It’s really something to watch 43 700hp cars fly around a bullring at 140. It’s not just mashing the gas and holding on, there’s (like any other form of racing) plenty of finesse and strategy. Talledega is this weekend - there were only 42 lead changes last year… When was the last time that happened in F1?

Not taking anything away from Danica’s accomplishment - good for her. Nobody would be talking about the “validity” of the win if it was Helio Castroneves or Dan Wheldon who won. I was rooting for her at Indy her rookie year and she almost pulled it off. I really hope the new merger of Indy and Champ will help the series, and maybe make enough money to pull some of the open-wheel specialists back to Indy. It’s a difficult transition - only a select few (Tony Stewart and JP Montoya) have been successful in both styles.

I like your suggestions for Indycar too. Except of course getting rid of oval racing. Is running 5000m around a track any less a race than a 5k on the street? There are a ton of oval tracks in this part of the country at least…

…I have yet to get him on the golf course though… heh heh.

But you’ll have to enjoy the NASCAR for both of us. I’m sure there’s plenty of Tide, Jack Daniels, and Viagra to go around…

:)

NASCAR & WRC, mmmmmmmmmmm, now that’s racing!

Your strategy of hold-your-own-and-weigh-less has some merit. Like I said, any other driver would have been canned by now. But the cameras and the press like Danica. (Hence the Motorola/GoDaddy/Honda sponsors) She would have raced a few more winless seasons, I’m sure.

But like I said, I really hope she can back this up with a few more wins on road courses, etc. It’s high time a female driver takes a championship without any argument…

None of it works, without commercialism and marketing. Danica’s car has Motorola, Godaddy, Honda, & XM radio plastered all over it.

I’m happy for her though. It’s just goes to show you that if you can hold your own, drive a car that is exactly the same as everything else out there, and weigh less than all the other drivers, you’ll win.

It’s a real shame that the series couldn’t continue. I’m crossing my fingers that the united IRL series impliments the following changes to compete with F1:

1. Include small-displacement forced-induction engines. (hello turbo!)
2. More road courses. Hell, ALL road courses. Ovals are for rednecks.
3. Get rid of traction control, and all the other expensive junk that’s made the series so costly for teams and drivers

Tell Jon that his broadcast voice resonates more of my childhood than anyone else, including my parents. :)

Zack, as long as I rank with you, life is worth living.

You’re so right, Julie. Danica’s win, quite literally, needed to happen. with over 50 starts and only 1 win, I think Ms. Patrick was in danger of losing her ride indefinitely. Those kind of numbers would have any other male driver filling out job applications at their local Dairy Queen. But I digress…

Danica’s win is so important for this sport. Champ Car dissolved after it’s final race in Long Beach yesterday, and the two series’ are now unified under the IRL banner. More exposure means more sponsors means more money, and hopefully, means less NASCAR.

Go Danica!