Random Topics – 2013 Daytona 500, Olympus Has Fallen, Yahoo! & More!
Today we’re discussing a few topics that have recently been in the news.
2013 Daytona 500
First is this past Sunday’s running of the annual Daytona 500 race in the NASCAR Cup series.
As a whole, the race was fairly boring until the last 20-30 laps when the drivers began making their moves to go for the win. This is commonplace with today’s restrictor plate racetracks (Daytona and Talladega) as most of the drivers will simply sit back and “save” their car for the end of the race. Those tracks also tend to pack the cars together, and when accidents occur, they can damage many cars. As a result, some drivers will intentionally stay in the very front or rear of the pack and try to keep out of harm’s way for when “the big one” occurs.
Jimmie Johnson won the 2013 running of the Daytona 500, but as far as the media and commentators were concerned, it was rookie Danica Patrick (she did run a partial schedule at the Cup level last year, so she does have some experience at a few of the tracks, including Daytona) who led the headlines and commentary THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE RACE.
Danica won the pole position for the race. Whoop-de-do. A) It’s a restrictor place track where ANYTHING could happen. Look at the 2011 race where a nobody won the race. Again, ANYTHING could happen at Daytona and Talladega. Winning the pole just means that at that point in time you had the fastest race car on the course. It’s normally a different story during the actual race. B) She has a weight advantage compared to other drivers. Since her car was lighter her car was able to drive a little bit faster. On a course like Daytona where top speed is more important than braking and cornering, then she has a clear advantage. This next race at Phoenix will be a different story. The same will be true for pretty much every other track on the NASCAR circuit.
It was sickening the amount of coverage that the commentators gave the Queen during the Daytona 500. Apparently we needed non-stop updates on her position along with where all other drivers were in comparison to her car. After five laps I hit the mute button and played my own music as background noise. It stayed that way until the last five laps of the race.
Despite dropping from third to eighth on the last lap (that was impressive watching Dale Junior come out of nowhere and almost win the race), apparently Danica was important enough to have the FIRST INTERVIEW with the reporters after the race. During most races it’s customary to only interview the top five finishers, but since Danica is a woman (a recently divorced one, too), she gets special privileges and extra attention. Again, let me know IF she ever wins a race.
Olympus Has Fallen Read more…
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Danica Patrick and the 2012 NASCAR Budweiser Shootout
If you watched the pre-race and most of the race coverage, this event was better known as The Danica Patrick Show.
Holy crap!
NASCAR OFFICIALS, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP TALKING ABOUT DANICA PATRICK!!!
Give it a rest!
It’s bad enough dealing with those incredibly annoying and overplayed GoDaddy.com TV commercials. For the excessive pre-race coverage and talk show with the woman, and the constant cutting to her during the first segment of the race, that was INCREDIBLY POOR! Never before has a ROOKIE been given so much attention in the racing series.
NASCAR’s treatment of Danica Patrick is worse than the NHL and news media bending over to Sidney Crosby. Apparently it was a big story recently when he skated again with his team. Not played in a game, but merely skated with his teammates.
It’s time for the media to end these poster boys and girls in the sports world. Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s wishful thinking, but it’s not going to end.
I could see giving Danica some coverage if she was a good driver. But she’s not. She had the best equipment and years of experience in the IndyCar Series, and she could only claim one win. One! And that single win wasn’t even against the full field of cars. Had Helio Castroneves known that Danica was passing him for position at the end of that race in Japan, the outcome would have been different. She’d still have that great big ZERO in the win column. Read more…
R.I.P. — Dan Wheldon
Today in the Las Vegas Indy 300 IndyCar race in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of IndyCar’s best and most talented drivers died after being involved in a massive, fifteen-car wreck early in the race.
Needless to say, I am one of the millions around the world deeply saddened and mourning the loss of Dan Wheldon.
The crash today in Las Vegas was nothing but horrific. The engineers behind the scenes have improved driver, pit crew, and fan safety tremendously over the years, but every once in a whole we’re reminded that the unthinkable can still happen, and it can strike rookies and veterans alike. Unfortunately, today it struck not only a very talented racing veteran, but also one of the best personalities in the IndyCar circuit.
15-car wreck at the Las Vegas Indy 300, October 16, 2011
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The view from Will Power’s on-board camera.
In the driver’s meeting nearly two hours after the crash, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti announced to the other IndyCar drivers that Dan Wheldon had perished. The remainder of the Las Vegas Indy 300 race was cancelled. The drivers voted unanimously to drive a five-lap salute to honor their fallen friend.
Announcement of Dan Wheldon’s death and the five-lap salute.
Wheldon was one of my favorite drivers in the IndyCar series along with Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon and Will Power. His loss is a huge blow to the sport and racing fans worldwide. This tragedy could not have struck not only a better driver but also a better person in general.
R.I.P. — Dan Wheldon
Analysis of Sept. 16, 2011 Reno Air Race Crash
The death toll from last Friday’s tragic crash at the Reno Air Races has officially reach eleven; seven dying at the crash site and four more succumbing to critical injuries and dying in the hospital.
So what happened to the aircraft?
Why did the veteran pilot suddenly pitch up in his modified P-51 Mustang, The Galloping Ghost, roll inverted and slam nose first into part of the spectator viewing area?
Right now the videos of the crash and its horrific aftermath don’t yield a whole lot of clues. People recording the race were focused on many of the racing aircraft, and it’s hard to find a clear video of The Galloping Ghost. And from what I’ve seen in the news, personal accounts of the accident match what little we can see in the amateur videos.
Fortunately for the NTSB and anybody else looking for answers, a few photos have surfaced and they actually shed quite a bit of light as to the final moments of The Galloping Ghost and veteran pilot, Jimmy Leeward.
Reno Air Race 2011 – The Galloping Ghost – before final race
Taken some point before its final race, here we can see The Galloping Ghost on the taxiway at Reno. Inside the red circle you can clearly see pilot Jimmy Leeward sitting in his seat. As a whole, cockpits for fighter aircraft are usually cramped with just enough room for the pilot to effectively move the controls and safely maneuver and navigate the aircraft. Read more…
IndyCar race at Chicagoland Speedway
Last night’s IndyCar race at the Chicagoland Speedway was nothing but spectacular for fans of racing. That was a real treat to see the lead pack of ten cars staying together for most of the race, giving the fans many hair raising moments and a spectacular finish.
Franchitti’s win was his third win of the season, and Wheldon had a strong second place finish. Wheldon continues to give the best TV interviews. It’s always a pleasure having him speak to the interviewers before and after races.
And speaking of good finishes, how about three out of four Andretti cars going third, fourth and fifth?
Kudos go out to Sarah Fisher for getting up front and leading a total of ten laps. True, she went to the front by skipping a pit stop and only led the pack during the yellow flag laps, but she held second place until she came in to pit. She was gambling for another yellow flag during which she would pit with everybody else and hopefully maintain her position. It didn’t work out that way for her in the end, but she did a good job staying up front with the leaders. Read more…
2010 Indianapolis 500
Yesterday we had the annual running of the world famous Indy 500 race, also known as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
For the most part, it was an entertaining race full of crashes and excitement throughout the race. Despite the incredibly lame fuel-efficiency ending, I was glad to see Dario Franchitti put his car in Victory Lane. Perhaps one of these years he’ll win it without help of rain or a yellow flag at the end of the race.
Of course, the big questions are, would Dan Wheldon have had enough time to catch up to Franchitti on that final lap? Did Franchitti’s car have enough fuel to go around one more time, even if he was averaging over 20 miles-per-hour slower than at full speed?
It’s too bad that this wasn’t a case where all the cars needed fuel to make it to the end, forcing everybody in for a splash of ethanol and letting them go full speed to the finish line.
The Mike Conway / Ryan Hunter-Reay crash at the end of the race was nothing short of spectacular. Apparently Conway had a fractured lower left leg and will have to wear a back brace for a few weeks, putting him out of action in IndyCar for the next few weeks. It’s amazing that he wasn’t injured more seriously and no fans were hurt in that accident.
And then there was Danica Patrick, megastar of IndyCar Racing and star of numerous GoDaddy and Peak antifreeze TV commercials.
DO YOU THINK THEY AIRED ENOUGH GODADDY COMMERCIALS DURING THE RACE??? Read more…
Did You Hear The News?
Did you hear about this?
I mean, this is like, huge! It’s incredible! Amazing!
No, this isn’t about the “Who Dat?” nation and the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl. Sorry Saints fans, but you’ve already been bumped from the front page. It was only the biggest win of the biggest game in the long history of the NFL team. You’ll get over it. Just win the Super Bowl again next year. Isn’t it the season of Mardi Gras anyway?
Anyway, this other news is much, much bigger and far more important.
I don’t know if it should even be mentioned here. This is just simply too astonishing to even mention.
Well, I guess we can take a look at it now.
Brace yourselves for this news. You better be sitting down.
Ready? Read more…
Overhyping Danica Patrick
Let’s just accept the fact that the media and many ignorant people online are going to be hyping and shoving Danica Patrick into our faces for quite some time. The process has already begun and this year in particular is going to be very overwhelming, especially with tomorrow’s ARCA race at Daytona, Florida.
I mean, it would be one thing if Danica could actually win races (note – races, and not a single win that was unknowingly given to her by Castroneves in the Japan race back in 2008) or even consistently compete with the leaders during any given race.
But as we’ve seen time and time and time again, Ms. Patrick is unable to compete based on skills and raw horsepower. The only way she will ever work her way to the front of the pack and win another race is by fuel economy and skipping a pit stop. That’s it. When it comes to real racing, Danica Patrick is just another Anna Kournikova — all looks and a lack of major victories or even a single championship. Throw in Ms. Patrick’s lack of a charming personality and often spiteful post-race interviews, and it’s a wonder that she gets any TV time at all.
Go to NASCAR or Stay in IndyCar?
A sports article published today leaked information that Danica Patrick, the Queen of IndyCar Racing, has supposedly agreed to a three-year extension to her current Andretti Green Racing contract which was set to expire at the end of this year’s racing season.
So far Ms. Patrick has been staying silent about the details and not answering any questions as to whether or not this is true. About a month ago it was widely reported that Ms. Patrick had been speaking with and seeking guidance from NASCAR driver Tony Stewart about making the long rumored jump to the stock cars.
If this rumor about the contract extension is true, then what does that mean for Danica Patrick and her interest in making the switch to NASCAR?
Alarming Rumours!
No, this isn’t the start of the classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, nor is this post about giant sea monsters taking down ships in the Pacific Ocean.
This is about the rumored transition of Danica Patrick, the queen of IndyCar racing, to the NASCAR circuits.
An article published yesterday indicates that this rumored transition may start taking place as early as next year’s 2010 racing season.
This is looking like a perfect setup for Danica Patrick to be the third car on Stewart-Haas Racing starting in the 2011 season.