Milka or Justin?

[TURN3]

Rick was the bomb!

side story for ya....back in the early seventies my father and uncle raced a twoseater dune buggy in the baja 1000's etc.....against guys like mears, jones, evans etc...

anyhow....one year, i was 5 or 6 barely old enough to remember, they were running the Mint400 outside Las Vegas.....well the rest of the family was the unofficial pit crew in our Volkswagon bus...so were out in the nevada dessert and we come across none other than Rick Mears Broken down in the middle of nowhere with a tire that had broken off his racecar.....so he climbed into the back of the Bus with entire family, wheel and all, and we took him to the next check point...

needless to say we were huge Mears fans during his career....and rooted for him every May....he was (is!) magic at the speedway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVfD1FU28cM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hkVLBZlG2w&NR=1

Very cool story Ken...thanks for sharing. As you well know not only was he an amazing talent be a real classy guy.

[DanicaFan]

Total shock.... Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe did not make the Fast 6 from Group 1.

[DanicaFan]

Duno spins out. What a waste!

[DanicaFan]

The Fast 12 drivers to move on are..

Scott Dixon
Tony Kanaan
Will Power
Mike Conway
Takuma Sato
Hideki Mutoh
Helio Castroneves
Marco Andretti
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Justin Wilson
EJ Viso
Alex Tagliani

[NickFalzone]

The Fast 12 drivers to move on are..

Scott Dixon
Tony Kanaan
Will Power
Mike Conway
Takuma Sato
Hideki Mutoh
Helio Castroneves
Marco Andretti
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Justin Wilson
EJ Viso
Alex Tagliani

Hm, all of the AGR drivers made the fast 12. Oh, except for one.

[DanicaFan]

The Firestone Fast 6 are...

Will Power
Scott Dixon
Tony Kanaan
Marco Andretti
Justin Wilson
Helio Castroneves

[DanicaFan]

Congrats to Will Power. He gets the pole!

[SarahFan]

power p1 is no suprise...


but TK at p2 is a pleasant suprise

[TURN3]

power p1 is no suprise...


but TK at p2 is a pleasant suprise

Yes, AA is absolutely back on their game if there was any doubt after Brazil. Not being an insider, I have to wonder what is the big difference not only from last year but fact is they've been going backwards little by little each of the past few years. Personally, I'm not a believer that it is RHR, at least not soley. RHR is good and I think everybody wants him out there, myself included. But the fact is with a few exceptions he's always been a mid-packer...sort of like Tagliani and Carpentier to make a comparison. Maybe TK is more focused this year after his personal problems last year? Maybe a combo of a lot of things. My theory based on what I see and what I've read between the lines is that the team was focused on 1 car last year more than anything. Makes sense because this 1 car is the money maker and the money might have been going elsewhere if not given every chance to be #1. Makes sense all things considered. At any rate, good to see AA back in the mix and frankly, what a competitive field from #2 through about #18.

[fugariracing]

Yes, AA is absolutely back on their game if there was any doubt after Brazil. Not being an insider, I have to wonder what is the big difference not only from last year but fact is they've been going backwards little by little each of the past few years. Personally, I'm not a believer that it is RHR, at least not soley. RHR is good and I think everybody wants him out there, myself included. But the fact is with a few exceptions he's always been a mid-packer...sort of like Tagliani and Carpentier to make a comparison. Maybe TK is more focused this year after his personal problems last year? Maybe a combo of a lot of things. My theory based on what I see and what I've read between the lines is that the team was focused on 1 car last year more than anything. Makes sense because this 1 car is the money maker and the money might have been going elsewhere if not given every chance to be #1. Makes sense all things considered. At any rate, good to see AA back in the mix and frankly, what a competitive field from #2 through about #18.

Two words: Tom Anderson. He's now their senior VP of race operations after doing great work in the past for Ganassi and Fernandez Racing. Probably helping right the ship there.

[DanicaFan]

Here is the starting grid..

Row 1

#12 Will Power
#11 Tony Kanaan

Row 2

#9 Scott Dixon
#22 Justin Wilson

Row 3

#3 Helio Castroneves
#26 Marco Andretti

Row 4

#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#77 Alex Tagliani

Row 5

#8 EJ Viso
#24 Mike Conway

Row 6

#5 Takuma Sato
#06 Hideki Mutoh

Row 7

#10 Dario Franchitti
#78 Simona De Silvestro

Row 8

#4 Dan Wheldon
#67 Graham Rahal

Row 9

#14 Vitor Meira
#34 Mario Romancini

Row 10

#6 Ryan Briscoe
#32 Mario Moraes

Row 11

#7 Danica Patrick
#19 Alex Lloyd

Row 12

#2 Raphael Matos
#18 Milka Duno

[SarahFan]

so d.... what do you think about your girls performance today?

[DanicaFan]

so d.... what do you think about your girls performance today?

I thought she would do better than that. She was starting to put down some good laps.

[Easy Drifter]

Don't worry Chad. It almost certain she will move up in the race.
It is going to be hard to go backwards this time! :eek:

[TURN3]

Don't worry Chad. It almost certain she will move up in the race.
It is going to be hard to go backwards this time! :eek:

I'm actually going to cut her some slack for once! Even though she's been pretty much last in every session, she has closed the gap between her and 2nd place. I refuse to compare anybody to Will at the moment, he's in a league of his own. For some reason, St. Pete is one of her better road courses and her times aren't that far out of whack. Given that she's pretty much going to drive around like she normally does tomorrow, she'll probably stay out of trouble and could pull off a top 14. There is going to be a ton of attrition, which will also play into the strategy for those at the back.

Now that being said, she's still practically last, and has been pretty much every session. It is a little weird how even when she runs with times that competitive she still somehow always ends up at the back. You'd think sooner or later a blink of an eye she'd move up a position or 2.

Just because I'm giving her some slack doesn't mean she doesn't suck...she still does...that won't change. It hasn't in 14 years of professional racing, she isn't going to get any better. WYSIWYG.

[DanicaFan]

Yeah, yeah, you guys give her "crap" now but wait until we get back on the ovals and she dominates them. Expect her in the top 5 at every oval track this year. :)

[GRW1983]

It's all well and good being fast on the ovals, but this is a 17 RACE season, of which only 8 are ovals. There are 9 road/street courses, so if she is really serious about winning and challenging for championships in IndyCar then she has to be fast on ovals and fast on road/street courses as well. Personally, I hope she stays away from NASCAR and sticks with IndyCar, but I fear that she'll eventually go NASCAR full-time because they only have 2 road courses in a 35-race season and she's already commented on how more and more road/street courses have filled up the IndyCar calender. She prefers the wheel to wheel of oval racing, so NASCAR, probably, awaits.

[TURN3]

It's all well and good being fast on the ovals, but this is a 17 RACE season, of which only 8 are ovals. There are 9 road/street courses, so if she is really serious about winning and challenging for championships in IndyCar then she has to be fast on ovals and fast on road/street courses as well. Personally, I hope she stays away from NASCAR and sticks with IndyCar, but I fear that she'll eventually go NASCAR full-time because they only have 2 road courses in a 35-race season and she's already commented on how more and more road/street courses have filled up the IndyCar calender. She prefers the wheel to wheel of oval racing, so NASCAR, probably, awaits.

You are right on all accounts but the problem is she sucks in NASCAR too! She hasn't ever been really competitive at any professional level. NASCAR is as high of level as it gets in US auto racing right at the moment and the charade will end there a little quicker. I called it 2 years ago and the crumbs are starting to fall on the floor...the circus is slowly grinding to a halt for her. She WILL go to NASCAR full-time, it is the only way to extend the inevitable.

[GRW1983]

I agree, if she does do NASCAR full-time all she will do is enhance her paycheck. I know she won't, but at the very least she should stick to her 3 year IndyCar contract and see what happens.

[Easy Drifter]

It will be interesting to see how much ABC yaps about her tomorrow especially if Simona does well.

[SarahFan]

I thought she would do better than that. She was starting to put down some good laps.


why did you THINK she would do better?


*i understand she is your your favorite driver and you WANTED her to do better

[RusH]

so d.... what do you think about your girls performance today?

Simona can run circles over Danica.

I think I`ll re-register as SimonaFan

[TURN3]

Without regard to Danica in anyway...It is really really hard not to be impressed with Simona so far. HVM is not the strongest team out there and they're only a 1 car team. Viso and Doornbos neither one were this competitive last year. All credit to her an HVM. They'll struggle on the ovals as would be expected but to me they are kind of the Dale Coyne story this year. Rooting for them to stay solid.

And yes, obviously she is the real deal.

[vintage]

In the first group, which would be expected to be slower, three drivers went faster than Simona, so it's not like the girl hit it out of the park here. Based on times she's 17th. You should re-register as Simona Fan, as it's just as ridiculous to make her the hero here as making Danica the hero.

I'm confused how the women seem to develop this deep devotion.

I'm even more confused on why Matos did so poorly.

[Chamoo]

In the first group, which would be expected to be slower, three drivers went faster than Simona, so it's not like the girl hit it out of the park here. Based on times she's 17th. You should re-register as Simona Fan, as it's just as ridiculous to make her the hero here as making Danica the hero.

I don't think pointing out that she is helping a sub-par team perform over their expectation level is making her a hero.

On another note, in a recent interview in the St. Pete Times (http://www.tampabay.com/sports/autoracing/danica-patrick-too-much-street-racing-not-good-for-irl/1083033) Danica had a classic quote about street racing.

Danica - "It's very difficult to be faster than someone else."

[TURN3]

In the first group, which would be expected to be slower, three drivers went faster than Simona, so it's not like the girl hit it out of the park here. Based on times she's 17th. You should re-register as Simona Fan, as it's just as ridiculous to make her the hero here as making Danica the hero.

I'm confused how the women seem to develop this deep devotion.

I'm even more confused on why Matos did so poorly.

I think you are confused, Simona isn't being complimented due to her being a woman. She is being given credit because she has actually been competitive through the ranks and as a ROOKIE she's show to be quite competitive. Some people might try to make a Danica comparison because of the female factor but there really isn't any comparison. Simona IS a real talent and she's going to be around awhile.

As far as sessions and times, they are split into 2 groups and you are only compared to the group you are in. Many things determine speeds, something as simple as cloud cover in one session vs the next. Simona was in a transfer spot late in the session, was actually competitive as compared to her session.

[beachgirl]

She prefers the wheel to wheel of oval racing, so NASCAR, probably, awaits.


She may say she prefers wheel to wheel oval racing, but she doesn't DO it. Talk's cheap, until you're called on it.

That's one nice thing about televised racing. Old racing saying - the bull**** stops when the green flag drops. You can try to con people about talent, but on television, it's either there, or it's not.

So far, for DP in Nationwide, it's not. Sorry, DF.

[SoCalPVguy]

Here is the starting grid..

Row 1

#12 Will Power
#11 Tony Kanaan

Row 2

#9 Scott Dixon
#22 Justin Wilson

Row 3

#3 Helio Castroneves
#26 Marco Andretti

Row 4

#37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#77 Alex Tagliani

Row 5

#8 EJ Viso
#24 Mike Conway

Row 6

#5 Takuma Sato
#06 Hideki Mutoh

Row 7

#10 Dario Franchitti
#78 Simona De Silvestro

Row 8

#4 Dan Wheldon
#67 Graham Rahal

Row 9

#14 Vitor Meira
#34 Mario Romancini

Row 10

#6 Ryan Briscoe
#32 Mario Moraes

Row 11

#7 Danica Patrick
#19 Alex Lloyd

Row 12

#2 Raphael Matos
#18 Milka Duno

How does "your girl" feel about being on a so called top tier team and sucking on Simona's tailpipe at the start, oh no problem, yeah you are probably right -- after all "your girl" is 4 rows behind Simona who drives for a bottom tier team.

Just another excuse to blast ICS road courses as a set up to going to Nascar for that exciting oval all-throttle driving instead of that nasty challenging road course stuff- you know with brakes and steering and junk.... When she goes to Nascar full time will you go to their forum too ?

[SoCalPVguy]

Yeah, yeah, you guys give her "crap" now but wait until we get back on the ovals and she dominates them. Expect her in the top 5 at every oval track this year. :)

Thanks for your quote ..." on the ovals and she dominates them... Expect her in the top 5 at every oval track this year." Sorry to be rude but that's a real howler !!! I will be sure to hold you accountable when she doesn't. I'm not worried about the opposite as I think she'll be in Nascar, sucking their tailpipes, full time before the ICS oval-season begins. Is your quote good only for ICS or can I mock you for your crazy predictions about her Nascar performances too ?

[RusH]

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs477.snc3/26133_384184135858_171876115858_3637907_4900870_n. jpg

[e2mtt]

Will Powers is flying... he really has a step on the rest of the field. Penkse looks great. Nice seeing the whole Andretti garage competive. (Except car 7, more on that later)

It truly looks like a good show so far.

About Danica... I think she should think about retiring. Get out while she still has a reputation as a fast driver. However, on a somewhat related item, there is a little online poll on indycar.com - "Which drivers do you want to see on Race Control" - Danica is 50% ahead of Ryan Hunter Reay, and over double the votes of anyone else.

Simona is doing really well... top rookie in the field. Is Ana Beatriz expected to run anymore races?

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Simona YES.... Danica NO .... Danica will make a lot more money in NASCAR and be mired with the other open wheelers who took the paycheck, at the back of the pack. Good riddance.

Good luck to Danica along with Speed, Allmendinger, Hornish Jr. , John Andretti, and Robbie Gordon. Be happy making money running at the back of the pack and never come close to winning another race in your life.

Simona was one race away from winning the Atlantics championship last year, save a last race break down which knocked her out of the running. I don't think Danica has been or ever will be competing for a championship at any level.

Simona de Silvestro .... Atlantics 2009 -- 11 races 4 wins 4 poles 8 Podiums
Danica Patrick .... Atlantics 2003 - - 12 races 0 wins 0 poles 2 podiums

[Phoenixent]

When she goes to Nascar full time will you go to their forum too ?

Can't wait to see her at Bristol , Darlington, or Martinsville. If she thinks road courses are tough those three tracks will kick her hard.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Simona was one race away from winning the Atlantics championship last year, save a last race break down which knocked her out of the running. I don't think Danica has been or ever will be competing for a championship at any level.

Simona de Silvestro .... Atlantics 2009 -- 11 races 4 wins 4 poles 8 Podiums
Danica Patrick .... Atlantics 2003 - - 12 races 0 wins 0 poles 2 podiums
Part of the story you are missing too.....The field was as big if not bigger last year. Danica was finishing 10th in a 14 car field some times that year. I remember her first trip to Toronto....she looked as home driving on a road course as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Street courses just don't do it for her and she is obvious about her dislike of them.

Hell of a way to try to win a championship.....

As for Simona, I am impressed by her progress, but not ready to put the crown on her just yet. She needs to finish a race and move up during the race by doing more than just not crashing. That is the Danica Patrick method of race management, and while it can get you decent finishes, it is not something I look for in a racing driver. Simona I think will prove this more as time goes on. She looked pretty decent in Sao Paulo.

At the front? Well I picked Power and he isn't disappointing me at all. I am happy to give the shoutout for my buddy Tags in 8th too...

[garyshell]

What happened in Brazil to put Simona 3 laps down? She was running so well early on. Did she have a spin during the heavy rain or something. I watched the race again tonight with my wife and didn't notice any comments from the announcers about how she dropped back.

Gary

[TURN3]

Get out while she still has a reputation as a fast driver.

Great post, agree totally but.....HUH!? to this part.

[beachgirl]

What happened in Brazil to put Simona 3 laps down? She was running so well early on. Did she have a spin during the heavy rain or something. I watched the race again tonight with my wife and didn't notice any comments from the announcers about how she dropped back.

Gary

Rear suspension and brake problems.

[beachgirl]

Great post, agree totally but.....HUH!? to this part.

Perceptions and reality can be two different worlds to some.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

So today, I think look for these hard chargers to make up a lot of positions early on. These are guys (gals) that are in the back of the pack that will be eager and are able to run up front. Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon, Vitor Meira, Graham Rahal, and Simona de Silvestro will all be candidates for the "Hard Charger Award" for making up the most positions during the course of the race.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

My contender/pretender list for the 2010 St. Pete Indy Grand Prix

Will Power - CONTENDER
Tony Kanaan - CONTENDER
Scott Dixon - CONTENDER
Justin Wilson - CONTENDER
Helio Castroneves - CONTENDER
Marco Andretti - pretender
Ryan Hunter-Reay - CONTENDER
Alex Tagliani - pretender
E.J. Viso - pretender
Mike Conway - pretender
Takuma Sato - pretender
Hideki Mutoh - pretender
Dario Franchitti - CONTENDER
Simona de Silvestro - pretender
Dan Wheldon - pretender
Graham Rahal - pretender
Vitor Meira - CONTENDER
Mario Romancini - pretender
Ryan Briscoe - CONTENDER
Mario Moraes - pretender
Danica Patrick - pretender
Alex Lloyd - pretender
Raphael Matos - pretender
Milka - forget it !

[SarahFan]

matos finnally lays down a lap and gets to the top 5 in morning warm-up....man hes been slow this weekend so far...


Dixon goes P1....first time will wasnt atop the grid...although he was p2


the Brand solidly in at 17th


and Milks still 7sec off the pace....how is that possible in a spec series

[SarahFan]

My contender/pretender list for the 2010 St. Pete Indy Grand Prix

Will Power - CONTENDER
Tony Kanaan - CONTENDER
Scott Dixon - CONTENDER
Justin Wilson - CONTENDER
Helio Castroneves - CONTENDER
Marco Andretti - pretender
Ryan Hunter-Reay - CONTENDER
Alex Tagliani - pretender
E.J. Viso - pretender
Mike Conway - pretender
Takuma Sato - pretender
Hideki Mutoh - pretender
Dario Franchitti - CONTENDER
Simona de Silvestro - pretender
Dan Wheldon - pretender
Graham Rahal - pretender
Vitor Meira - CONTENDER
Mario Romancini - pretender
Ryan Briscoe - CONTENDER
Mario Moraes - pretender
Danica Patrick - pretender
Alex Lloyd - pretender
Raphael Matos - pretender
Milka - forget it !


I agree Marco is a pretender.....but he did make the fast 6....did he make the fast 6 even once in 2009?

[Scotty G.]

1. However, on a somewhat related item, there is a little online poll on indycar.com - "Which drivers do you want to see on Race Control" - Danica is 50% ahead of Ryan Hunter Reay, and over double the votes of anyone else.

2. Is Ana Beatriz expected to run anymore races?


1. That is more a product of having a series with a bunch of drivers people don't care about. Danica will win by default, with things like this. Whether you like her or not, at least you know her and care one way or the other about her.

2. Probably back for Indy with D&R.

[Scotty G.]

and Milks still 7sec off the pace....how is that possible in a spec series

I think that Coyne car is just that slow. I am sure Milka is getting everything out of it, it has. Hopefully they get the car sorted out soon and then Milka can start showing her major league racing skills.

With Donuts would be struggling to stay up with the greatness that is Rodrigo Barbosa (who I think is the male version of Milka in Lights), that is scary.

[DanicaFan]

The final practice session is over from today.

Here are the results...

Rank / Car# & Driver / Lap Time / Speed

1. #9 Scott Dixon / 01:02.9343 / 102.965
2. #12 Will Power / 01:03.1731 / 102.575
3. #11 Tony Kanaan / 01:03.2922 / 102.382
4. #2 Raphael Matos / 01:03.3433 / 102.300
5. #4 Dan Wheldon / 01:03.3504 / 102.288
6. #24 Mike Conway / 01:03.3564 / 102.279
7. #6 Ryan Briscoe / 01:03.3840 / 102.234
8. #10 Dario Franchitti / 01:03.3978 / 102.212
9. #3 Helio Castroneves / 01:03.4696 / 102.096
10. #22 Justin Wilson / 01:03.5154 / 102.023
11. #8 EJ Viso / 01:03.5640 / 101.944
12. #37 Ryan Hunter-Reay / 01:03.5668 / 101.940
13. #26 Marco Andretti / 01:03.5999 / 101.887
14. #78 Simona De Silvestro / 01:03.6043 / 101.880
15. #67 Graham Rahal / 01:03.6100 / 101.871
16. #14 Vitor Meira / 01:03.6477 / 101.810
17. #7 Danica Patrick / 01:03.7113 / 101.709
18. #77 Alex Tagliani / 01:03.7131 / 101.706
19. #5 Takuma Sato / 01:03.7859 / 101.590
20. #06 Hideki Mutoh / 01:03.9085 / 101.395
21. #32 Mario Moraes / 01:04.0477 / 101.175
22. #34 Mario Romancini / 01:04.2046 / 100.927
23. #19 Alex Lloyd / 01:04.2385 / 100.874
24. #18 Milka Duno / 01:10.1599 / 92.360

[Hoop-98]

Tight Field with one exception...

http://i41.tinypic.com/w6xus3.jpg

[Chamoo]

Practice might not matter. 90% chance of rain today, all day, next 24 hours really.

The race is going to be exciting either way, but the rain will just add another element, just as it did in Sao Paolo. I hope they don't have to red flag the race though.

[Scotty G.]

Lots of low-talent "vanker" moves in the early going of the Lights race.

[DanicaFan]

I have my Danica & GoDaddy shirt on all ready for the race!

Go get em' Danica!

[beachgirl]

In looking at Hoop's list, I truly wish the IRL had the 107% rule, or even the 110% rule. I like Milka as a person. As a driver (she's not a racer), she is so far out to lunch, it's amazing. She does not belong in this race, and I don't say that lightly. I really wish they'd suddenly find some tech problem with her car, and just keep her off that track.

[Nikki Katz]

Yikes. How can Duno possibly be 8 seconds off the pace when the lap is only just over a minute? I hope that she doesn't hit anyone.

[nigelred5]

Because she simply is not of the caliber to be competing at this level.

They've parked her before just as they have parked other drivers and essentially pulled their license. This is one situation where I don't agree with allowing the driver on track just to keep a sponsor in the series. They need to do it again and park her and Hugo Chavez's money.

[beachbum]

3 Indy car fans to change a light? 1 changes a bulb, 2 discuss how great it was before electricity
Right on target! :)

[booger]

Getting this race started, much less finished is going to be real iffy today. AR1 reports that the stands were evacuated because of a big storm and supposedly more to come. NASCAR Sprint Cup cancelled until tomorrow...hope the same doesn't happen to St. Pete. Anybody have any current condition report from St. Pete?

[domaza]

Getting this race started, much less finished is going to be real iffy today. AR1 reports that the stands were evacuated because of a big storm and supposedly more to come. NASCAR Sprint Cup cancelled until tomorrow...hope the same doesn't happen to St. Pete. Anybody have any current condition report from St. Pete?

Watch live video ... not good ...

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Still raining and some thunder (it seems), but the fans have been let out of the safe areas they were directed to when the storms began. A saftey vehicle is circulating the track for inspection.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Just looked at the Doppler radar. Big blob of rain over and to the west of T/St. P area . Doesn't look good.

[UltimateDanGTR]

just saw a shot of the edge of the track on the sky sports coverage-a rather deep mimi lake it seems. start delayed by an hour apparently. first nascar and now Indycars looking iffy, can't a man enjoy some american motorsport without being interrupted by stupid weather? :D

[NickFalzone]

at least we get to see Danica interviewed on ABC now. Such a rare opportunity.

[DanicaFan]

Rain, rain, rain. Unfortunately we may not get this race off until tomorrow.

[booger]

If they call it, when will that be? And, when would they run it tomorrow and will it be on ESPN? VS? Anywhere?

[SarahFan]

man.. with nascar rained out...and 75% of sports fans no longer having a team left on there final4 brackets.... plus no tiger playing golf...

this series cant catch a break!

[Nikki Katz]

on the plus side, the stream on the website's working perfectly, there's no buffering at all while i'm watching the puddles fill.

[anthonyvop]

2morrow 10 am ESPN2

No luck

[Phoenixent]

Race postponed until Monday at 10am EST and will be on ESPN2

[DanicaFan]

I get off work at 8am tomorrow, I'll watch it for sure.

[harvick#1]

man, with the wet weather. I was hoping for a good race, alot of the more skilled drivers would have fun out there.

wheres mad max to tell the drivers to go race under any circumstances :laugh:

[NickFalzone]

man.. with nascar rained out...and 75% of sports fans no longer having a team left on there final4 brackets.... plus no tiger playing golf...

this series cant catch a break!

so true Ken, lol

as far as the others saying "race in the rain", well that fact is that these cars can race in just the lightest of rain conditions. A few puddles build up in the corners here and there, and it's going to be long stretches of red flag. I'd rather them just put it off and get it in at once tomorrow.

[Mark in Oshawa]

It is a mess. NASCAR rained out, the NCAA's all messed up and the PGA Tigerless and they get this when they are supposed to be on ABC.

I am really stoked about this race and now I will be working and going to my course tomorrow and I WONT see a bit of it. I can tape it, but with the domestic goddess and one TV, god knows when I will able to squeeze it in the VCR and watch it unbothered....

The really good thing is tho, this series is stronger this year. Looking at that pretender/contender list, I realize now that as time goes on, and people start to see the names and get a feeling for them as people, there is going to be more of a storyline. As long as the Penske and Ganassi guys don't dominate the ovals like they did last year ( a faint hope I know) then this series has potential for a good points race. The road/street courses on the sched are providing some interesting story lines...

[maxmach]

I just got back from the track, down here on business and was hoping I could catch the race......no way they were racing. It was coming down hard from 2pm or so on. I mean hard.....the track looked like a swiming pool, standing water everywhere. And me leaving tonight.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I just got back from the track, down here on business and was hoping I could catch the race......no way they were racing. It was coming down hard from 2pm or so on. I mean hard.....the track looked like a swiming pool, standing water everywhere. And me leaving tonight.

That sucks....but rain just about killed most of the sporting events in the USA of note this weekend.

I would just miss the plane...lol I hear the race is at 9am or something like that, so you could in theory catch the afternoon flight....

[Easy Drifter]

I've been in those Fla. downpowers and have never seen the streets flood that badly.
Anybody know if the concrete barriers might be placed over the street drains.
Airport runways do not normally flood but the only way for water to really flow past the barriers is where the loader forks go and that is not much room.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I've been in those Fla. downpowers and have never seen the streets flood that badly.
Anybody know if the concrete barriers might be placed over the street drains.
Airport runways do not normally flood but the only way for water to really flow past the barriers is where the loader forks go and that is not much room.

It is the issue with street races. It doesn't help that the crown of the road with the effect of the walls blocking catch basins means you have ponds of water with no place to go...
In Toronto, they keep the storm drains exposed if not just welded down, so it helps...a little but not much.

[booger]

So they did get the FF2000 and Lights races in. Anybody know how much the purses are for these races and how much the winners get?

[MDS]

looks like they haven't fixed the problems with the live feed, still can only watch for 30 seconds before it crashes.

The individual cams seem to be better... if only Graham had one.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Duno spins on the pace lap . Someone please stop her now from ever racing again/ PLEEEEEEEEEEZ !

[garyshell]

looks like they haven't fixed the problems with the live feed, still can only watch for 30 seconds before it crashes.

The individual cams seem to be better... if only Graham had one.


Smooth as silk here.

Gary

[garyshell]

The live video is not showing the same shots as ESPN apparently. I am watching at work via internet and the announcers are talking about moves an passes not shown on the feed video.

Gary

[ChicagocrewIRL]

If you're having trouble with the IndyCar live feed go to ESPN.com. It's available on ESPN 360

[TURN3]

Another crash for KV...go figure.

Interesting looking at fast laps so far up to the first yellow, Power and Franchitti into the 104's. One other in the 104 bracket, any guesses as to who? Not that it matters at this point but I thought it was pretty cool.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Go Vitor !!

[garyshell]

If you're having trouble with the IndyCar live feed go to ESPN.com. It's available on ESPN 360


Only available if your internet provider is also a cable company and carries ESPN.

Gary

[TURN3]

Yet another KV crash.

I want to know if we can get some type of wager going for number of laps their 3 drivers fail to complete. An over/under deal?

[garyshell]

Yet another KV crash.

I want to know if we can get some type of wager going for number of laps their 3 drivers fail to complete. An over/under deal?


Taken out by a broken suspension on Wheldon's car, not the fault of a KV driver.

Gary

[TURN3]

Taken out by a broken suspension on Wheldon's car, not the fault of a KV driver.

Gary

Absolutely not Mario's fault there but still...the circumstances that created that freight train go back to Mario chopping off Dixon's nose then holding up 10 lead lap drivers for 15 laps. Not very good when he's also been off pace all season.

[TURN3]

Poor Simona, her crew has sent her to the back on 1 pit stop and lost another 4 spots for her there. Still very impressed again with the rookie and HVM. Not sure what Foyt is thinking with Vitor's strategy, that is 2x today he's bascially hung him out to dry. He can't go to the end, why stay out when everybody else can? No sense.

[TURN3]

Typical St. Pete...very exciting. This really helps out the slow pathetic drivers like Matos and Patrick. Start at the back and pray, end up with top 10.

[Easy Drifter]

Keep the info coming. Being on dial up and without TV coverage I am relying on you people.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

dayum Dario just took away Graham's top 8 position

Dario up to p7 just passed Matos

Dario to p6 just passed Danica

Dario to p5 just passed Tags

amazing

[garyshell]

Lap 95 and Danica is REALLY holding up a train behind her.

Gary

[garyshell]

Power, Wilson, Briscoe, Castroneves.

Graham #9, to bad he took out Simona.

Gary

[ChicagocrewIRL]

outstanding race

[DanicaFan]

Will Power wins at St. Pete !

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Where are the naysayers who say street racing is boring?!

[TURN3]

Yes, really good racing both events so far. Now if the weather would just cooperate. Lots of action and strategy mixing things up.

[DanicaFan]

Here are the final results..

1. #12 Will Power
2. #22 Justin Wilson
3. #6 Ryan Briscoe
4. #3 Helio Castroneves
5. #10 Dario Franchitti
6. #77 Alex Tagliani
7. #7 Danica Patrick
8. #2 Raphael Matos
9. #67 Graham Rahal
10. #11 Tony Kanaan
11. #37 Ryan Hunter-Reay
12. #26 Marco Andretti
13. #34 Mario Romancini
14. #06 Hideki Mutoh
15. #14 Vitor Meira
16. #78 Simona De Silvestro
17. #8 EJ Viso
18. #9 Scott Dixon
19. #24 Mike Conway
20. #4 Dan Wheldon
21. #32 Mario Moraes
22. #5 Takuma Sato
23. #19 Alex Lloyd
24. #18 Milka Duno

[DanicaFan]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!

[Lousada]

Poor Simona, her crew has sent her to the back on 1 pit stop and lost another 4 spots for her there. Still very impressed again with the rookie and HVM.

She was driving with Danica and Rahal most of the race. She would have made top10 easily without that accident :(

[Lousada]

Who will stop Will Power though, 43 points ahead!! He is supposedly not so good on the ovals, but at this rate he doesn't need them...

[Alfa Fan]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!

The rest of just don't want to hear another comment about Danica, period.

[mileman]

Who will stop Will Power though, 43 points ahead!! He is supposedly not so good on the ovals, but at this rate he doesn't need them...

5th at Indy and 9th at Kentucky last year. Those kind of oval finishes would just about seal it.

[px400r]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!

Did Danica make a pass for position today or was it pit stop strategy?

[Scotty G.]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!


She sucked all weekend.

Only way "she came back" to 7th place, is because Mike Conway is an idiot and brought out the yellow at the EXACT right time for her. Her pit strategy ended up working perfectly (as it did for Matos as well).

Otherwise, she ends up about 13th or 14th. Where she belonged.

[Scotty G.]

Did Danica make a pass for position today or was it pit stop strategy?

It was all pit strategy and a few of the usual suspects dropping out in front of her.

[Scotty G.]

Yet another KV crash.

I want to know if we can get some type of wager going for number of laps their 3 drivers fail to complete. An over/under deal?


KV might be out of business by August, at this rate.

Of course, when you put 3 wild squirrles in your car, what do you expect?

Moraes always has been terrible (despite a few 'over-his-head' finishes last year) and Sato looks like the 2010 version of a young Tomas Scheckter. And Viso is Viso.

I am sure their crew guys's tongue's will be hanging out with all the extra work they will have this season. :(

[Spiderman]

Who will stop Will Power though, 43 points ahead!! He is supposedly not so good on the ovals, but at this rate he doesn't need them...

Now with Penske he is with a team giving him a very good set up for the ovals. He may not be the first candidate for wins there, but top 5 finishes with this car should be very realistic. So he will score important points there, and maybe thats all he needs if he stays that superior on the road circuits!

[Lousada]

She sucked all weekend.

Only way "she came back" to 7th place, is because Mike Conway is an idiot and brought out the yellow at the EXACT right time for her. Her pit strategy ended up working perfectly (as it did for Matos as well).

Otherwise, she ends up about 13th or 14th. Where she belonged.

Pit strategy is part of the game, like it or not. Danica held them all up, but she wasn't bad enough that the others could pass. Franchitti showed how easy it was to pass if you were better.

[bzcam]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!

I am a long time lurker and occasional poster on this board. I also have been in and around the internet since before the world wide web (WWW) and been on countless message boards, newsgroups, etc and feel like I really need to point something out to my fellow race enthusiasts. -->Danicafan is a troll. <-- A classic, internet chatroom, newsgroup, bulletin board troll.

From Wikipedia:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Danicafan knows that even the mention of Danica Patrick sets a lot of people off. She further knows that her incessent cheerleading and her "she can do no wrong" postings will further incite people. She does it all on purpose just to get the reaction.

Best way to deal with a troll -> ignore them. They will eventually go away.

BZ

[downtowndeco]

I am a long time lurker and occasional poster on this board. I also have been in and around the internet since before the world wide web (WWW) and been on countless message boards, newsgroups, etc and feel like I really need to point something out to my fellow race enthusiasts. -->Danicafan is a troll. <-- A classic, internet chatroom, newsgroup, bulletin board troll.

From Wikipedia:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Danicafan knows that even the mention of Danica Patrick sets a lot of people off. She further knows that her incessent cheerleading and her "she can do no wrong" postings will further incite people. She does it all on purpose just to get the reaction.

Best way to deal with a troll -> ignore them. They will eventually go away.

BZ


Let's see. A guy is a fan of a racer, supports them and cheers them on, never says anything bad about any of the other drivers on the track or posters on this site and he's the troll?

I don't care how long you've been on posting on the net, you're nuts.

Decent job Danica. Again, you finished in front of everyone else on your team.

[bzcam]

Let's see. A guy is a fan of a racer, supports them and cheers them on, never says anything bad about any of the other drivers on the track or posters on this site and he's the troll?

I don't care how long you've been on posting on the net, you're nuts.

Decent job Danica. Again, you finished in front of everyone else on your team.

He's very good - he clearly has you duped.

BZ

[downtowndeco]

He's very good - he clearly has you duped.

BZ

Yeah. That's it. He fooled me.

If anyone looks like a troll it's you. I will follow your advise though & ignore you from here on out.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

I am a long time lurker and occasional poster on this board. I also have been in and around the internet since before the world wide web (WWW) and been on countless message boards, newsgroups, etc and feel like I really need to point something out to my fellow race enthusiasts. -->Danicafan is a troll. <-- A classic, internet chatroom, newsgroup, bulletin board troll.

From Wikipedia:

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Danicafan knows that even the mention of Danica Patrick sets a lot of people off. She further knows that her incessent cheerleading and her "she can do no wrong" postings will further incite people. She does it all on purpose just to get the reaction.

Best way to deal with a troll -> ignore them. They will eventually go away.

BZ

I think you are the troll here. DanicaFan, although misguided and sometimes overbearing in HIS cheerleading of Danica, is a passionate knowledgable race fan who brings a lot o the discussions on this forum. I admire DanicaFan's devotion to the sport and to his favorite driver. So please be sure of what you are posting before you say anything that offends people. DanicaFan is a HE BTW, and you would know this if you were a member of the motorsportforum community. Have a good day. and to DanicaFan... more power to you.

[ChicagocrewIRL]

Yeah. That's it. He fooled me.

If anyone looks like a troll it's you. I will follow your advise though & ignore you from here on out.

X2 <IGNORE>

[TURN3]

Danica was horrible today as usual. A 7th place finish where she litterally didn't pass a single car all day long. Now before I get too hyped up, Matos did the same thing. Those 2 ran the same strategy and both had qualified at the back, hence they finished together. Yes strategy is part of the equation in racing so no points will be deducted from those 2 but 7th and 8th place don't exactly show how they were outperformed all weekend by 22 other cars as a whole. Strategy helped a ton of people today, seems at St. Pete every year there are many different strategies that can pan out. Notice Briscoe finished 3rd after starting at the back.

Mechanical failures took Wheldon and Viso out of top 10's (top 5 for Viso)ahead of the 2 point pickers. Kanaan got hammered, Marco had a tire, Simona got punted, and Dixon made a mistake (very rare for him). That isn't even counting Conweasel and Sato's boneheaded mistakes. It is all part of racing, but all those drivers were outperforming Matos and Patrick...they were fortunate beneficiaries.

All I'm pointing out here is that look at the performance, not the result. DF "doesn't want to hear anything bad about here on a roadcourse again...". Obviously you're not looking at the performance. 7th & 8th for her and Matos today is a salvage. That isn't exactly anything to get excited about.

[e2mtt]

...
Again, you finished in front of everyone else on your team.

This. How does she do this so consistantly? Kanaan is truly a great driver. Marco and Ryan are fast, good at road courses, etc..

Sorry, who cares about Danica.

Nice work by Will Powers.

[downtowndeco]

Danica was horrible today as usual. A 7th place finish where she litterally didn't pass a single car all day long. Now before I get too hyped up, Matos did the same thing. Those 2 ran the same strategy and both had qualified at the back, hence they finished together. Yes strategy is part of the equation in racing so no points will be deducted from those 2 but 7th and 8th place don't exactly show how they were outperformed all weekend by 22 other cars as a whole. Strategy helped a ton of people today, seems at St. Pete every year there are many different strategies that can pan out. Notice Briscoe finished 3rd after starting at the back.

Mechanical failures took Wheldon and Viso out of top 10's (top 5 for Viso)ahead of the 2 point pickers. Kanaan got hammered, Marco had a tire, Simona got punted, and Dixon made a mistake (very rare for him). That isn't even counting Conweasel and Sato's boneheaded mistakes. It is all part of racing, but all those drivers were outperforming Matos and Patrick...they were fortunate beneficiaries.

All I'm pointing out here is that look at the performance, not the result. DF "doesn't want to hear anything bad about here on a roadcourse again...". Obviously you're not looking at the performance. 7th & 8th for her and Matos today is a salvage. That isn't exactly anything to get excited about.

Isn't it nice to have a driver in the series, who not only consistantly finishes well but also that fans never get tired of talking about?

[MDS]

How much does it suck to be Marco Andretti right now?

You really need a win, you're at a street course, which as a former F-1 Hopeful you're good at, and Graham Rahal jumps into the seat at one of the smallest teams with the least amount of experience and engineering support and beats you soundly?

Seriously, couldn't be more impressed with Graham this weekend. He took a car that was four-seconds off the back of the pack at Barber and brought it home 8th... Good job kid.

[downtowndeco]

Sorry, who cares about Danica.


Apparently just about everybody, because any thread where her name is mentioned instantly creates a 8/10 page debate.

[TURN3]

Apparently just about everybody, because any thread where her name is mentioned instantly creates a 8/10 page debate.

But as usual, you keep adding to it? Not sure what logic you have when you are one of the facilitators. But thats not unusual for your posts.

[downtowndeco]

But as usual, you keep adding to it? Not sure what logic you have when you are one of the facilitators. But thats not unusual for your posts.

Hey, I've got no problem with talking about Danica (or any other driver). It's like you just want people to agree with you and then shut up.

[TURN3]

Hey, I've got no problem with talking about Danica (or any other driver). It's like you just want people to agree with you and then shut up.

No I agree...discuss away. Thats what makes us fans! I thought you were sort of complaining that every discussion that involves Danica was out of line or somehting? I misunderstood you then.

Unrelated....HOOP where are the stats? I can't seem to find any. Curious how Graham ended up fast lap wise. When live timing was up he was in the low 104's. Seemed like he made a lot of progress with the SFR team...good to see. Hope that looks good for Barber.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

DanicaFan is not a troll, he is one of the most enthusiastic IndyCar Series fans on this board, who also happens to be a big fan of one particular driver as well. As such, his judgements are not always realistic but the cynical attitude of other members towards him is simply disgusting. This is the only reason that makes me root for Danica in every race despite not being a fan of her. The detractors are the reason I am happy if she finishes well. Like today. ;)

[downtowndeco]

No I agree...discuss away. Thats what makes us fans! I thought you were sort of complaining that every discussion that involves Danica was out of line or somehting? I misunderstood you then.

Unrelated....HOOP where are the stats? I can't seem to find any. Curious how Graham ended up fast lap wise. When live timing was up he was in the low 104's. Seemed like he made a lot of progress with the SFR team...good to see. Hope that looks good for Barber.


OK. No problem, just a misunderstanding. Cheers.

[Hoop-98]

No I agree...discuss away. Thats what makes us fans! I thought you were sort of complaining that every discussion that involves Danica was out of line or somehting? I misunderstood you then.

Unrelated....HOOP where are the stats? I can't seem to find any. Curious how Graham ended up fast lap wise. When live timing was up he was in the low 104's. Seemed like he made a lot of progress with the SFR team...good to see. Hope that looks good for Barber.

http://i44.tinypic.com/veuo80.jpg

rh

[TURN3]

The purpose of a race whether running, skiing, skating, bikes, cars, etc. is to finish in front of your competitors. It makes no difference if you set fast lap or looked spectacular or played it safe. It makes no difference what kind of luck anyone else had. The only thing that counts is finishing the prescribed distance in front of others. My bet is Danica is inside the top 10 in points at the end of the year. More than likely higher than 10th.

Probably a safe bet all things considered. We know for a fact Power, Briscoe, Castro-Neves, Dixon, Franchitti, Wilson, Kanaan, and RHR will be ahead of her. That leaves 2 spots for Marco or Graham to compete with her for. Although pretty much every other driver in the field is faster than her, I don't see any of them finishing enough races. But I'd say the likelihood of somebody like Viso winning a race is higher than it is for her.


http://i44.tinypic.com/veuo80.jpg

rh

Thanks Hoop, he didn't get down quite as low as I thought. Still, really impressed with the entire SFR team this weekend as well as HVM. Too bad Wheldon broke, looks like Panther is a little racier so far this year on the roadies. Not a big fan of Dan but would like to see the team get better results.

[Easy Drifter]

Do I get any brownie points for predicting Milk and Donuts would be out of the race with either handling or brake problems by lap 10?

[harvick#1]

Do I get any brownie points for predicting Milk and Donuts would be out of the race with either handling or brake problems by lap 10?

no, because everyone knows that she is absolute rubbish on road/street courses

[bzcam]

I think you are the troll here. DanicaFan, although misguided and sometimes overbearing in HIS cheerleading of Danica, is a passionate knowledgable race fan who brings a lot o the discussions on this forum. I admire DanicaFan's devotion to the sport and to his favorite driver. So please be sure of what you are posting before you say anything that offends people. DanicaFan is a HE BTW, and you would know this if you were a member of the motorsportforum community. Have a good day. and to DanicaFan... more power to you.


...find sand...insert head...funny

It's clear gang, DF says the things she says only to incite responses. She's very good at it. Don't blame me for pointing it out.

You don't salivate when you hear bells ring, do you?

BZ

[SarahFan]

How much does it suck to be Marco Andretti right now?

You really need a win, you're at a street course, which as a former F-1 Hopeful you're good at, and Graham Rahal jumps into the seat at one of the smallest teams with the least amount of experience and engineering support and beats you soundly?

Seriously, couldn't be more impressed with Graham this weekend. He took a car that was four-seconds off the back of the pack at Barber and brought it home 8th... Good job kid.


a great run for SFR!

[SarahFan]

...

It's clear gang, DF says the things she says only to incite responses.

BZ

whats really truly scary is your wrong


*and shes a he

[SarahFan]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!

she didnt run a great race......she ran a safe race....it sure would be nice if you would acknowledge the difference

[garyshell]

I dont want to hear another bad comment about Danica on road courses. She did awesome today! Came back from 21st to get 7th place. She ran a great race!

Way to go Danica!


Well whether you want to or not you will. She stunk today as she always does on a road course. The only reason she finished where she did was a) she caught a lucky yellow and b) she blocked everyone behind her. Did you see that HUGE gap in front of her near the end and the trail of cars behind her?

Gary

[bzcam]

whats really truly scary is your wrong


*and shes a he

Really guys, come on - its blatently clear from the things (s)he has written over the years that she get some kind of enjoyment out of the debate that occurs afterward. It's classic troll stuff. She says, "Danica will win the Indy 500 poll and win the race", and 20 guys come out of the woodwork to tell her that she's wrong. That's what trolls do. Read the definition again.

I come to this group to learn a few things about the IRL that I can't find in the trades. I have seen the pattern with DF repeated over and over again in almost every thread. She makes some idiotic comment about DP and people respond. She loves every minute of it. DF is a troll.

Don't be mad at me for pointing out the obvious.

BZ

PS - if you think I'm a troll, go back and read the 50+ posts that I have on here and see if I fit the definition.

[harvick#1]

she didnt run a great race......she ran a safe race....it sure would be nice if you would acknowledge the difference

he will never say anything like that :p :

how do you think she won her one race, and basically every one of her finishes, always plays it safe.

has she ever passed a CGR or Penske car with under 20 to go on a oval?


but back to the topic of the race, I see Mark was correct in saying this was Wills race to lose, see what happens when you put a very talented driver in a good car, he dominates and makes people look silly, very happy to see Will kicking ass this season, and could very well be the top runner for the title as long as he can be average on ovals, and with a Penske car, I think he can "pull a Danica" and stay in the 6-10 spots enough and attack to the road courses to keep the points up.

great to see Rahal give SFR a top 10, I'm sure Sarah was absolutely happy with that result

[Lousada]

Enough about Danica, let's talk about the real First Lady of Indycar.

Front page of indycar.com:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8673/indy01.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/i/indy01.jpg/)

Anyone noticed how the camera was desperately trying to keep her in frame during the post-race interview? Or was that just my imagination? :andrea:
They had a victory girl in Brazil too, but I don't know if it was the same one.

[garyshell]

Really guys, come on - its blatently clear from the things (s)he has written over the years that she get some kind of enjoyment out of the debate that occurs afterward. It's classic troll stuff. She says, "Danica will win the Indy 500 poll and win the race", and 20 guys come out of the woodwork to tell her that she's wrong. That's what trolls do. Read the definition again.

I come to this group to learn a few things about the IRL that I can't find in the trades. I have seen the pattern with DF repeated over and over again in almost every thread. She makes some idiotic comment about DP and people respond. She loves every minute of it. DF is a troll.

Don't be mad at me for pointing out the obvious.

BZ

PS - if you think I'm a troll, go back and read the 50+ posts that I have on here and see if I fit the definition.

What is blatantly clear is you are clueless to the fact that as pointed out DanicaFan is male. And while I do think there is a certain amount of enjoyment on his part in the mêlée that follows his posts, he is NOT doing so for that reason alone. He is a die hard fan of Danica. If you'd bother to dig back thru the archives here you'd find the pictures of his HUGE collection of Danica-phrenalia.

He may be delusional, but he's no troll.

Gary

[SarahFan]

Really guys, come on - its blatently clear from the things (s)he has written over the years that she get some kind of enjoyment out of the debate that occurs afterward. It's classic troll stuff. She says, "Danica will win the Indy 500 poll and win the race", and 20 guys come out of the woodwork to tell her that she's wrong. That's what trolls do. Read the definition again.

I come to this group to learn a few things about the IRL that I can't find in the trades. I have seen the pattern with DF repeated over and over again in almost every thread. She makes some idiotic comment about DP and people respond. She loves every minute of it. DF is a troll.

Don't be mad at me for pointing out the obvious.


PS - if you think I'm a troll, go back and read the 50+ posts that I have on here and see if I fit the definition.

no one is mad at you.... Or thinks your a troll

but like I said your wrong

the dude just isn't smart enough to be a troll ..... He believes the rediculous things he writes

but hey .... What ever cools your keg

[TURN3]

Enough about Danica, let's talk about the real First Lady of Indycar.

Front page of indycar.com:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8673/indy01.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/i/indy01.jpg/)

Anyone noticed how the camera was desperately trying to keep her in frame during the post-race interview? Or was that just my imagination? :andrea:
They had a victory girl in Brazil too, but I don't know if it was the same one.

And the top post of the thread goes to.........Lousada!

Guys, I think I know where bz is coming from. From time to time I waver on if DFan says ridiculous things just to get the rise or if he actually believes what he imagines. Either way, no less ridiculous right?

By the way, as the self-proclaimed top Danica hater, somebody mentioned she was blocking. She didn't block as far as I seen this entire race, which is a first. She was incredibly slow but Matos wasn't any better. The fact all those cars were held up is because Matos and Patrick were just quick enough down the straight and nobody would risk passing in the back. They got there via strategy, it counts, they got 7th and 8th and the guys behind didn't get around them so it is what it is. They both still stunk it up all weekend. Can you believe Matos is 5th in points!!? Talk about pulling a Danica...geez. That guy hasn't sniffed within 1 second of the top cars so far this year.

[DBell]

How much does it suck to be Marco Andretti right now?

You really need a win, you're at a street course, which as a former F-1 Hopeful you're good at, and Graham Rahal jumps into the seat at one of the smallest teams with the least amount of experience and engineering support and beats you soundly?

Seriously, couldn't be more impressed with Graham this weekend. He took a car that was four-seconds off the back of the pack at Barber and brought it home 8th... Good job kid.\

I have to disagree on this one. I'm doubt Marco is going top be in the same class as his dad, yet alone his grandfather, but I thought that this was one of the best races I've seen from him. He showed real speed in qualifying and was fantastic in the opening laps of the race. His passes to take the lead on cold tires and a slick track were terrific. It was a short lived lead, but he still was running towards the front for the first half of the race. He had a unplanned pitstop for tires after he ran over debris from someones accident. He lost his track position and had to fight his way back to 12th. He was quicker than Rahal this weekend and was in the same train behind Danica that Graham was at the finish. Oh, Graham was 9th, not 8th. This was a step forward from the usual 12th place finish that Marco tends to get.

[beachbum]

Let's see. A guy is a fan of a racer, supports them and cheers them on, never says anything bad about any of the other drivers on the track or posters on this site and he's the troll?
Some may consider DanicaFan's devotion to one driver a "bit" excessive, but his is knowledgeable, always respectful to other posters, and never degrades another driver. As you point out, he is certainly no troll. I don't agree with him on most topics, but I do applaud him on the respect he shows for others.

[SarahFan]

Some may consider DanicaFan's devotion to one driver a "bit" excessive, but his is knowledgeable, always respectful to other posters, and never degrades another driver. As you point out, he is certainly no troll. I don't agree with him on most topics, but I do applaud him on the respect he shows for others.

well in truth he leads the anti-respect brigade in regards to Milka.....and if would have read his PM to me the other day you might night find him so respectful

[Easy Drifter]

Well if Danica Fan is a she Chad sure has done one heck of a make up job on pictures I have seen of him with Danica.
He knows racing and I suspect he likes getting a rise out of us, which he does. I also enjoy ribbing him but bear no animosity towards him.
Besides messing with a cop ain't smart! :D :eek:

[Hoop-98]

At this stage Simona's strengths are her weakness and Danica's weaknesses are her strength.

Let me qualify this, we are not talking about RC/SC winners here, at this stage.

Danica was underagressive, lost lot's of time but this mitigated by cautions.
Simona charged, but burned off her reds, soon after her great lap time she was lapping at 1:07s.
Danica slowly advanced to 1;05s and was running 2 seconds a lap faster than Simona but way in the back till caution.

Danica's cautious, slow pace moved her up.
Simona's aggressive pass on Graham was nice, but she got grammed soon.

Danica's disciplined use of her red's let her finish in 7th.

Simona, IMO, has way more upside, but Danica get's good results out of her mediocre speed, which is a skill in itself, that Simona will likely learn.

Simona will not win yet , but I personally prefer her style and future.

Until she starts finishing in front of Danica for a season, her speed is cool, but results are what counts.

Oval will be a bit of a turn of the tables.

I predict Danica another 5th or 6th, turtlewise, and Simona , 13th or `14th, hare wise this year.

I prefer speed, but we count finishes,

rh

[SarahFan]

Well if Danica Fan is a she Chad sure has done one heck of a make up job on pictures I have seen of him with Danica.
He knows racing and I suspect he likes getting a rise out of us, which he does. I also enjoy ribbing him but bear no animosity towards him.
Besides messing with a cop ain't smart! :D :eek:

is he policeman or a security guard?

because there is a big difference

[SarahFan]

I predict Danica another 5th or 6th, turtlewise, and Simona , 13th or `14th, hare wise this year.

I prefer speed, but we count finishes,

rh


speak for yourself....

I count wins, then championships, then aggressiveness then finishes.....ill take harewise over turtlewise any day of the week and twice on raceday...

YMMV

[Hoop-98]

speak for yourself....

I count wins, then championships, then aggressiveness then finishes.....ill take harewise over turtlewise any day of the week and twice on raceday...

YMMV

Spoken as a fan with no skin in the game, you are entitled..as we are all, fans that is, I am looking at a few races this year at HMP, when you actually race, instead of watch, well lot's more to it Ken..Kinda like me watching Guy on TFC and telling you your cooking is all screwed up....

rh

[SarahFan]

Spoken as a fan with no skin in the game, you are entitled..as we are all, fans that is, I am looking at a few races this year at HMP, when you actually race, instead of watch, well lot's more to it Ken..Kinda like me watching Guy on TFC and telling you your cooking is all screwed up....

rh


do you not think my food gets judged every plate that leaves the kitchen....

do you think Roger is looking at more like you do or i do?

sure theres more to it......

but as a fan i could care less about a driver who never passes anyone.....im buying a ticket or switchin on the tube to watch a race not a drive

[Hoop-98]

So why are you talking about her instead of the drivers up front? You obviously focus on her...

[SarahFan]

So why are you talking about her instead of the drivers up front? You obviously focus on her...

Hardly....

[Hoop-98]

Hardly....

sorry only judging by volume..a poor choice..

[harvick#1]

Enough about Danica, let's talk about the real First Lady of Indycar.

Front page of indycar.com:
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8673/indy01.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/i/indy01.jpg/)



is Will trying to cop-a-feel :laugh:

[NickFalzone]

Hardly....

I note, rather sadly, that Danica and Milka have both gotten much more discussion mileage on this forum recently than any other driver. I know why it is, it's amusing to many here, but for the regulars it really has become tiresome.

[NickFalzone]

is Will trying to cop-a-feel :laugh:

I have seen very little from the race, did not watch it. Did Will hurt his hand?

[beachgirl]

I have seen very little from the race, did not watch it. Did Will hurt his hand?


I think he wraps them. I know at Sao Paolo, he unwrapped them and showed the pit reporters the bloody blisters underneath.

He's my hero, for sure!

[Easy Drifter]

Ken: From what Chad has said on another forum, I think, I believe he is a police officer but possibly at a University.
Maybe he will clear it up for us.

[FormerFF]

I saw the last 15 laps while I was eating lunch at work. First and foremost, congrats to Will on two in a row. A big thumbs up to Justin, getting the D & R car up to second shows he is one of the best road course drivers in the series. Also, a nice job by Tags and Graham for getting two low budget/inexperienced teams up towards the front of the field. I was also impressed by Dario's finish, picking off so many cars at the end.

I'm also very impressed on how well the Andretti team handled Danica's race, and how Danica kept her wits about her to execute the plan. After qualifying, it was obvious she was way short on pace and could only hope to score some points on strategy. It looks like the team took a little downforce out of the car so that she'd be fast down the straight, and thus hard to pass. Of course, she wouldn't be able to pass anyone either, but that wasn't going to happen anyway.

And thank God Milka got off the track after only a few laps.

[TURN3]

I saw the last 15 laps while I was eating lunch at work. First and foremost, congrats to Will on two in a row. A big thumbs up to Justin, getting the D & R car up to second shows he is one of the best road course drivers in the series. Also, a nice job by Tags and Graham for getting two low budget/inexperienced teams up towards the front of the field. I was also impressed by Dario's finish, picking off so many cars at the end.

I'm also very impressed on how well the Andretti team handled Danica's race, and how Danica kept her wits about her to execute the plan. After qualifying, it was obvious she was way short on pace and could only hope to score some points on strategy. It looks like the team took a little downforce out of the car so that she'd be fast down the straight, and thus hard to pass. Of course, she wouldn't be able to pass anyone either, but that wasn't going to happen anyway.

And thank God Milka got off the track after only a few laps.

Don't know if anybody has any theories or if it was just coincidence but Danica aside, the other 3 AA cars looked so strong during qualifying. None of them really had much race pace. Again, not including Danica, enough has been suggested about her. I know Marco and TK had their circumstances through the race but so did Dario (twice in fact). Seems to me like AA is making a little comeback this year so far but seems sporadic.

BTW, Hoop, very good analysis on Danica and Simona comparison. I would agree with most of it. But, caution my friend, dare to compare and a handful here will get dizzy of actual sense!

[Mark in Oshawa]

At this stage Simona's strengths are her weakness and Danica's weaknesses are her strength.

Let me qualify this, we are not talking about RC/SC winners here, at this stage.

Danica was underagressive, lost lot's of time but this mitigated by cautions.
Simona charged, but burned off her reds, soon after her great lap time she was lapping at 1:07s.
Danica slowly advanced to 1;05s and was running 2 seconds a lap faster than Simona but way in the back till caution.

Danica's cautious, slow pace moved her up.
Simona's aggressive pass on Graham was nice, but she got grammed soon.

Danica's disciplined use of her red's let her finish in 7th.

Simona, IMO, has way more upside, but Danica get's good results out of her mediocre speed, which is a skill in itself, that Simona will likely learn.

Simona will not win yet , but I personally prefer her style and future.

Until she starts finishing in front of Danica for a season, her speed is cool, but results are what counts.

Oval will be a bit of a turn of the tables.

I predict Danica another 5th or 6th, turtlewise, and Simona , 13th or `14th, hare wise this year.

I prefer speed, but we count finishes,

rh


That is about my feeling too. Not so much based on what I saw today, because I didn't. I had things to do today, and knew I wouldn't have time to tape and watch it.

The Danica punching bag is getting old, but alas, DF fan does drive the Danica talk. Then again, he is a true fan, and I wont knock him for being a fan, even if he is unrealistic in his expectations. DF, you could be a Maple Leaf's fan for your devotion. There are people who seriously think every year is the year for them, even when they miss the playoffs 5 years running!

Danica's strength is she drives a safe race. She doesn't make real mistakes because she doesn't risk making banzai passes. She used to, but would rather points race than go for broke trying to get top 5's. The reality is, you look at Hoop's data, her fastest time for the race was about where she finished. Mid pack. Nothing wrong with being consistent and using your head to get good finishes BUT...and this is the BUT...you will only win when the rest of the field screws up or you catch them napping on a fuel run. Which is of course how she won her only race in Japan.

Danica will not race hard for the lead on any road/street course, because it isn't her thing. The problem is, those tracks are now half the schedule. By finishing 7th today, she is trying to mitigate her lack of overall speed. She is points racing on the road/street courses. On the ovals...well she runs really well at Indy (for reasons I have never understood); and she runs decent on the other ovals. IN short, she will likely finish in the top 10, most likely no better than 5th. IN points, that isn't shabby, but as Ken said, who cheers for people who play it safe all the time? You can be a "smart" driver all you want, but if you still don't have that blazing turn of speed and ability to make passes, you wont win races and you are NOT going to win my loyalty.

Simona tries to win. Will Power WINS. Graham tries to WIN. TK tries to WIN. Dario tries to WIN. Danica tries to survive....big difference...and it is the reason the fuss made about her is so contentious. I would have a lot more respect for her as a driver if she raced hard and failed then played it safe...

She plays a prevent defence....all it does is prevent you from winning...

[NickFalzone]

Justin Wilson is just a huge talent imo, right up there with Will Power as a road/street racer. To think that he has gone from one average team to another (I include 2008 NHL in that mix) and gotten these kinds of top finishes is amazing to me. A win at NHL, a win at Coyne, and 2nd race of the season, a 2nd place at D&R. Dale and D&R haven't gotten those kinds of results in years, and it's not like Justin's equipment is suddenly a step up from everyone else that has had it. You give him a very mid-pack level car and he'll get it right to the front on the roads/streets, not many drivers that you can say that about. Almost any other driver in that car and you're looking at 10th place or worse finishes.

[TURN3]

Justin Wilson is just a huge talent imo, right up there with Will Power as a road/street racer. To think that he has gone from one average team to another (I include 2008 NHL in that mix) and gotten these kinds of top finishes is amazing to me. A win at NHL, a win at Coyne, and 2nd race of the season, a 2nd place at D&R. Dale and D&R haven't gotten those kinds of results in years, and it's not like Justin's equipment is suddenly a step up from everyone else that has had it. You give him a very mid-pack level car and he'll get it right to the front on the roads/streets, not many drivers that you can say that about. Almost any other driver in that car and you're looking at 10th place or worse finishes.

YES!! Great point. I almost posted something about him earlier in one of my Danica sucks posts but I cut it out. :) Glad you pointed it out, Justin and Will are both lights out. Good Lord can you imagine Justin in a Penske or a Ganassi?

[NickFalzone]

YES!! Great point. I almost posted something about him earlier in one of my Danica sucks posts but I cut it out. :) Glad you pointed it out, Justin and Will are both lights out. Good Lord can you imagine Justin in a Penske or a Ganassi?

Was just thinking that. He's qualified 3rd at Brazil, 4th at St. Pete, and is currently tied for 2nd in the championship... all in a Dreyer and Reinbold car. If he was in Penske or Ganassi, forget about it.

[NickFalzone]

For those interested, I found a race recap on youtube:

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[DanicaFan]

bzcam, I dont even know who you are. I never heard of you, 50 some posts in 3 years... hmmm :confused:

Im no troll, just a die-hard Indycar fan with a strong passion for the sport and I have a strong support for Danica. This is something I wont deny. I dont see the reason to deny it or hide from it. She is a great person and I enjoy talking to her when I see her and her family several times during the year. Very pleasant times indeed.

Downtowndeco, chicagocrewirl,drkroghsoj, easy drifter, thanks for the kind words and support. If I left anyone out giving me kind words, sorry and thanks to you to.

And Ken, yes, Im a full-time, certified police officer in Indiana. I worked on a city department for 8 years and switched to University police now but still have all my arrest powers and have to keep up on all my yearly training hours to stay certified.

But back to the race, I enjoyed it. Im looking forward to Barber but Im worried that the track may be to narrow for a lot of passing. It may be the least exciting road course they have but that remains to be seen.

[ShiftingGears]

Well done to Power.

[mileman]

...find sand...insert head...funny

It's clear gang, DF says the things she says only to incite responses. She's very good at it. Don't blame me for pointing it out.

BZ

OK - you've incited my response. I've been around BB's since the early 80's - long before the first browser. You are a classic...

I enjoy DFan's enthusiastic devotion to no end. I've also said before that I find the overzealous attacks on Danica by others to border on the humorous at times. (A bit overdone guys...) But I must say that I have never thought of DFan as any more than a superfan of a particular driver. In addition the fact that you can't tell the difference between he and she is very disturbing.

DFan - I'm happy that you're back for the season!

[px400r]

has she ever passed a CGR or Penske car with under 20 to go on a oval?


Sure, when Castroneves ran out of fuel at Motegi in 2008. That was for the lead and the win...

[px400r]

A big thumbs up to Justin, getting the D & R car up to second shows he is one of the best road course drivers in the series. Also, a nice job by Tags and Graham for getting two low budget/inexperienced teams up towards the front of the field.

It's clear that on road and street circuits, more teams are capable of challenging Penske and Ganassi. It makes for a great on track product.

Let's see how the ovals work out.

[px400r]

Justin Wilson is just a huge talent imo, right up there with Will Power as a road/street racer. To think that he has gone from one average team to another (I include 2008 NHL in that mix) and gotten these kinds of top finishes is amazing to me. A win at NHL, a win at Coyne, and 2nd race of the season, a 2nd place at D&R. Dale and D&R haven't gotten those kinds of results in years, and it's not like Justin's equipment is suddenly a step up from everyone else that has had it. You give him a very mid-pack level car and he'll get it right to the front on the roads/streets, not many drivers that you can say that about. Almost any other driver in that car and you're looking at 10th place or worse finishes.

Will Power is a great talent, no doubt. But based on your argument (which I heartily endorse), I give JW a slight edge over WP.

This past weekend's results also show (so far) where the real competition is in the series- road and street circuits.

[px400r]

But back to the race, I enjoyed it. Im looking forward to Barber but Im worried that the track may be to narrow for a lot of passing. It may be the least exciting road course they have but that remains to be seen.

If that's true, then qualifying speed will mean a lot because starting at the front is what will keep you at the front. Then again, you can go with pit stop strategy and hope for some luck.

[Scotty G.]

This past weekend's results also show (so far) where the real competition is in the series- road and street circuits.


Which is a big problem for the sport, if it ever wants to get popular in America again.

[px400r]

Which is a big problem for the sport, if it ever wants to get popular in America again.

Was the IRL really all that popular when it was an all-oval series?

[Chamoo]

Was the IRL really all that popular when it was an all-oval series?

The problem with the all oval aspect of the series was that it was a niche version of AOWR.

The problem with niche products is that their life span is low. People will tune in for the first little bit, but they grow tired of it.

Look at the Nascar Truck Series. The first year or two, they had surprisingly high ratings into the 2's and 3's. Now they are hovering around 1, the stands are empty during their races.

AOWR was built on road and ovals. That isn't a niche concept, it is the way it was produced.

Problem we face now, is Indycar a niche sport?

[px400r]

AOWR was built on road and ovals. That isn't a niche concept, it is the way it was produced.

Problem we face now, is Indycar a niche sport?

I'd say that AOWR was built on dirt tracks, with the Indy 500 as the marquee event. It was CART that took AOWR to the road courses and the street circuits, and one could argue that AOWR reached it's commercial zenith with CART.

The American public can only make room for one top level sport, and it has not distinguished between they type of cars and the type of circuits. Split or no split, there were a number of things working against CART and in favor of NASCAR. The American public decided that NASCAR is that one professional auto racing series, elevating it on the same level with MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.

So yes, Indy Car racing, along with other professional forms of motorsport in the US, is second-tier (or niche if you prefer) motorsport. I'm sure NASCAR would love nothing more than to relegate the Indy 500 to the other race on Memorial Day.

Whether that's a bad thing or not is up to the fan.

[bzcam]

bzcam, I dont even know who you are. I never heard of you, 50 some posts in 3 years... hmmm :confused:

Im no troll, just a die-hard Indycar fan with a strong passion for the sport and I have a strong support for Danica. This is something I wont deny. I dont see the reason to deny it or hide from it. She is a great person and I enjoy talking to her when I see her and her family several times during th....



Whatever.

Oh and BTW, I'm an FBI agent in the Phillipines...

BZ

[Hoop-98]

Don't know if anybody has any theories or if it was just coincidence but Danica aside, the other 3 AA cars looked so strong during qualifying. None of them really had much race pace. Again, not including Danica, enough has been suggested about her. I know Marco and TK had their circumstances through the race but so did Dario (twice in fact). Seems to me like AA is making a little comeback this year so far but seems sporadic.

BTW, Hoop, very good analysis on Danica and Simona comparison. I would agree with most of it. But, caution my friend, dare to compare and a handful here will get dizzy of actual sense!

I did say I preferred Simona's style, but that got missed and I think I got lumped in as a race not to lose fan.

rh

[FormerFF]

That is about my feeling too. Not so much based on what I saw today, because I didn't. I had things to do today, and knew I wouldn't have time to tape and watch it.

The Danica punching bag is getting old, but alas, DF fan does drive the Danica talk. Then again, he is a true fan, and I wont knock him for being a fan, even if he is unrealistic in his expectations. DF, you could be a Maple Leaf's fan for your devotion. There are people who seriously think every year is the year for them, even when they miss the playoffs 5 years running!

Danica's strength is she drives a safe race. She doesn't make real mistakes because she doesn't risk making banzai passes. She used to, but would rather points race than go for broke trying to get top 5's. The reality is, you look at Hoop's data, her fastest time for the race was about where she finished. Mid pack. Nothing wrong with being consistent and using your head to get good finishes BUT...and this is the BUT...you will only win when the rest of the field screws up or you catch them napping on a fuel run. Which is of course how she won her only race in Japan.

Danica will not race hard for the lead on any road/street course, because it isn't her thing. The problem is, those tracks are now half the schedule. By finishing 7th today, she is trying to mitigate her lack of overall speed. She is points racing on the road/street courses. On the ovals...well she runs really well at Indy (for reasons I have never understood); and she runs decent on the other ovals. IN short, she will likely finish in the top 10, most likely no better than 5th. IN points, that isn't shabby, but as Ken said, who cheers for people who play it safe all the time? You can be a "smart" driver all you want, but if you still don't have that blazing turn of speed and ability to make passes, you wont win races and you are NOT going to win my loyalty.

Simona tries to win. Will Power WINS. Graham tries to WIN. TK tries to WIN. Dario tries to WIN. Danica tries to survive....big difference...and it is the reason the fuss made about her is so contentious. I would have a lot more respect for her as a driver if she raced hard and failed then played it safe...

She plays a prevent defence....all it does is prevent you from winning...

I used to play tennis. I wasn't particularly good at it as I'm not much of a natural athlete. Normally, most tennis players find one part of their game that they're particularly capable of, and develop their game around it. If you don't have a powerful forehand or dominating serve or any other strong shot, you are probably going to wind up being what's called a retriever or a counterpuncher. When you play that style, you goal is to keep the ball in play and to not give your opponent the opportunity to use his power shot. I know, because that's how I played. It's a fairly brutal way to try to win a tennis match. You get run all over the court and are, for the most part, reacting to what your opponent is trying to do to you. I don't think anyone starts out trying to become a counterpuncher, you just fall into it because you can't become a power player.

I think that is what has happened to Danica. I don't see that she has the talent or the skills to run up front, so more often than not, she plays the counterpuncher role, racing with strategy instead of with speed. I don't think it's her choice, I just don't think the has what it takes to challenge for the lead.

Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if she picks off a few more wins in her career if she stays in Indycar. She's 28, and in the heart of her career. She's probably got another seven or eight strong seasons ahead of her, and she seems to have a knack for the high speed ovals.

Things could turn around for her. She could have a couple of good results on ovals, and wind up being competitive on ovals for a number of years. I'd be surprised if that happens, I just haven't seen anything from her lately that gives the indication that she has that in her.

[V12]

Damn it I missed the race thanks to the wash-out and having work the next day, I recorded an IndyCar slot advertised on Sky the next day but it was a re-run of the cancelled race!

Shame because it sounds like JW showed his class yet again, real shame he couldn't get in a Penske or Ganassi car. Still it's good for the smaller teams like Coyne last year and D&R this year that he can elevate them to the level of the top teams on the road and street courses.

Having said that I should say "smaller team" with the greatest of respect to D&R as they've really impressed me how they've came through not only the official merger but also the influx of CART teams from 2003. Prior to that they were probably behind the likes of Panther, Menard, Hemelgarn, Kelley and Foyt in the pecking order, but seem to have coped the best of the "old IRL" teams, relative to where they were before :up:

[Mark in Oshawa]

I'd say that AOWR was built on dirt tracks, with the Indy 500 as the marquee event. It was CART that took AOWR to the road courses and the street circuits, and one could argue that AOWR reached it's commercial zenith with CART.

The American public can only make room for one top level sport, and it has not distinguished between they type of cars and the type of circuits. Split or no split, there were a number of things working against CART and in favor of NASCAR. The American public decided that NASCAR is that one professional auto racing series, elevating it on the same level with MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.

So yes, Indy Car racing, along with other professional forms of motorsport in the US, is second-tier (or niche if you prefer) motorsport. I'm sure NASCAR would love nothing more than to relegate the Indy 500 to the other race on Memorial Day.

Whether that's a bad thing or not is up to the fan.


There is another salient point, that dovetails in to why the US driver is not as numerous. The stars of the 70's came up when Europeans didn't see Indycars as an alternative. The stars, AJ, the Unsers, Mario, Tom Sneva and the like did a lot of the traditional forms of racing. That is sprints and midgets. Mears was a freak of nature from offroad, but for the most part, most of the stars came from a form of racing that has as much in common with the modern aero sensitive rocket with the engine in the back as a Sprint Cup car does.

Take away all the ovals, and we will end up in a worse situation. We need the ovals to keep the unique flavour of the series. IT is AMERICAN even if the drivers are NOT. However, this is the big but. However, the proof is in the fact that road/street circuits as about half the schedule have been an equalizer, a wild card, and for the most part have had success when promoted properly. CART was doing well when it kept that balance. When the IRL was formed, they took all the oval promotors and races for the most part.

I hope the series stays similar to where it is right now with venues for a few years and lets change the cars, engines and yes, maybe drivers. We have had two excellent races so far. The outcome wasn't always easy to figure out and there was action. Entertainment was on the track. IF you have that, it is a start. You have something to sell. The last thing we need is a race like Richmond's last year or the first trip to Iowa where no one could pass....