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Yeeeeee-haw Danica!

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by 85bears, Jul 10, 2006.

Page 3 of 3
  1. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Well, then I'm half assed right.
     
    dooley_womack1, Jul 10, 2006
    #25
  2. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    They'd be fine - particularly Montoya. Conditioning is a far, far bigger issue in F1 than in NASCAR. The F1 races may be half as long but the physical strain is much more severe. Turn 1 at Silverstone the drivers are now pulling 5 Gs. NASCAR has nothing like that.
     
    PCLoadLetter, Jul 10, 2006
    #26
  3. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    If she signs with Penske for NASCAR, I'd imagine she'd be tapped for Penske's open-wheel team, too, wouldn't she?

    Would it be feasible for her to be a part-timer on the Nextel Cup circuit?
     
    Freelance Hack, Jul 10, 2006
    #27
  4. crimsonace

    crimsonace Well-Known Member

    All three of RLR's drivers have been in $#!+ty equpiment, though. The Panozes haven't been able to run at all with the new tires, and by the time RLR gave up, the season was half-over and they were basically running new Dallaras straight out of the box with no info/baseline/settings to run off -- basically, they RLR was a half-year behind everyone when it finally decided to get the right chassis. Buddy Rice has hit the wall twice since RLR switched (amazingly, Jeff Simmons finished a race in that time frame, too).

    IMO, Danica's 8th-place run at Indy in that crappy Panoz was a helluva lot more impressive than her crashing, then landing in the lead due to pit strategy at last year's 500 (which is where Danicamania hit hyperdrive).

    The thing that puzzles me about the Danica-to-NASCAR thing is the cars. With tons of downforce, Indy cars are relatively easy to drive. Cup cars are, well, very big, very heavy and not very sophisticated. At all of 100 pounds, would she be able to wrestle one of those things around very easily.
     
    crimsonace, Jul 10, 2006
    #28
  5. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Danica's team has been off this year with their chassis (chassises?), it's not her fault. It's not like her teammates are doing better, they're not. And this IRL season has been a two-team monopoly anyway.

    This is horrible news for IRL, especially with the merger. Having Danica was a big Ace in the deck, without her Champ Car/Kalkhoven may feel they can make more demands, etc., which might already stall a merger that's too late in coming already.

    There's a lot of speculation in the Danica-to-NASCAR story, but it's serious for sure. She would be huge for NASCAR, bringing in the teenage girl crowd and many sponsors that haven't anted up to the plate yet in NASCAR (though it's hard to believe there are any that haven't). On her IRL car, there's a tiny decal for Secret deodorant. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what she'd bring to a stock car. Or hell, maybe Argent Mortgage would open the checkbook more and follow her. (On a side note, I feel bad for Rahal-Letterman in this, they're a class organization but unfortunately in the wrong series)

    It would take her a year or two to adjust to the cars and the tracks, everyone acknowledges that already with Montoya. But that's more than enough time for the NASCAR hype machine to work its wonders.

    The length of the season is in no way an issue, anymore than it is for a double-A ballplayer moving up to the majors. What would be tough is the media blitz at every stop, but she learned that last year albeit on a much smaller scale.
     
    playthrough, Jul 10, 2006
    #29
  6. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    Danica is also heavily promoted by Meijer, a regional superstore chain in the midwest.
     
    Freelance Hack, Jul 10, 2006
    #30
  7. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Correct, Hack. I frequent the Meijers. Much prefer them to Super Wal-Mart.

    If Danica brought any Jeff Gordon-like booing or backlash to a team, they'd never hear it with all the money that would fill the walls like insulation.

    The more I think about it, I can't see this not going through. Unless the open-wheel merger comes through pronto and it's a really good plan, there's just no reason why Danica shouldn't explore another series and cash in while still a hot commodity. And I say that as someone who really wants to see open wheel work again in this country.
     
    playthrough, Jul 10, 2006
    #31
  8. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Doesn't Hendrick get five teams becuase he had five before the cap went into effect and he was grandfathered in, or is that someone else?
     
    Mystery_Meat, Jul 10, 2006
    #32
  9. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Roush.
     
    Moderator1, Jul 10, 2006
    #33
  10. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Oh right.
     
    Mystery_Meat, Jul 10, 2006
    #34
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