Women in racing...what's all the fuss?

Danica Patrick owned the headlines for most of this weekend. She decided she wanted to try her hand at racing stock cars, along with her "day job" of racing Indy cars. What's the big deal you say? She's only won one race in the Indy car series in 5 years. She won't be able to handle a big 'ol stock car. She'll just get in the way and cause accidents.

I'll tell you why it's a big deal, both for NASCAR and racing in general. There are two things about NASCAR racing that has always bothered me. There were no women racers (there were a few, but they didn't last due to sponsorship/money problems), and there were no minority racers. NASCAR was 'Bubba' racing at it's best.

NASCAR is a tough business to try and get into. It takes alot of money to race the series for a full year. There are 40-50 other drivers all trying to make a name for themselves in the series at a given time. Ask Juan Pablo Montoya how hard it's been to scratch his way to the top of NASCAR. He was an Indy car champion, won the Indy 500. He won a race in the crazy world of Formula 1. He is no doubt a great driver. But when he came to NASCAR racing, he floundered the first few years. Now, he's earned the respect of the other drivers, has solid sponsorship, a great race team and finished in the top 10 last year. But it was hard for him to adjust to the style.

I believe Danica is going about this in a smart way. She's not leaving Indy cars, she's just adding some Nationwide races to her schedule to get a feel for stock car racing. She knows she's not going to win any races, but what she can do is gain respect from other drivers and learn about stock cars. She was also smart to hook up with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has an established team and reputation in the NASCAR ranks, with very good people in position to help Danica with the learning curve.

Her first race was an ARCA series race at Daytona. I watched, along with more people than ever to see an ARCA race on TV, as Danica got better and more confident as the race wore on. She missed a few wrecks (and there were a lot of them), but then was spun out and sent flying through the infield grass. The in-car camera showed a very capable driver keep her car from hitting anything. Starting in the back after a pit stop, she worked her way up through the pack to finish 6th in her first ever stock car race. I was impressed.

Some were saying, 'yeah, well that's ARCA, it's not the Nationwide series or Cup cars'. So? ARCA cars are old Sprint Cup cars handed down to the ARCA series. There are drivers in ARCA that have raced in ARCA for many years. Are they bad drivers just because they are in ARCA and not Sprint Cup? I don't think so. While there are a lot of rookie drivers in ARCA, doesn't everybody start somewhere?

Next up, was her stint in her Nationwide ride, which she and Dale Jr. and his people all decided she was ready for. She finished 34th out of 43. For most of the race she hung around the back of the pack, learning how the car worked in the draft and staying out of trouble. She did a great job of missing a wreck that happened right in front of her. As the race wore on, she got more confident and was working her way back to the middle of the pack, when another accident happened in front of her and she had nowhere to go, and crashed out of the race.

While some would call her weekend disappointing, I beg to differ. She did exactly what a rookie should do. If you're not comfortable running in a big pack, drop back and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, at Daytona, being in the back is just as dangerous as being right in the middle of the action. I thought she handled herself very professionally, and everyone that was interviewed said she asked all the right questions and was learning as much as she could about the cars. She even watched tapes of previous Nationwide races at Daytona.

So how is this good for NASCAR? Well, not only does NASCAR get another good driver in it's ranks, but she brings a huge fan base with her. You think Dale Jr. is popular? This young woman helped to raise the ratings for the ARCA race 60% over last year. I'm sure the ratings for the Nationwide race were up too. Why? Because she seems to be a genuinely nice person who loves to race. It's not about showing someone up or taking all the media coverage from others, she can't help it that the media follow her everywhere. For her, it's about racing and winning. Does she win a lot? No. But you know what, she works just as hard if not harder than anyone that drives a race car, and I feel eventually the wins will come her way. NASCAR is smart to jump on the Danica bandwagon, as it's suffered from the 'Good 'Ol Boy' metality for far to long.

As for racing in general, Danica isn't the only lady out there in racing. There were 4 other women in the ARCA race. There's 2 others in Indy car racing (including one of my all-time favorite people, Sarah Fisher). Ashley Force Hood finished 2nd in her third season as a Nitro Funny car driver in NHRA. She's joined in that division by Melanie Troxel, who is as good as any of the men in drag racing. There are others who are starting to make themselves known, and I can't wait until I can tune in and see 8 guys and 8 women in a drag racing ladder.

I for one am so glad that women are getting the chance to prove they can race just as good as men can. They are starting to get equipment and crews that stack up well with any team. And they are proving that they can race and win as well as anyone. About time I say.

'Til next time...... Post a comment if you agree or disagree with me.