Powered by a new title sponsor, the Izod Indy Racing League begins its 15th season Sunday in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While many eyes will be on Dario Franchitti to see if he can win his third IRL title in the last four seasons, perhaps the biggest chatter in the sport is how well will Danica Patrick (finished a career-high fifth last season) fare in 2010?
Says Jerry Bonkowski: Given how strong she finished last season, Danica has to be considered a legitimate contender for the IRL title, at the very least. But given her foray into NASCAR, as well, I have to wonder if she will be able to do just as well in two radically different series, rather than potentially being stronger in just one series, or will she be distracted by her stock car racing exploits? I envision her finishing fifth, again, at best. But if her NASCAR participation truly proves distracting, she may struggle to even finish in the top-10 by season's end.
So, RacingDebates.com asks you, "Can Danica Patrick finally win the IRL championship in 2010, or will her NASCAR foray prove to be too much of a distraction to her 'day job'?"
CLICK HERE to register YOUR opinion and let's get to debating!
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Sorry Jerry... NONE OF THE ABOVE! Danica only won her 1 IRL race because of fuel mileage... she has NEVER been a top 5 driver for the length of a race and even her 'near miss' at Indy was 'luck o the mileage' as well!
ReplyDeleteDanica is a Marketing Goldmine... Yeah, she's not a bad driver either... but even Sam Hornish is better than her and he can't stop playing bumper cars at the Sprint Cup level!
Danica is a sideshow.
ReplyDeleteExpectations were set low for her debut in NASCAR, and she almost managed to underachieve. My sense is she is an OK driver, but has little feel or understanding of setup and adjustment (a major requirement in NASCAR). Jerry, I don't see anything on her resume that indicates she is a contender for any title.
But the marketing draw is undeniable. Since her name is on top of the column, there will be responses. And like Junior, she is probably more distracted by being "Danica the Brand" than by any on track activity. (There, I threw Junior in, that will attract more responses)
mmark