Does Danica Patrick’s lighter weight give her an advantage at Daytona?

[martinfan5]

Naw, she moved to friggin' Chicago or something with that skinny Stenhousefool she's dating ... and G's gotta get in line ... behind me!

Oh , I did not know, but I am also not her number one stalker , I mean er , fan

Edited February 23, 2013 by martinfan5

[Longbox55]

I think what is posted there answers the question pretty well. I don't know one gazillionith of what Kenseth knows. Considering both her teammates qualified top 5, I wouldn't think too much of it.

You also have to consider the fact that both of her teammates are a couple of the heaviest drivers out there as well.

[lanesteele240]

How do i block any post that have anything to do with this Danica patrick person

[martinfan5]

How do i block any post that have anything to do with this Danica patrick person

Just dont open any thread with her name in it

[zenrat]

If the drivers weight was a real advantage (compared to the drivers skill) then you'd see all the team owners queuing up to hire jockeys.

[Lunajammer]

I would think the only real advantage would be taking less anatomical mass into the wall. Some belt rash instead of crushed sternum.

[Duntov]

YES.!!!!!!!!!... but only because the other drivers are MEAT HEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think About it!!!!!! )

[Joe Handley]

Nope...must be cause she is a she...................

That wouldn't surprise me

Had a customer who made a good point back when she was just running Indy Cars or just getting into NASCAR. At the time Robby Gordon was cryin' about her being so much lighter than other, larger, male drivers like himself. Well, this lady pointed out that while yes, Danica Patric is lighter than than most of the male racers, she doesn't have the strength to man handle a car like, say, Robby Gordon does Wouldn't matter which series either, Stock Cars are over 3000 pounds and while Indy Cars are much lighter while sitting still, all those down force generators do add weight to the cars once up to speed and will make them harder to steer. SO yes, her being lighter does have an advantage in vehicle weight, but also can work against her when it comes to body strength in controlling said vehicle.

[Duntov]

QUOTE........

SO yes, her being lighter does have an advantage in vehicle weight, but also can work against her when it comes to body strength in controlling said vehicle.

HMMMMM......I kinda heard some place that the cars have power steering and A/C.....not sure about the brakes..... SO....(and I am NOT a NASCAR guy)........ she is still at a disadvantage? This is a bit like the announcer who claimed that female golfers would have problems with their....ahem.... certain upper body parts getting in the way when they swing a club......

But yeah I guess you are right.... a 5'2" 100 lb woman probably can't throw a 3000 lb race car any where near as far as a 6'2" 195 lb male can...... how stupid of me......!!!!......

Ooooops I forgot to ask....so how was it agian that "girl" got the pole position?..... must have cheated..... probably flashed the other drivers and distracted them..... yep.... I am SURE that was it......

Edited February 23, 2013 by Duntov

[Skip]

She probably does have an advantage on a short track where the driver is on and off the gas the lighter car is going to accelerate quicker. On a track like Daytona it's probably a moot point once up to speed they keep their foot planted. A restrictor plate track the heavier driver/car might have the advantage as the added weight makes for added traction, 20 pounds adjusted weight probably isn't going to make a huge difference. (Figure that's around 5 pounds a tire / corner.) The other thing to consider is that all of the cars on the track have the same issues poking a hole through the same air not just the light ones.

Sounds like a lot of whining, if it were such a huge issue wouldn't it make sense to see a whole bunch of Nascar guys on Weight Watchers commercials and diets?

[Kaleb]

I don't follow nascar, but in drag racing we figure one 100 pds equals 1/10th of a second. So no, everyone is pretty much even when it comes to the weight of the car and regulated power. When you only have around 20 to 30 pound differences it does not really matter. Besides that, the real drivers were the original starters of nascar, without all of the cpu controlled junk.

[martinfan5]

I don't follow nascar, but in drag racing we figure one 100 pds equals 1/10th of a second. So no, everyone is pretty much even when it comes to the weight of the car and regulated power. When you only have around 20 to 30 pound differences it does not really matter. Besides that, the real drivers were the original starters of nascar, without all of the cpu controlled junk.

You mean EFI?

[Danno]

That wouldn't surprise me

Had a customer who made a good point back when she was just running Indy Cars or just getting into NASCAR. At the time Robby Gordon was cryin' about her being so much lighter than other, larger, male drivers like himself. Well, this lady pointed out that while yes, Danica Patric is lighter than than most of the male racers, she doesn't have the strength to man handle a car like, say, Robby Gordon does Wouldn't matter which series either, Stock Cars are over 3000 pounds and while Indy Cars are much lighter while sitting still, all those down force generators do add weight to the cars once up to speed and will make them harder to steer. SO yes, her being lighter does have an advantage in vehicle weight, but also can work against her when it comes to body strength in controlling said vehicle.

She may be a lot "lighter" than Robby, but she's a whole lot smarter than Robby. Even if she was stupid.

[martinfan5]

She may be a lot "lighter" than Robby, but she's a whole lot smarter than Robby. Even if she was stupid.

Thats funny

[MAGNUM4342]

Wieght has nothing to do with it. It's a combination of car setup and driver's skill not weight.

[62rebel]

these responses are just several more reasons that i firmly hope she whips the socks off the rest of them come race day. i just can't believe some of the irrational stuff people come up with.

[moparfarmer]

Although she can drive a race car better than most/all of us she has a 1 in 43 chance of winning. Unlikely yes, does her weight give he advantage,no, experience and skill have lots to do with it. Each of which she doesn't have enough of yet in NASCAR...She will do fine as long as she stays out of trouble.

[Fender]

Stuff like this is exactly why I LOATH NASCAR. Bunch of whining crybaby poor sportsman. They go out there in what amounts to little more than a high speed demolition derby running litteraly INCHES from each other at upwards of 200 mph or better then get all butthurt when someone bumps them, intentional or not, then when someone gets more press or does better than them on a regular basis they have to start stuff like this. I have been involved in drag racing and have been an NHRA member for over 25 years and you rarely EVER encounter this sort of thing in that motorsport.

Besides that, the races last so long they get boring.

Wow ! Dude.

[Fender]

It would seem to me that her wieght and less muscle mass would hinder things in a tuff situation- like trying to get it together in a spin or slide . Turning the wheel fast one way to another in a slide has to be effected by strong fast arms and upper body muscle. Mark Martin might not weigh much but look at his arms. They're 4 ft long !

Danicas size may work to her advantage as there's less of her to get mashed . She doesn't take up much room in the cockpit.

There's a ton of interest in Nascar. It's a super successful sport. It's a true sport because you can get killed. I love drag racing. But it's not quite as big as the Nascar. Nascar is kind of like a chess game. Strategy and making moves. It's a long game. In Drags you can have stuff go wrong but there's more likelyhood of stuff going wrong over a 3 or 4 hour stretch of running full out in Nascar that is not there in Drags. It's two different things. Both are great. If the Drags had 100, 000 people at every race you'd here all different sides to everything just like you do in NASCAR !!!

There are cry babies in every sport- I'm sure.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Fender

[Greg Myers]

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131211/NASCAR01/131219974?utm_source=Racing20131215&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=article8&utm_content=20131211-Danica-Patrick-shows-off-Vegas-showgirl-talent-at-American-Country-Awards-show&utm_campaign=awRacing

[MachinistMark]

theres nothing classless about that? shes fully clothed.

[Rob Hall]

Pretty tame...nothing like Miley...

[Harry P.]

Actually pretty funny! I like her comment about her act "falling flat."

A little self-deprecating humor is a good thing!

[Agent G]

She did good.

Notice how short she is compared with the rest of the line? True she's an itty bitty person, but those showgirls are TALL. They have to be to wear the headpieces. I learned that from a, ahem, friend I dated before I met MrsG.

G

[my80malibu]

I liked it! and I don't even like Nascar.