Sadly, Richard Petty probably doesn’t get exactly what he did when he commented about Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick to a Canadian automotive website during an appearance in Toronto Sunday.
Richard Petty (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Petty, an owner with the Sprint Cup team Richard Petty Motorsports, told the website Wheels.ca that the only way Patrick could win a Sprint Cup Series race was: “if everybody else stayed home.”
Petty, a seven-time Sprint Cup Series champion and the division’s all-time winningest driver, went on to say: “If she’d have been a male, nobody would ever know if she’d showed up at a race track. This is a female deal that’s driving her. There’s nothing wrong with that, because that’s good PR for me. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport.”
Some would argue Petty probably isn’t that far off on his assessment of Patrick’s abilities. Frankly, she’s hardly even shown flashes that she has the goods to compete for victories in NASCAR since coming over to stock cars from the world of IndyCar racing. And even during her time in IndyCar, she was never a consistent threat to win.
The problem when it comes to Petty singling her out is that she’s hardly unique, whether you compare her to many of her fellow competitors now in the Sprint Cup Series or many of the other drivers that have called NASCAR’s “premier division” of racing home over the last five decades.
NASCAR’s history is built on the backs of men, hundreds and hundreds of them, who weren’t even close to having the talent to win in the sport. JD McDuffie started 653 Cup Series races and never finished a single race on the lead lap. For every Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson there’s 20 JD McDuffie’s in NASCAR’s history.
The immediate reaction is to call Petty a misogynist. A simple chauvinist. The fact that he didn’t say she can’t win because she’s a female can probably deflect some of that criticism, but the problem is there’s probably about 5-10 men that she races with regularly that are as untalented or a lot more untalented than she is, but “The King” only singled out the lady.
And therein lies the real issue with him saying what he did. If he has the cojones to say Danica is untalented then say the same thing about David Gilliland or David Reutimann or David Stremme. That’s the problem, guys like Petty say she’s not good and is there for all the wrong reasons, but won’t call out their own buddies in the sport doing the same thing she is.
The problem is, all he’s doing is unwittingly indicting the history of NASCAR, including his own era. Is Patrick short on talent? Maybe. Want to put together a list of drivers who have competed at the top level of NASCAR that would have never got a second look if talent was even the fourth or fifth most important factor in scoring a ride?
With moistened chunks of chewing tobacco flying out of his mouth – like he’s chatting up the local sheriff at this week’s town square revival – Petty will call Patrick out to any reporter that asks because she’s one of them lady folk that shouldn’t be racing with the boys. Let’s be frank, Petty is the old South. And while some may look at the “old south” is just sweet tea and fried chicken, there’s an ugliness that permeates it that we all know about. And that’s undeniably a part of Petty.
But yet he won’t call out the multitudes of those Southern gentlemen over the years who have filled fields, most with less talent than Patrick. The fact is, he’s employed a good portion of them himself over the last three decades in operating what has become a historically awful racing organization.
Who remembers Richard Petty calling out Kevin Conway for being untalented when he landed in the Sprint Cup Series a few years ago solely on the strength of his relationship with a male enhancement pill company that essentially paid his way to the top?
The fact is, in a sport where gaining a position in the big leagues is something someone can buy with little or no talent or previous experience, no team owner should be singling out Patrick, who has paid far more dues in the sport than many who have come before her in NASCAR.
The dirty little secret is that you can put all the suits you want on the boys in Daytona, and it’s still a good old boys network at the top of the sport. “If y’all can come up with some cash and jump in a car, then giddyup brother, come play with us. But if you’ve got breasts or wear FUBU, well …, that’s another story.”
Kenny Wallace is essentially Danica Patrick with male parts. Far less talented than most of his peers yet has made a career out of NASCAR because he smiles for the camera and he’s good with the media. Ever remember Richard Petty saying Kenny Wallace was essentially a lifetime loser?
You can’t call Patrick out for being in the sport and being low on talent when your sport’s history is based on being populated with bushels of untalented men who have been welcomed with open arms because they have big checkbooks and they know how to smile nice for the camera and more importantly, how to bow down in the presence of The King.
Stumping for the old, white, republican male stereotype from the south? Me thinks he may have hooked up with the Toronto Mayor and passed the crack pipe one too many times. Sorry King Richard, but you are being a JERK!
The proble here in lies that the media namely announcers not to be named, we know who they are, they are the so called voices of NASCAR, claimed her as the second coming and the new face of NASCAR. None of the other les talented drivers in this article were ever thought of that way. Quite frankly the execs in Daytona tried to ride this hype right to the ticket gate. They created all this and then stood back and watched. Her talent is no greater or less than all the other also-rans but they ain’t got the goods to strut.
ain’t that the truth
David Gilliland, David Reutimann or David Stremme. Give one of these 3 the top equipment that she has and you will be eating your words very quickly.
The media didn’t treat stremme, reutimann or gilliland like they were gods. How many races did danica finish in the 30s and she was one of the first 5 interviews? Thats media bias right there because shes female. Cant have it both ways. Not everyone kisses her ass and bows to her like the media did.
Now did someone ask richard for his opinion of her or did he just give it? That might change my opinion of what he said, but it doesn’t make it any less true
I am sure someone asked him the question ” Do you think Danica can win the 500″. So he answered the question pretty directly. I think they might be tired of the hype. There were many drivers complaining about the media covering Dale Jr when he was running mid field and the back. Why are they asking him about another teams driver? They should allow him to tout his team and drivers, not give press to someone else.
A NE snob calling out a “southern boy” that’s choice. Maybe the truth about the lime green hype queen is getting to folks. moistened chunks of chewing tobacco flying out of his mouth, sweet tea and fried chicken? Jeez did you get enough sterio typical slams in Shawn ? You forgot his Confederate battle flag and Rebel yell. None (as been pointed out) of the those other “no” talent winless mopes was featured in a Superbowl ad with a musle suit on. She paid her dues? Ha ha She’s fluff not stuff and all the cardboard cutouts of her in the grocery stores ain’t gonna change that. News flash!! Every era in
NASCAR has had the winless entries. Somebody has to run 27th don’t they? You also
glazed over his comments about her presents there being good for the sport. Where
in any of his words did you get the idea that he’s anti-female racer? The fact that she’s
“not good” is only obvious to those with eyes. Matters little though. The sport has passed
us old timers by long before Danica made the scene. and…..
“But if you’ve got breasts or wear FUBU, well …, that’s another story.”
Who said she had breasts? ( is that sexist enough for you?)
She’s not ever going to win a race, like the king says!
Don’t care if she or anyone else wins. The point is if you got nothing nice to say about someone, then don’t say anything! Petty doesn’t know for sure whether or not anyone will win any specific race. If he did, he might have gotten out of the sport after retiring. He did not have to insult anyone. Of course, media is going to glom onto whatever they can to possibly be relevant to someone tuning in or reading their NASCAR coverage. Patrick has made history in NASCAR and in my opinion that’s always good for the sport. I hope the media will find another angle to promote the sport, because we already know she is a female racer. The constant coverage is boring. And, I still think Petty was unnecessarily nasty with his choice of verbiage.
David Reuitimann…
1) 2004; Rookie of the Year – Craftsman Truck Series; 1 pole position / 4 top fives / 14th in points.
2) 2005; Truck Series; 1 win / 13th in points.
3) 2006; Truck Series; 2 pole positions / 3rd in points.
4) 2006; 14 Busch Series starts / 4 top tens.
5) 2007; Busch Series; 1 win / 2nd in points.
6) 2007-2011; Cup Series; 2 wins / 4 pole positions / 26 top tens.
7) 2009; 20th driver to win in all 3 of NASCAR’s top series.
If NASCAR would only focus on racing, this nonsense would be ignored. NASCAR thrives on the notion that there’s “no such thing as bad publicity”, and this is a perfect example.
But let’s face it, the racing just isn’t exciting anymore, and there needs to be a sideshow. NASCAR is evolving into the new Jerry Springer Show, or Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
But there was a great point brought up in that why is Danica, who consistently finishes horribly, is sought after the race for a post race interview as if she is a top 3 finisher? I’ve never seen any other back-field-filler consistently sought out like that before.
NASCAR needs to make the product, which was racing, become the source of revenue again. Not celebrity, not real-life drama. NASCAR is emulating the Kardashians. Everyone is still trying to figure what made the Kardashians famous, and how they sustain it.
The other thing to realize is who is sitting in the stands. It is NOT a male dominated fan base. When I go to the track, there are plenty of women there, could sometimes look close to 50% of the fan population, and definitely not a small minority.
What we used to call racing is now nothing more than a seed for all the other revenue streams that go on. Those revenue streams are big and control what goes on on the track.
Didi, politically correct hypocrites like you and Shawn make me sick. It’s ok for Shawn to sling baseless slurs at a white male, but it isn’t ok for a white male to draw a conclusion based on evidence (her on-track performance)? Get real!
I think the bottom line is that were her sponsor get tired of writing fat checks, that would be that.
I just don’t see Patrick winning a Sprint Cup race. I just can’t see it. I can see her winning a Nationwide race if she stood with the series a bit longer.
Rich, it’s not okay for anyone with a microphone or soap box to sling around nasty comments about another person. It makes Petty look petty. Oh, he was in Toronto when babbling his bull and he does epitomize the stereotype of the southern, old, white male with the comments he made. I sure haven’t heard him speak up regarding all the racers finishing behind Patrick, so maybe he should have just found a more constructive way to get out of answering stupid questions. Again, I don’t care who wins and I totally agree with “dagoodfella’s” post. I am real.
Well, how could Petty say that Danica doesn’t have chance at winning, and then also say she’s good for the sport? Somebody please tell me what is the product? I thought it was racing, and when racing, winning is everything. Why would someone who doesn’t have a chance at winning then be promoted as good for the sport of racing where winning is everything? Because the product isn’t racing anymore.
Racing isn’t about winning anymore, which is why the stands are empty and viewership is way down. It has become more about these dysfunctional and narcissistic side shows.
Then go look at the history of women drivers in NASCAR. There have been many. Most never made it more than a few races. Danica is in there full time, no question, as if she is in the class of Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, et al. The air time she gets is ridiculous. Not because of talent, not because of potential, but because of her marketability. What are her racing achievements that make her so marketable? What talent do the Kardashians have that make them so marketable? And we wonder why the racing stinks? I’d rather see Bobby Santos, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Preece in a Sprint Cup car than a marketing juggernaut that doesn’t have chance to win. When I follow a race, I look to see how far back Danica is and just shake my head. We know she’s getting top notch equipment, stuff that many other drivers wish they had. I’d love to see Bobby Santos in her car.
Just imagine what Earnhardt Sr. would be saying about this nonsense. The one thing I remember about what he always related a conversation to was racing. It had to be about racing, real racing. If it didn’t make for better racing, he didn’t want to hear about it. He understood that bills had to be paid, but he also knew that racing was the product that made it possible to pay the bills.
Didi, the only one “to sling around nasty comments” here was Shawn. Petty was asked a question and he gave his honest opinion. Anyone who can’t handle an honest opinion has some growing up to do. I suggest you read Clarence Thomas’ comments in this article. A few times.
http://news.yahoo.com/clarence-thomas-on-race-194104252.html;_ylt=AuoMLTP8ZaHJSx2YW58GCsfQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBsbzR0bHJyBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHNlYwNzcg–
Especially this passage:
“My sadness is that we are probably today more race and difference-conscious than I was in the 1960s when I went to school. To my knowledge, I was the first black kid in Savannah, Georgia, to go to a white school. Rarely did the issue of race come up,” Thomas said during a chapel service hosted by the nondenominational Christian university. “Now, name a day it doesn’t come up. Differences in race, differences in sex, somebody doesn’t look at you right, somebody says something. Everybody is sensitive. If I had been as sensitive as that in the 1960s, I’d still be in Savannah. “
Rich, do you think it is possible that Shawn merely gave his honest opinion and Petty was slinging nasty comments? What Petty said wasn’t flattering at all. He should be called into Mr. France’s office and scolded for ridiculing the NASCAR marketing juggernaut. Petty probably wishes he had the sponsorship Danica has. Here he is a multi-champion and can’t field competitive teams. He’s in no position to be so condescending. When people take offense at everything and anything, that is ridiculous and they are just trying to evoke sympathy by playing the victim. That noise needs to be filtered, those frauds ignored. And you want to invoke something said by Clarence Thomas? Was he talking about a race? Interesting, that has been in the news quite a bit, in that people use being offended disingenuously to play the victim. But to the reference of stereotypes, you need to heed the history of the region where Mr. Petty is from. The south is where human trafficking took place. Trade in humans as property. Those brought from overseas, the natives, and women traded as property. Women traded and bought and sold to be wives, to be property, as chattel. Women were traded as property, as were native and imported humans. Women were viewed as property to work and reproduce to provide a source of labor. Laws applied to women as property and what they can and can’t do. Recently a couple race team members were disciplined for discriminatory behavior. Wearing KKK hoods in the infield is just totally insensitive. Just a couple years ago, not decades or hundreds of years ago. So if you were the African-American that was taunted by these KKK hood wearing morons, do you think you would be justified in being offended? Or do you think they were being overly dramatic? Look at what recently happened with Paula Dean. She was telling the story of her grandfather that lost his business when slavery was abolished and his slaves were freed. Like we are supposed to feel sorry for her grandfather. He was a slave owner, he lost his business when his slaves were freed, his slaves never had anything to lose. Some people just don’t get it.
Take a look at Michael Waltrip’s statistics. He went 16 years before he won a race. He was known as the most popular driver to never win a race until then. Only won 4 races in the Cup series in 29 years. His year-end rankings are right around where Danica finishes, never a chance at finishing a year in the top 10, usually finished far worse. And this guy will have you believing he is NASCAR royalty. MW’s record does not indicate he is overflowing with talent. MW has kept this going for 29 years, and the statistics show it. Never heard of MW being ridiculed as Petty went after Danica.
The situation is what it is because Danica is a female. It is rather revealing that a female trying to participate in the sport is such a big deal. It’s not her fault.
Petty said it was a female thing, and this wouldn’t be an issue if she was a he. That right there proves the issue is gender based. Was it too obvious? How could anyone even consider an attempt to defend that? The stereotype is alive. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck, then it must be a duck.
“Rich, do you think it is possible that Shawn merely gave his honest opinion and Petty was slinging nasty comments? What Petty said wasn’t flattering at all. ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like I already said, Shawn is the one that was slinging the baseless slurs. So what if what Petty said “wasn’t flattering”! When did it come to pass that public comments by celebrities have to be “flattering”?!??! That is beyond absurd. That kind of pc bs is what’s turning this country into a nation of wussies. Besides, if Danica is any kind of a true competitor, she will use his comments as motivation to prove him wrong. History is full of athletes who succeeded in spite of people telling them they couldn’t do it. Time will tell if she is able to join that group.
“And you want to invoke something said by Clarence Thomas? Was he talking about a race? ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The point of the Clarence Thomas piece was:
1) how being oversensitive, like apparently way too many are today, can short circuit success (“If I had been as sensitive as that in the 1960s, I’d still be in Savannah.”)
and 2) how you “northern liberal elites” (his words; I’m including you and Shawn in that group based on your writings here) who purport to be these great righteous defenders of victims everywhere are in reality some of the worst offenders (“The worst I have been treated was by northern liberal elites. The absolute worst I have ever been treated,” Thomas said. “The worst things that have been done to me, the worst things that have been said about me, by northern liberal elites, not by the people of Savannah, Georgia.”) White people in the deep south in the 1960’s treated a black man better than “northern liberal elites” did a couple decades later. Think about that. Take all the time you need.
Your absurd slavery reference is completely irrelevant to this discussion, so I am not going to address that.
“Women were viewed as property to work and reproduce to provide a source of labor. Laws applied to women as property and what they can and can’t do. ”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you seriously trying to say that this ONLY happened in the south? Really? I sometimes forget that liberals like to rewrite history as they think it should have been. I guess women were never discriminated against north of the Mason-Dixon line. In your reality anyway.
“The situation is what it is because Danica is a female. It is rather revealing that a female trying to participate in the sport is such a big deal. It’s not her fault.
Petty said it was a female thing, and this wouldn’t be an issue if she was a he. That right there proves the issue is gender based. Was it too obvious? How could anyone even consider an attempt to defend that? The stereotype is alive.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only stereotype involved here is the one Shawn used to attack Petty. The point is, if it was Daniel instead of Danica, HE wouldn’t be getting a fraction of the attention that SHE is and Petty never would have been asked the question because the media would have barely been aware of HIM.
The bottom line is that there are a lot of people involved in nascar racing that may harbor some resentment towards Danica. But it has nothing to do with her being a woman. It has to do with all the attention she gets, which isn’t at all justified by her performance. The root of this issue, if there is really an issue here, lies not with “the old south”, but with the media that created a ridiculous amount of hype where there was no substance.
To your points about Clarence Thomas, black vs white, liberal vs conservative. Thomas is a conservative, extremely conservative. Mitt Romney would call Thomas severely conservative. And Thomas happens to be black. The North happens to be less conservative, or more liberal than other areas. A conservative such as Thomas would have a hard time in the North, regardless of race. Thomas would be treated the same as a Bush, Romney, Palin, Gingrich, Santorum, Cantor, Boehner, etc. all of which just don’t seem to get along up here. Just as you shouldn’t mix metaphors, you shouldn’t mix black vs white with liberal vs conservative. There are black conservatives.
Interesting how you said you were not going to address my reference to slavery, and then did. I did not say that slavery happened only in the south. Do not attempt to distract from the subject. But it was the north that said slavery had to be stopped and then made it happen. Then this thing called the Civil War happened and the rest is history. And make sure you understand that slavery wasn’t confined to those brought from Africa. Many others, such as native Indians, were forced into slavery, and women. You can go and visit national museums in Washington, DC to see all the displays regarding slavery and the origins of slavery, and how slavery was abolished. See how that compares to your version of history.
Hey Rich, are you aware NASCAR has a Drive For Diversity Program? Any idea why? Maybe to continue to breakdown some old stereotypes? The best way to breakdown those stereotypes is to expose them.
Hey Rich, are you aware NASCAR has a Drive For Diversity Program? Any idea why? Maybe to continue to breakdown some old stereotypes? The best way to breakdown those stereotypes is to expose them.
Yeah..it’s PC to have a “drive for divercity”. It fits in with NASCAR trying to break away
from it’s “redneck” roots. Well, it’s roots are what made the sport so wildly popular in
the South that the rest of the country had to have a piece. Now the “hollywood” and Madison Ave set have taken over the sport and you have these type of discussions
instead of who wins and how. Best way to break down the stereotypes and shut up
the King would be for her to win. (or even come close) Neither has happened but
she still looks good in a bikini and she doesn’t mind cashing in on that does she?
Talk about sterotypes? She feeds that “monster” herself. Funny that drag racing
doesn’t have this problem. The Force daughters are lookers too AND win.
It’s winning that matters ( or used to).
Nascar has a “Drive for Diversity” program for the PR benefits and to rebuff baseless attacks from the Clueless Cosmopolitan Contingent (do you like that better than “northern liberal elites”?). Do me a favor, when the local season starts, walk through the pits at a half dozen northern short tracks – it doesn’t matter which ones, your choice – and then tell me with a straight face that lack of diversity in stock car racing is a southern issue.
“Thomas is a conservative, extremely conservative. Mitt Romney would call Thomas severely conservative. And Thomas happens to be black. The North happens to be less conservative, or more liberal than other areas. A conservative such as Thomas would have a hard time in the North, regardless of race.”
I chuckle at the notion that Thomas was attacked by your kind only because he’s a conservative, and not because he’s a black conservative, the very existence of which blows the liberal narrative out of the water.
Even if you were right about that, I suspect there would be a huge double standard on your part. By that I mean that if you were sitting next to me a few years ago at Franklin County (VA) Speedway when owner/promoter/announcer Whitey Taylor was encouraging fans to go to the concession and buy an “Obamaburger” – “Why do we call ’em ‘Obamaburgers’? ’cause they’re full of baloney!” – I would bet money that you would have instantly labelled him a racist. Even though being “full of baloney” has nothing to do with race.
BTW, Darrell Wallace Jr. won the late model race that day. Funny how the white southern crowd didn’t yell any racial slurs at him, and even cheered for him when he got out of the car in victory lane, even when on top of everything else, his pass for the lead wasn’t exactly the cleanest one I’ve ever seen.
Hey, Crazy in NY… the NHRA was born and raised in liberal California. Perhaps that’s why there is already so much diversity in the NHRA, and nobody feels the need to talk about it all the time. Diversity is already the norm in the NHRA. Women, Hispanics, African-Americans, even Middle Easterners are regulars on the NHRA circuit. Been there, done that for a long time already in the NHRA.
Wendall Scott, Willy T Ribbs, Lynn St James, Janet Guthrie .well here is a list for you.
Sprint Cup Series[edit]
Formerly Strictly Stock, Grand National, Winston Cup and Nextel Cup Series
Driver Nationality # First Season Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Best Points Finish
Christine Beckers[19] Belgium Retired 1977 1 0 0 0 0 N/A
Ann Bunselmeyer[19] Retired 1950 1 0 0 0 0 N/A
Ann Chester[19] Retired 1950 2 0 0 0 0 N/A
Sara Christian† United States Retired 1949 7 0 0 2 0 13th (1949)
Janet Guthrie[20] United States Retired 1976 33 0 0 5 0 23rd (1977)
Lella Lombardi†[19] Italy Retired 1977 1 0 0 0 0 N/A
Robin McCall[19] Retired 1982 2 0 0 0 0 N/A
Ethel Mobley†[21] United States Retired 1949 2 0 0 0 0 52nd (1949)
Patty Moise[22][23] United States Retired 1987 5 0 0 0 0 59th (1988)
Terri O’Connell United States Retired 1990 1 0 0 0 0 101st (1990)
Goldie Parsons[19] Retired 1955 2 0 0 2 0 N/A
Danica Patrick[24][25] United States 10 2012 46 0 0 1 1 27th (2013)
Marian Ragan[19] Retired 1954 1 0 0 0 0 N/A
Shawna Robinson[26][27] United States Inactive 1995 8 0 0 0 0 52nd (2002)
Fifi Scott[19] Retired 1955 2 0 0 0 0 N/A
Louise Smith†[28][29][30] United States Retired 1949 11 0 [a] 0 0 0 63rd (1949)
Some of those names predate Shirley Muldownney THE first woman in drag racing.
and your point?
Well, this is a good read:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/2/14/danica-patrick-richard-petty-comments-dale-earnhardt-jr-nascar-reaction.html
Crazy, I’m not sure you have a point, but I’ll fill you in.
Wendall Scott, Willy T. Ribbs, Lynn St. James and Janet Guthrie and Shirley Muldowney have all one way or another been featured in reports, books or documentaries as trail blazers trying to break in to an apparently exclusive sport, where they didn’t fit the mold.
NASCAR could only wish they could use the story of Wendall Scott as a black competitor, but the ugliness of NASCAR would only resurface. Wendall Scott would show up to a race with his car only to be told by NASCAR officials that he wasn’t allowed to race, but he could put a white driver in his car. The racism he experienced at the hands of NASCAR is well documented. You didn’t want to bring that up again. It shows that the stereotype is not imaginary.
The vast majority of those in your list lasted only a handful of events. Never a chance to show talent. I’m guessing they were run out of town, didn’t want their kind around.
So Crazy, are you saying you agree that the stereotype lives?
So when will someone answer this question: Will Earnhardt Jr. ever win another race?
Maybe Danica will be to NASCAR what Shirley Muldowney was to the NHRA.
darealgoodfella, if you want to talk about slavery, how about we talk about modern slavery?
http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Sams-Plantation-Government-Enslaves/dp/1595552235/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392564811&sr=8-1
And from that “good read” you linked to above…
“She’s so used to people saying this and it doesn’t bother her,” Harvick said. “And that’s not a front. It really doesn’t phase her and you really don’t have to stick up for anything that someone says or does.
“She is not phased by anything I’ve seen. She just doesn’t care and moves on and lets it roll off. I think she’s dealt with so much for so long that she’s just immune to it.”
If it doesn’t bother Danica, why does it bother you and Shawn so much? She’s not letting herself be a victim here, but in the true liberal tradition, you are trying to create a victim where none exists. That’s the bottom line.
From that “good read”:
” In varying ways, Danica Patrick’s competitors issued a unanimous sentiment of support for her during Thursday’s NASCAR Media Day interviews.
And while they all reiterated their respect for NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and his right to voice his opinion, they didn’t all agree with his public assessment that the only way Patrick would win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was “if everybody else stayed home.”
Hey Rich, why is there unanimous sentiment among the other drivers in support of Danica? And why don’t they agree with Petty’s public assessment of Danica? Petty is just living up to the stereotype, the subject of this thread. You seem to be the one that is all bothered. And this isn’t about how Danica is handling it. It’s about what Petty said, and clearly it happened, and all over the news it is being reported pretty much as Shawn described. I don’t see it as a liberal thing. I agree with the unanimous sentiment of the drivers. You are clearly bothered that this behavior is getting so much attention. Keep going, we’ll give you all the attention you want.
In order for NASCAR to stem the decline, that stereotype has to be destroyed. That stereotype is limiting the audience that NASCAR can reach. Bankrolling Danica could turn out to be a good thing for NASCAR. If she doesn’t make it, it will be easy to say she was run out of the sport, and NASCAR can not afford to let that happen.
Maybe Danica will be to NASCAR what Shirley Muldowney was to the NHRA.
Really??!! Well she better get going then, she’s got a lot of winning to do.
Of course Wendall Scott faced racism. A product of the south not exclusive to NASCAR.
Just as Jackie Robinson did in baseball. Do you think Shirley Muldowney didn’t face
sexism when she was trying to break into the sport? Come on Goodfella try anoter tact.
Petty’s statement might just simply be one of hyberpole’. It’s not like Danica is breaking
any new ground here. The shorts tracks are loaded with female drivers now and some of them are pretty good and other not so much. (just like the guys) NASCAR is now more
show than go (my opinion yes, but shared by many) That’s the whole point. I’m not speaking for the King but…maybe just maybe he just thinks she hasn’t the talent to
win at this level. In the mean time her mush and her tush help “sell” the sport and that he
gets.
I’m so glad you quoted that passage, since you seem to be completely ignoring the part where they respect “his right to voice his opinion”. That’s my main beef here with the politically correct crowd, you don’t respect anyone else’s right to have an opinion contrary to your own. That makes political correctness the most un-American concept to ever gain traction in this country. I suspect that one or two of those who publicly disagreed with Petty’s comments might actually agree with them to some degree privately. But they want to get their pat on the head like the good little puppy dogs Nascar wants them to be.
Personally, I think it’s too soon to say she’ll “never” win in Nascar, but I’ll defend Petty’s right to voice his opinion to my last breath. Of course, even Danica’s car owner has already gone on record saying he doesn’t expect her to win a race or make the chase this year. The attack that Shawn made on Petty, and you supported, was disgusting and completely without merit, much like when the “northern liberal elites” accuse anyone who doesn’t like Obama of being a racist.
“I don’t see it as a liberal thing.”
It’s a political correctness “thing”, and political correctness is something that was manufactured by liberals. Not to mention that the vast majority of the “news media” has a decidedly liberal, politically correct tilt.
“I agree with the unanimous sentiment of the drivers.”
No, you don’t. You obviously do not respect Petty’s right to his opinion as they do.
“In order for NASCAR to stem the decline, that stereotype has to be destroyed. That stereotype is limiting the audience that NASCAR can reach. Bankrolling Danica could turn out to be a good thing for NASCAR. If she doesn’t make it, it will be easy to say she was run out of the sport, and NASCAR can not afford to let that happen.”
You, and the rest of the “northern liberal elites”, are off in lunar orbit on this one. There are many reasons for Nascar’s decline over the last decade or so, but the stereotype bs manufactured by the PC crowd isn’t one of them. The death of Earnhardt started the decline, but Nascar perpetuated it with their idiotic Chase format (racing is not and can never be like stick and ball sports), completely uninteresting cookie cutter cars and engines, and a less entertaining on-track product. Boring PR robots for drivers (much unlike Earnhardt) have also contributed. But that is less Nascar’s doing and more driven by corporate sponsors, who in turn are driven by the political correctness the (liberal) media tells them everyone wants. Someday they will realize that the majority of fans (or former fans) actually want drivers with real personalities that express real honest opinions. Thankfully, there are still a few of those in the sport.
One last thought on the “Drive for Diversity” program. That is nothing more than “affirmative action” for Nascar. I believe any man or woman of any race should have an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to get to the pinnacle of stock car racing based on their talents. But so-called “affirmative action” and “equal opportunity” are mutually exclusive. “Affirmative action” is nothing more than discrimination with the stamp of approval from the liberal politically correct crowd, the same crowd Nascar felt pressured to appease when they created “Drive for Diversity”.
Crazy in NY, there is something very different here with Danica… she is being bankrolled, massively. There is big money funding Danica and going up against those “redneck” roots you mentioned earlier. If the redneck element drives Danica out, it will turn away tons of sponsorship. Consider this… The King won numerous championships. He should be able to ride that legend and set his price. But he can barely stay afloat, no major sponsorship, no talent wants to work there. His own cars are unlikely to win, or crack the top 10 regularly. He is probably unknown to the new or casual fan. John Andretti made it clear that Petty motorsports was not paradise. It seems nobody will go near Petty. Petty is a living legend, or so you would believe, and you would think Gordon, Johnson, Harvick, and all other top drivers and crew would be lining up to work with the King, but it ain’t so. Any reason why? Nobody wants to go near Petty, as if he is pariah. Petty is supposedly a living legend, he should be the patriarch of a juggernaut racing operation. Michael Waltrip is effectively a 29 yr version of what Petty thinks Danica is, and MW is the face and voice of NASCAR. Petty won the championship seven times, MW never came close to cracking the top 10, usually far worse. Doesn’t that make you wonder? Why doesn’t big sponsorship want to be associated with Petty? Petty, with his legend and record of achievements, should be the face and voice of NASCAR, not MW. Petty, with all his championships and achievements is irrelevant today. To make things even more interesting, when I go to a track, there are several Earnhardt trailers selling Earnhardt Sr. merchandise. Nothing like that the “The King”. Earnhardt hasn’t been with us for a long time, and he is more relevant and popular than Petty.
Rich, we aren’t talking about PC, we are talking about an old, ugly stereotype. Absolutely preposterous that you are blaming PC for this. To be offensive and demeaning like that and then to say you have that right to an opinion is absurd. But if you really feel that is so, I’ll keep that in mind and treat you similarly in the future and claim it’s my right to an opinion. And it will be hilarious to watch you take the liberal PC position when you are feigning victimization.
“Rich, we aren’t talking about PC, we are talking about an old, ugly stereotype. Absolutely preposterous that you are blaming PC for this. To be offensive and demeaning like that and then to say you have that right to an opinion is absurd. But if you really feel that is so, I’ll keep that in mind and treat you similarly in the future and claim it’s my right to an opinion. And it will be hilarious to watch you take the liberal PC position when you are feigning victimization.”
No, this is about the PC crowd trying to perpetuate “an old, ugly stereotype” that isn’t anywhere near as prevalent as it was 50 years ago and is completely non-existent in the case of Petty’s Danica comments. I don’t give a rat’s behind about anything you say about me, so go ahead, have a field day.
Sounds like the author just doesn’t like southern men who chew and have accents. Patrick is only their because she’s pretty nobody can deny that.