Budweiser Duels, 2 and 3:30 p.m. today, Speed
Time for something a little different.
The NASCAR season is starting and the Daytona 500 is Sunday. Today, the Budweiser Duels are being held at Daytona, races that will set the rest of the field for the 500. In an earlier qualifying session, Danica Patrick took the pole and Jeff Gordon took the second spot, but the other spots are all up for grabs in today's duels (with the exception of some quirky owners points rules and such, but essentially, the other spots are up for grabs in the duels), though the starting orders for the twin duels were determined by the qualifying.
Patrick is the first woman to start from the pole in any Cup race.
Now the trick is for these drivers to stay out of trouble. Any driver that crashes their primary car in the duels must start in the back for the 500. Patrick will always have a pole spot start for the 500 on her resume, but if she actually starts 43rd because she crashes in a duel, that just won't be the same. So while her starting on the pole was a big deal, I think there is lots of pressure on her today to avoid trouble.
How much pressure? NASCAR commentator Darrell Waltrip said Wednesday to USA Today that if the going gets rough, Patrick should bring the car to the garage to avoid a crash and protect her starting position for Sunday: "As long as they can stay in the lead, stay there. But as soon as they start coming by you left, right, bring it to the garage. That's how important it is for her to start on the pole Sunday. Not only to her, but to all of us. The last thing we want to see is something happen and she has to go to the rear of the field in a backup car."
So we know it is possible that Patrick could end up starting in the back of the field. That said, how big of a deal do you think Patrick being on the pole is? Just the mere fact that she was the fastest in qualifying? Comment below this post if you would like and vote in the poll on the right side of the page.
She has great equipment and a great race team. Tony Stewart owns her car and those cars get Hendrick engines. She had great cars last year as well for her Nationwide schedule and for her limited Sprint Cup schedule. I think she underperformed relative to the machines she drove. She finished just 10th in the Nationwide standings and had just two top-10s. In Sprint Cup, she entered 10 races and had an average finish of 28.3, though her last race, Nov. 11 at Phoenix, she put up her best performance by finishing 17th.
Certainly, it is a big deal for any driver to get on the pole for the 500. It is a noteworthy accomplishment any driver would like. But we will really see if Patrick has gotten the hang of this stock car thing today in the duels and, to a larger extent, on Sunday in the big race.
For me, I think Patrick has talent. Yeah, she's a pretty face and that helps her make it in the sport but she has talent. It is time for her to turn that into good finishes on the track. She has been getting more attention than she probably deserves, but that is understandable because she is an attractive woman in a sport dominated by men. Eventually, she will need to produce.
Time for something a little different.
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| Danica Patrick |
Patrick is the first woman to start from the pole in any Cup race.
Now the trick is for these drivers to stay out of trouble. Any driver that crashes their primary car in the duels must start in the back for the 500. Patrick will always have a pole spot start for the 500 on her resume, but if she actually starts 43rd because she crashes in a duel, that just won't be the same. So while her starting on the pole was a big deal, I think there is lots of pressure on her today to avoid trouble.
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| Jeff Gordon |
How much pressure? NASCAR commentator Darrell Waltrip said Wednesday to USA Today that if the going gets rough, Patrick should bring the car to the garage to avoid a crash and protect her starting position for Sunday: "As long as they can stay in the lead, stay there. But as soon as they start coming by you left, right, bring it to the garage. That's how important it is for her to start on the pole Sunday. Not only to her, but to all of us. The last thing we want to see is something happen and she has to go to the rear of the field in a backup car."
So we know it is possible that Patrick could end up starting in the back of the field. That said, how big of a deal do you think Patrick being on the pole is? Just the mere fact that she was the fastest in qualifying? Comment below this post if you would like and vote in the poll on the right side of the page.
She has great equipment and a great race team. Tony Stewart owns her car and those cars get Hendrick engines. She had great cars last year as well for her Nationwide schedule and for her limited Sprint Cup schedule. I think she underperformed relative to the machines she drove. She finished just 10th in the Nationwide standings and had just two top-10s. In Sprint Cup, she entered 10 races and had an average finish of 28.3, though her last race, Nov. 11 at Phoenix, she put up her best performance by finishing 17th.
Certainly, it is a big deal for any driver to get on the pole for the 500. It is a noteworthy accomplishment any driver would like. But we will really see if Patrick has gotten the hang of this stock car thing today in the duels and, to a larger extent, on Sunday in the big race.
For me, I think Patrick has talent. Yeah, she's a pretty face and that helps her make it in the sport but she has talent. It is time for her to turn that into good finishes on the track. She has been getting more attention than she probably deserves, but that is understandable because she is an attractive woman in a sport dominated by men. Eventually, she will need to produce.
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