KATIE COPPLE: MULTIMEDIA PORTFOLIO
  • HOME
  • Reels/Awards
  • Anchor/Reporter
  • Producer
  • Social/Digital
  • Resume
  • About Me
    • Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Photography

Danica Patrick: Is She Prepared?

2/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Like it or not, racing’s most polarizing figure will be running with the big boys full time this season. After two part-time and one full-time stint in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and only 10 Sprint Cup Series starts, Danica Patrick can still be considered a newbie when it comes to stock cars. She has the talent to drive these cars but does she have the knowledge to really be competitive in NASCAR’s highest tier?

Patrick finished 10th in Nationwide standings last season which was a disappointment to not only her, but to critics as well. Expectations were high for Patrick as she made the jump from IndyCar to NASCAR last season and they will be even higher as she moves up to the Sprint Cup Series. Many thought Patrick should have garnished a few top-5 finishes and maybe even a win last season but that didn’t happen. Her highest finish was 8th at Texas in the spring.

Is it really fair to judge her solely based off of her Nationwide results last season? If you look at her finishes, they aren’t horrible, but they definitely not where she, or anyone else, thought they should be. If you dig a little deeper and look at how she ran throughout the season, the conclusion is quite a bit different.

Let’s look at Daytona. She held the Pole position in February and was looking like a contender for the win until her teammate unintentionally sent her into the wall. Same happened in the summer race when she got hit from behind and sent into the wall.

The road courses are another story. Running in the top 5 at Road America throughout most of the race, she was punted on the final lap by Jacques Villeneuve into the gravel trap and finished outside the top 10. Montreal was the big letdown of the season. After leading 20 laps, the most of her NASCAR career, Patrick looked like she could walk away with the win in Canada. On a restart, a fan threw a shoe onto the track, right in front of her oncoming car. Her car shredded the shoe and eventually sent her to the garage. Her (then) Crew Chief Tony Eury Jr said the shoe had nothing to do with her car problems but when was the last time someone ran over a shoe?

Critics are already saying her Sprint Cup season is going to be a failure but if you think about it, Sprint Cup might just be the place she excels. Jimmie Johnson struggled in the Busch Series until he moved to Cup racing and eventually dominated for 5 straight years and is still a factor in every race. Patrick could easily take to these new cars and, maybe not this season, but in a few years, really be a contender in some of these races. With Hendrick equipment and Stewart-Hass expertise, she will definitely be prepared out on the track.

Everything she does this season will be under scrutiny. Both her results and her personal life will be analyzed and dissected every weekend. Her car owner and teammate Tony Stewart has faith in Patrick saying, “She’s progressing. What she’s done in such a short amount of time has been very impressive so far. “Most of the people that do the picking and analyzing aren’t people that actually understand how to analyze a whole race from start to finish and aren’t qualified to make that judgment,” Stewart said. “But from our side as a team owner and teammate, I’ve seen great strides. She’s made huge gains in a short amount of time and that shows talent.” (Source http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2013-02-01/danica-patrick-tony-stewart-sprint-cup-team-confidence)

Her Crew Chief Tony Gibson and his team are well prepared for what is to come in 2013 and are eager to work with their new driver. This season will be one of ups and downs for Danica Patrick and it won’t be easy. Whether or not you think she is ready for the Sprint Cup Series, she is here and she is ready to race.

Original Post: Click Here
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    10 Reasons Why Nascar Is Better Than Football
    2012 Nascar Championship Predictions
    2013: NASCAR Isn't Playing Games
    2014 Driver Team Changes
    2014 Rookie Of The Year
    8 Ways To Make The Off-Season Not So Awful
    A Drop In Attendance: What Can Be Done?
    Alex Bowman
    A Look At Talladega
    ASCAR Silly Season: Here Is What Happened
    A Track Schedule Fans Want To See
    Austin Dillon: A Champion Once More
    Bad Luck For Hendrick Motorsports
    Bank Of America 500 Recap
    BK Racing
    Brad Keselowski 2013 Preview
    Breaking Down Hendrick Motorsports
    Bristol: Who Needs To Perform
    Can 5-Time Get His 6-Pack?
    Carl Edwards Is Coming
    Chase
    Chase Elliott Joins JRM
    Coca-Cola 600 Predictions
    Crafton Closes In On First Championship
    Dale Earnhardt Jr Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down
    Danica Patrick
    Danica Patrick 500
    Danica Patrick Is Measuring Up
    Danica Patrick: Is She Prepared?
    Danica Patrick's Rock Star Weekend
    Danica's Impressive Martinsville Finish
    Dario Franchitti Announces Retirement
    Daytona 500: Johnson Won
    Daytona International Speedway
    Divers To Watch In 2013
    DIVORCE: Danica's Devastating News
    Does Gordon Still Have A Chance?
    Earnhardt Continues Strong Run
    Earnhardt's Famed No.3 Returns
    Gordon: Victorious
    Green White Checkers
    Importance Of Daytona Testing
    Is Jeff Gordon's Career Coming To An End?
    Is Johnson The Best Ever?
    Issues Early In Sprint Cup Practice At Martinsville
    Jimmie Johnson Comtinues To Shine
    Jimmie Johnson Gets His 6 Pack
    Jimmie Johnson Is More Than Just A Driver
    Joey Logano Vs Tony Stewart
    Johanna Long 2013 Preview
    Johnson: Can He Do It Again?
    Johnson Makes History; Closes In On Kenseth
    Johnson's Championship To Lose
    Johnson To Repeat In 2014
    Junior Wins MPD
    Justin Allgaier
    Kahne Hoping For A Better 2014
    Kevin Harvick's Future With RCR And SHR
    Kyle Busch: How Much Is Too Much?
    LIVE! Kansas Speedway
    Martinsville: Who To Watch
    Matt Crafton Captures 1st Championship
    Michael Schumacher
    NASCAR
    Nascar And Indycar Go Pink
    Nascar Announces Rule Changes
    NASCAR Secondary Team Sponsor Terms Announced
    Nationwide Series
    Nationwide Series Drivers Who Deserve Sprint Cup Series Rides
    New Chase Format
    NNS Championship Outlok
    NNS: Keselowski Wins At Texas
    No.3 NCWTS Team Penalized
    Notables At The Monster
    Opinion
    OPINION: What Busch's Move To SHR Really Means
    Patrick 8th But What About The Others?
    Penske Racing
    Phoenix Racing
    Qualifying
    RCR
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr: A Champion
    Ryan Newman To Rcr In 2014
    Ryan Truex
    Sam Hornish Jr. Thinking Positive In 2013
    Shr Offers Ride To Kurt Busch
    Shr Troubles During The Fresh Fit 500
    Southern 500 Winners And Losers
    Sprint All-Star Race Fan Vote Predictions
    Stenhouse Jr's Zestfully Fast Weekend
    Steve Letarte
    Stewart-Haas Racing
    Stewart-Haas Racing And Kurt Busch Make It Official
    Stewart-Haas Racing Gaining Ground
    Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Endless Movie References
    Talladega's Dark Horse
    Talladega: What Happened?
    Texas Recap: Johnson's Dominating Win
    The Rain-Delayed 499
    Tied At The Top
    Travis Kvapil Arrested
    Travis Pastrana OUT
    Truck Series
    Truex To Furniture Row Racing
    Wallace
    What Does Danica Patrick's Pole Win Mean For NASCAR?
    What To Watch For In 2013
    Who Is Miss Sprint Cup
    Who Is The Real Bad Luck Brian?
    Who Must Win In 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • HOME
  • Reels/Awards
  • Anchor/Reporter
  • Producer
  • Social/Digital
  • Resume
  • About Me
    • Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Photography