Indy 500 Report: Danica is HOT

[USNRET]

end of report

[sunburnwilly]

Milka is Hotter []

[fini]

She must have a good pit crew. I don't see a trace of hair...

[Hifi jim]

She's a whiney and talentless driver who is trying to break into NASCAR for its popularity and money... good luck. She's yet to prove herself in an open wheel car, let alone one weighing twice as much and with half as much tire. She's where she's at because she looks like she does. She claimed time and again that she doesn't want to use her sexuality to advance her career. I guess the above photo, and the Go Daddy ads don't promote her sexuality then?

[IB Slammin]

She's a whiney and who is trying to break into NASCAR for its popularity and money... good luck. She's yet to prove herself in an open wheel car, let alone one weighing twice as much and with half as much tire. She's where she's at because she looks like she does. She claimed time and again that she doesn't want to use her sexuality to advance her career. I guess the above photo, and the Go Daddy ads don't promote her sexuality then?

'talentless driver"? ..............and third place........I may give it a shot next year.[*-)]

[Hifi jim]

'talentless driver"? ..............and third place........I may give it a shot next year.

Well, perhaps "talentless" was a bit harsh, but 69 career starts with one win and three poles isn't exactly burning up the track. Consider some of the other fine drivers who get almost no attention because they lack Danica's sexy looks (oh, that's right she doesn't want to talk about that, but the photos tell a different story). Ah yes, third place in todays Indy 500, but led no laps... maybe you should give it a shot next year IB.

[merkin]

'talentless driver"? ..............and third place........I may give it a shot next year.

Well, perhaps "talentless" was a bit harsh, but 69 career starts with one win and three poles isn't exactly burning up the track. Consider some of the other fine drivers who get almost no attention because they lack Danica's sexy looks (oh, that's right she doesn't want to talk about that, but the photos tell a different story). Ah yes, third place in todays Indy 500, but led no laps... maybe you should give it a shot next year IB.

I'd rather work in Danica's pits than IB's. I'm sure I'd rather look at her's than IB's.

[dtel]

She must have a good pit crew. I don't see a trace of hair...

And where do you sign up for that job? She looks talented to me or at least has potential !

[Travis In Austin]

She's a whiney and talentless driver who is trying to break into NASCAR for its popularity and money...

She would be taking a pay cut if she went to NASCAR. Her salary is 2 million more then Jr's.

Green/MA are not going to hire anyone, or keep them around, based on looks,. Janet broke the barrier, Sarah has been able to stick around, but neither of them were competitive. While I don't think she has the ability of Helio or Dario, she is seriously competitive and a top 5 driver.

As far as being whiney, I don't think she is anymore whiney than the other drivers, they all seem to whine when things don't go there way, Marco sure was pouting today. She cried after her first win, but today I think Helio cried at twice as much as she did.

Travis

[Hifi jim]

She would be taking a pay cut if she went to NASCAR.  Her salary is 2 million more then Jr's.

NASCAR drivers earn their money in marketing and sponsorship dollars, something that Indy drivers earn far less of, especially a pretty female willing to market her sex appeal. NASCAR would provide a very large increase to her bank account. And it's not that she was hired or kept for her good looks, but rather she garnishes attention for those very reasons, a fact that she refuses to acknowledge.

[DrWho]

And it's not that she was hired or kept for her good looks, but rather she garnishes attention for those very reasons, a fact that she refuses to acknowledge.

Do I sense a hint of jealousy? []

[Hifi jim]

And it's not that she was hired or kept for her good looks, but rather she garnishes attention for those very reasons, a fact that she refuses to acknowledge.

 

Do I sense a hint of jealousy?

What's to be jealous of? I'm not female, and I don't race in Indy, so I think my statement stands on its own merit.

[Travis In Austin]

She would be taking a pay cut if she went to NASCAR. Her salary is 2 million more then Jr's.

NASCAR drivers earn their money in marketing and sponsorship dollars, .

Oh, I thought you were talking salary. I don't know what her endorsements are worth. If a driver is going for bucks they wouldn't go for NASCAR, they would go for F1, the salary alone is 3x what a NASCAR driver makes in total.

I think she garnishes attention because she is the first female that is competitive in Indy Car and really has a legitimate shot at winning any given race.

I wish this lady had tired to race at Indy, she was an incredible driver, I think she is still the best female driver to date. The only woman to win a World Rally Car race, and she almost won the championship in 1982.

Travis

[Marvel]

I think she is still the best female driver to date. The only woman to win a World Rally Car race, and she almost won the championship in 1982.

She looks a little sheepish... [*-)]

[Islander]

Well, perhaps "talentless" was a bit harsh, but 69 career starts with one win and three poles isn't exactly burning up the track. Consider some of the other fine drivers who get almost no attention

Anyone who can win a race or earn pole positions at that level of racing has lots of talent, skill and determination. If she's talentless and doesn't burn up the track, how do you describe the no-hopers who never break into the top five or ten positions, even after years of trying?

Even making it onto the starting grid at the Indy 500 is beyond the vast majority of racers in America. Danica's career has highlights that many skilled racers will never see. If she does some promo pinup shots, it doesn't make her less of a racer or somehow explain her great results on the track.

[Hifi jim]

Oh, I thought you were talking salary.  I don't know what her endorsements are worth. If a driver is going for bucks they wouldn't go for NASCAR, they would go for F1, the salary alone is 3x what a NASCAR driver makes in total. 

This is true. Michael Schumacher reportedly earned 80 million a year from Ferrari, the highest salary of any sports figure. But, it is a much bigger stretch for Danica to aspire to become an F1 driver than a NASCAR driver. She still needs to prove herself for a bit longer in her current car before attempting something totally different such as NASCAR. Pablo Montoya and Robby Gordon have had a tough time of the transition, and they both had much more experience than Danica does when they made the switch. Jimmy Johnson offered Danica some sound advise, try a few starts in the truck series, and then progress from there. It takes more than a cute smile and a sexy physique to make the jump into the NASCAR series.

[Hifi jim]

If she does some promo pinup shots, it doesn't make her less of a racer or somehow explain her great results on the track.

Islander, the problem I have with her is this: She time and again states that she wants to be respected as a race car driver and not to be known for her sex appeal. Then she does photo shoots, and tv ads that only contradict her very own statements. If she wants to be respected by racing fans, and fellow racers she would do well to keep her clothes on and stick to racing, or admit that she is in fact exploiting her sex appeal to garner more attention than she would by racing alone.

[Islander]

You have a point, but racing is very expensive and much of it is about raising money, hence all the promos and endorsements by many racers. If a male NASCAR driver eats a certain ice cream treat, maybe more will be sold. He's using his fame and good looks to make some extra money for himself and his team and no-one thinks any less of him for it.

However, if a woman racer uses her good looks to promote herself and her team, some think it's the "cheap" way to go. In a different world, that might be true, but in modern Western culture, women's looks are their greatest assets, even though many women wish it weren't so. People want to see pretty women, ideally with a minimum of clothes on. Just look at any magazine rack and you'll see that the majority of cover photos feature attractive women, often in revealing clothes.

Women's sex appeal is more of an asset in this culture than men's sex appeal. Shirtless men with good abs will always be upstaged by shapely women in bikinis. That's the culture we live in and your views and mine are not likely to change that culture. As another poster mentioned, Danica does look a little sheepish in that photo. It's likely that she was talked into it by her manager, rather than it being her idea. "If you do this shoot, the team will have more money and that will enable them to have better equipment and improve your chances on the track."

[Hifi jim]

If a male NASCAR driver eats a certain ice cream treat, maybe more will be sold.  He's using his fame and good looks to make some extra money for himself and his team and no-one thinks any less of him for it.

Yes, but I've never seen a NASCAR driver sell ice cream without his shirt on, and usually they are seen in their race gear. No matter who thought of these racy photo shoots and ads, she alone is the one who makes the final decision. In my opinion, she is using her body to further her career. But that will only get her so far. She might think she has what it takes to be a successful NASCAR racer, but her lack of dirt track racing or any stock car racing will quickly put her in her place should she find a team willing to take the chance.

[Islander]

You're just not getting it. Danica is using an image of her face and body, because it works. "Using her body" implies something quite different and I'm sure she worried that some viewers would have that attitude. If male drivers could make money by taking their shirts off, don't you think they'd do it in an instant? Male drivers aren't standing on some kind of moral higher ground, they just know they'd look foolish. That's the way of the world today.

All the pinup shots in the world won't put Danica on the front row at any race. She's had to earn her results the same way as any other driver: by determination and skill, backed up by good equipment and a good team.