Danica Patrick on a frustrating 2016 season: “I get so sad . . . it’s just not much fun”

Okay...... not to get off topic...... but in edit to my last post, I just reread the article on Clint Bowyer..... It was for 2 monthly checks.... and only for 1.2 mil.... the other mil. was for commission.... 600 thousand a month.......I am almost positive Danica is drawing down much more than that and....... ''She's not having fun''...... any of us making that much would be having so much fun that our face would break open from the grin.......
 
she has probably taken a pretty big pay cut once go daddy left. combine that with all the wrecks and making carl edwards "need a new set of pants" with her pit road entrance. yeah its probably not fun anymore.
 
If she was in this just for the money as some have suggested then she would be happy no matter how she runs. But, I think she has a lot more passion for racing then we give her credit for. It really doesn't make any difference if the teams lack of performance is Danica, the car, or her crew chief, they have tried hard and they just can't seem to improve...and that would make any driver unhappy if they really care about what they are doing.
 
cheesepuffs said:
To those saying she now has one more year of maturity so she'll inprove, or she should go down to Xfinity or to IMSA to find success, here's the thing:

Do you REALLY believe she even cares about winning whatsoever? She's a marketer and literally nothing more. She wasn't brought in NASCAR because Dale Junior or Tony Stewart thought she would be winning championships. She doesn't care if she wins either. She does this as a *job*, not a passion for stockcar racing. Which is fine, but lets call a spade a spade. She drives every weekend and collects a good paycheck. She'll retire in a couple years and use her clout to market protein powder and a fitness clothing line and go on with her life still raking in tons of cash.

I mean good for her honestly, but lets stop pretending she would ever consider a series swap to run better. Cup pays the best, therefore she will run Cup or she will not be racing at all.
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This right here , I would think she has some passion for racing, wasnt she racing before GD came along?, smart money for GD was to have her in Cup , it was a simple case of business 101 moving her from Indy to NASCAR
 
2 Sweet said:
It's a shame. They don't even talk about her during the race broadcasts anymore. Hopefully she runs better in 2017. She's great for the sport and some better finishes would be nice to see.
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Not really, she is finally get treated fairly like all the other mid pack drivers , but now that it is time for FOX to take over, I am pretty there will be more talk of her during the races as FOX and DW seem to have a love affair towards her :laugh:
 
DanicaFreak said:
Id like to see her in trucks. have her race vs Jennifer Jo cobb-she'd kick her ass. Id even have her race her in similar equipment.
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Ok, but I respectully think that's flawed and to narrow. A win the battle M. O., verses a winning the war or simply winning.
I would think entering an event with the best possible equipment and going for the win is a better goal. If not that, just running steady top 5s and and eventually having a most laps led race. The kind of stuff to build her own confidence as well as the teams confidence in her.

It is hard to estimate the value of cinfidence and of commanding the confidence of your supporting cast that keeps your deal going. When the crew believes that you are great enough to capitalize on all the advantages they are fighting to give you.
In a related thought young winless drivers are often encouraged with the quote 'after you get your first win, there will be more to follow' or something like that.

I think those ideas are real, the truth imo.
 
Nitro Dude said:
If she was in this just for the money as some have suggested then she would be happy no matter how she runs. But, I think she has a lot more passion for racing then we give her credit for. It really doesn't make any difference if the teams lack of performance is Danica, the car, or her crew chief, they have tried hard and they just can't seem to improve...and that would make any driver unhappy if they really care about what they are doing.
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^
This, well said.
 
She isn't going anywhere as long as she is the cash cow she is. It wouldn't be fun knowing you are there solely as a draw for sponsors and some fans, even making money. Would be embarrassing accepting the check she is paid which is supposed to be for performance, not sideshow. It would suck knowing there is a kid in Xfinity that could do so much better, and even worse knowing EVERYONE else knows it too.
 
Ford 222 said:
She isn't going anywhere as long as she is the cash cow she is. It wouldn't be fun knowing you are there solely as a draw for sponsors and some fans, even making money. Would be embarrassing accepting the check she is paid which is supposed to be for performance, not sideshow. It would suck knowing there is a kid in Xfinity that could do so much better, and even worse knowing EVERYONE else knows it too.
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I'd cash the check not giving a second thought about that X driver in the Xfinity Series.
 
cheesepuffs said:
Do you REALLY believe she even cares about winning whatsoever? She's a marketer and literally nothing more. She wasn't brought in NASCAR because Dale Junior or Tony Stewart thought she would be winning championships. She doesn't care if she wins either. She does this as a *job*, not a passion for stockcar racing. Which is fine, but lets call a spade a spade. She drives every weekend and collects a good paycheck. She'll retire in a couple years and use her clout to market protein powder and a fitness clothing line and go on with her life still raking in tons of cash.

I mean good for her honestly, but lets stop pretending she would ever consider a series swap to run better. Cup pays the best, therefore she will run Cup or she will not be racing at all.
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Can we read minds and be so absolute about her intentions? I am sure she loves the money, who wouldn't? But being a great marketer doesn't disqualify her desire to run up front. The two goals driving/marketing are more parallel than most would prefer. Unfortunately great marketing is a necessity and one of most critical requirements for most sprint cup drivers.

Last of I have no problem being a Danica critic, I have written many of them myself. But sticking with the topic or O. P. I have to say I can respect her reasons for being frustrated.
I have loaded up after an awful night at the track and argued with my dad all the way home about why we were so bad that night. This much I know, racing is tough, even at a local go cart race, and getting beat is no fun.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I'd cash the check not giving a second thought about that X driver in the Xfinity Series.
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I couldn't...not saying I wouldn't cash the checks....but knowing I was a waste of a possibly competitive ride with lots of people working to make it run well would ride my conscience.
 
Danica was on Rachael Ray this morning. I tuned in just to see what was up. Nothing much, just a promotional visit.
 
Greg said:
Can we read minds and be so absolute about her intentions? I am sure she loves the money, who wouldn't? But being a great marketer doesn't disqualify her desire to run up front. The two goals driving/marketing are more parallel than most would prefer. Unfortunately great marketing is a necessity and one of most critical requirements for most sprint cup drivers.

Last of I have no problem being a Danica critic, I have written many of them myself. But sticking with the topic or O. P. I have to say I can respect her reasons for being frustrated.
I have loaded up after an awful night at the track and argued with my dad all the way home about why we were so bad that night. This much I know, racing is tough, even at a local go cart race, and getting beat is no fun.
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No, her being a decent looking woman/marketer are the only parallels here. She could go winless for another three years and still make millions and you're kidding yourself if you think it's based on potential to win races and championships.
 
cheesepuffs said:
No, her being a decent looking woman/marketer are the only parallels here. She could go winless for another three years and still make millions and you're kidding yourself if you think it's based on potential to win races and championships.
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If you ever read my thoughts on her driving abilities you would know I am not expecting those type of accomplishments.
 
I don't think the money she makes has anything to do with her being sad and not having fun. Yeah she makes good money but that has nothing to do with the competition. Anyone that's ever played a sport knows that losing isn't fun. She hasn't even sniffed a win while her teammates have all visited victory lane, I'm sure its frustrating. The money is just a paycheck like anyone else. Yeah it might be bigger but its a normal check to her and the life she lives.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
ask richard petty what he thinks of the whole deal. he is the only one that has spoken the truth. old school nascar people forget.

the first and last word about the situation
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I don't think Kyle would be a very good motivational speaker to a class room of kids at school... It's to late to learn and you will never be any good.:)
 
sometimes the truth hurts its not about motivation its about racing. look I think kyle needs a freaking hair cut and needs to lose the ear rings, I hate that stuff personally. but I have to be honest I typically like what he has to say about alot of things.
 
Nitro Dude said:
If she was in this just for the money as some have suggested then she would be happy no matter how she runs. But, I think she has a lot more passion for racing then we give her credit for. It really doesn't make any difference if the teams lack of performance is Danica, the car, or her crew chief, they have tried hard and they just can't seem to improve...and that would make any driver unhappy if they really care about what they are doing.
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Ive been saying this all along. She comes from a racing family...some forget she LEFT school to learn to race. Shes a racer through and through.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
sometimes the truth hurts its not about motivation its about racing. look I think kyle needs a freaking hair cut and needs to lose the ear rings, I hate that stuff personally. but I have to be honest I typically like what he has to say about alot of things.
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Actually I was just kidding, hence the smiley face.:) But, if you spend any time at all around a race team that has a less then stellar season you will find out real quick that motivation plays a big part in trying to improve your performance. The racing community is usually a pretty close knit family and you usually don't run the bus over the other people you work around...so I have to wonder in the back of my mind what would motivate Kyle Petty to talk so candid about her instead of just keeping his mouth shut.;)
 
Danica is as deserving of a NASCAR ride as Paul Menard is. NASCAR isn't a Meritocracy, you have to earn your place with the proper combination of money and talent. It's not like she stinking up the field like
Milka Duno.
 
Pretty sure her indy car win (Japan ?) Was a fluke gas millage win. I agree with the Petty's. Around here if you don't get your own way , you're pulling a Danica.......
 
Fuel consumption is a factor in any race requiring at least one stop to refuel during the event.

Winning as a result of strategizing that fact has been going on since forever. Ms. Patrick won that race. Minimizing it speaks loudly about the race "fan" doing so.
 
The comments in the original article were the best part.

My take on Danica- She isn't that good. If she's compensated in the same range and receives the same attention as the other mid pack drivers I'm ok with it.

That said, I didn't see any indication from her that she personally needs to work harder or things of that ilk. It was all about throwing her team mates under the bus.
 
Please note that Danica was literally on Home Shopping Network today to promote her Warrior clothing line.
 
Johali said:
Danica was on Rachael Ray this morning. I tuned in just to see what was up. Nothing much, just a promotional visit.
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I'm pretty sure I saw Danica on the Rachael Ray show a few years ago also.
 
Nitro Dude said:
Actually I was just kidding, hence the smiley face.:) But, if you spend any time at all around a race team that has a less then stellar season you will find out real quick that motivation plays a big part in trying to improve your performance. The racing community is usually a pretty close knit family and you usually don't run the bus over the other people you work around...so I have to wonder in the back of my mind what would motivate Kyle Petty to talk so candid about her instead of just keeping his mouth shut.;)
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from a business prospective and his involvement in the sport I actually agree his comments did himself NO good. that is in despite of the fact I totally agree with them. I can understand why he said it because I probably would say the same thing without cameras on me. but like I said probably not a good thing to say when in front of the camera. but I still like it anyways. I know weird
 
hidesert cowboy said:
from a business prospective and his involvement in the sport I actually agree his comments did himself NO good. that is in despite of the fact I totally agree with them. I can understand why he said it because I probably would say the same thing without cameras on me. but like I said probably not a good thing to say when in front of the camera. but I still like it anyways. I know weird
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Not weird at all my friend. I have always said that Indy car style of racing fit her driving style much better. I don't know why she has had such a hard time getting use to the Cup cars. I would love to see Danica try her hand at drag racing when she is done with Nascar. I know of a good car she would fit right in...it's a lot easier to fit a smaller driver into a larger roll cage then it is to fit a larger driver in to a smaller roll cage.:D
 
Have to say enjoying reading the comments in this thread. Im a DP10 fan but respect others views. Her body of work so far is not the best but she is learning to stay out of trouble. Shes not talked about on the broadcasts more than any other driver running where she is. She is one of the guys for the most part.

I hope the switch to Ford and bringing Clint on board helps her....looking forward to Daytona!
 
Here's my take on her. She can drive a car no doubt, but there has been a lot over the years who could do that. Only problem is she can't "race" the car. I watched her one victory live many years ago. Small field that she ran in the back all day. Caution came out and she + two or three others topped up just before the green with 50 odd laps to go. The leader ran out with 2 (?) Laps left and she got the win. Hasn't backed it up since , so in my view.....weak win. You could take 50 odd year old AL Unser Jr. And put him in her car this past season and he'd kick her ass. Because......
he's a Racecar Driver. This has nothing to do with her being a girl like most twist it into. She has a heavy foot and c+ skill. Like "Mr.Excitement" without the brawn.
 
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