Robby Gordon said....

A

ajk112802

Guest
I read this forms often but haven't posted in well over a year. I am a big fan of both NASCAR and Indy style racing and I had a question I was hoping you can answer.
Robby Gordon has made a big deal of Danica Patrick (new female phenom in the IRL) being only 105 pounds which he feels gives her an unfair advantage in the races. He has gone so far as to say he won't race in the IRL again until the fix this unfair advatage somehow (he used to run "the double"). It will give her somewhat of an advantage, especially in Indy cars, but that is not my question. The question is, does NASCAR factor the driver's bodyweight into how much a car should weigh? Do lighter drivers have an advatage in NASCAR they way they would in Indy cars or not really since the cars themselves weigh so much more?
Thanks! AJ
 
I suppose the driver's body wieght does play into either an advantage or disadvantage. Both series have a minium wieght requirement for the cars at the inspection part of the races. Not real sure what IRL is but I know 3400 lbs is mininum for NASCAR..............that includes the driver in the car. A lighter driver would mean the car would require some wieght added.....but that wieght can added wherever it is needed most. I would guess the engineers would figure out where the added would be most beneficial to the car's handling............say, left side along the car's frame? It would be an advantage if that would make a set up better. Robby's just doing his normal stuff............bitching and complaining!! :D

I wonder what Robby has to say about folks like Micheal Waltrip, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman, or Jimmy Spencer? :)
 
does 80 pounds really give you that big of an advantage?

PS oh no robby wont race in the IRL anymore! NOoooooo..... lol
 
Well when a 32th of an inch makes a huge difference in a restrictor plate, I would guess 80 lbs would make a difference too (at least a little)!! :D
 
ajk112802 said:
Robby Gordon has made a big deal of Danica Patrick (new female phenom in the IRL) being only 105 pounds which he feels gives her an unfair advantage in the races.
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When/where did he say that? In the interview I heard he was making a joke about drivers weight. In fact, the way he put it is that 'overweight' drivers like himself need to go on a diet to compete with her. It was all in fun. IMO.
 
bumpzter said:
When/where did he say that? In the interview I heard he was making a joke about drivers weight. In fact, the way he put it is that 'overweight' drivers like himself need to go on a diet to compete with her. It was all in fun. IMO.
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I read the story on msnbc.com. I wasn't sure if this forum allowed links to other websites posted. I'll post it and if it's not ok, moderators please remove it... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8018894/ It doesn't read as if he was joking but that doesn't mean anything; the media tends to blow many things out of proportion these days...
 
It may have been all in fun..............but Robby has a way of complaining "in fun". Don't get me wrong..........I actually think Robby Gordon is a very talented driver and can win in anything he jumps into. But, he restricts himself by always looking for excuses to why he didn't win. :) I wish he would just take a step back and do what he needs to do to win..........quit looking for reasons he why didn't win! He's racing in the most competitive racing series in the world.....he ain't going to win them all! Winning's the goal........but it's a very lofty goal in NASCAR!! Just give it your all and give it 200% effort for the win............but, learn to take what you get and move on to the next race when you fall a little short of the goal. :)
 
Thanks, ajk112802. I read that article. You're right. He was probably asked the question how he felt about her size. The damn media is sure going overboard about her. I wish her well, but win at Indy on the first try in the first season? Don't think so.
 
DE_Wrangler_2 said:
he restricts himself by always looking for excuses to why he didn't win. :) I wish he would just take a step back and do what he needs to do to win..........quit looking for reasons he why didn't win! He's racing in the most competitive racing series in the world.....he ain't going to win them all! Winning's the goal........but it's a very lofty goal in NASCAR!!
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Doesn't everyone have to find a reason why they didn't win to improve on their finishing position? Don't fault the guy for being exactly like everyone else.
 
esorlxaw said:
Doesn't everyone have to find a reason why they didn't win to improve on their finishing position? Don't fault the guy for being exactly like everyone else.
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Robby could finally figure out that there are many drivers out there who are as good or better than he is.......humbleness goes a long ways toward earning fans. :)
 
If it was that much of an advantage then Mark Martin or John Andriti ( sp) should run circles around everybody. Especially Waltrip, Spencer, Newman and Sadler. :D
 
A lighter driver would mean the car would require some wieght added.....but that wieght can added wherever it is needed most. I would guess the engineers would figure out where the added would be most beneficial to the car's handling............say, left side along the car's frame?
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Exactly. To me this gives Mark Martin (~114 lbs.) an advantage more so than just having a lighter car due to the driver's weight.
Maybe they should let the overweight drivers remove weight from the car so all of the cars weigh the same... :D
 
barelypure said:
Exactly. To me this gives Mark Martin (~114 lbs.) an advantage more so than just having a lighter car due to the driver's weight.
Maybe they should let the overweight drivers remove weight from the car so all of the cars weigh the same... :D
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i'm fairly certain that drivers under a certain weightt do have an extra block of lead or something in there.
 
DirtyMo1381529 said:
i'm fairly certain that drivers under a certain weightt do have an extra block of lead or something in there.
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All cars weigh the same at the start of the race...........3400 lbs minimum. That includes a full load of fuel and liquids, all safety equipment, and the driver. Weight is added or taken away to get to that weight since the lightest possible weight would help on speed and handling. The "advantage" a lighter driver would have is that any added weight could be put where it would be most beneficial to the handling of the car. And that is what Robby was saying.
 
Has anyone noticed that Robby isn't really out of shape? I think the main thing the man is pointing out is that in IRL, the lighter the driver, the lighter the car...thus the advantage. When most drivers are around the same weight, it isn't that big of a deal, but when you throw someone close to 100lbs in a car, it makes a big difference....in NASCAR, they regulate total weight, in IRL they don't. All that's happened is someone has sensationalized this story to draw attention.
 
They do not require the cars to weigh the same with the driver in them with the IRL?
Man that would be a decent advantage for a light driver.
 
I think that means that he will just have to drive better to outwieght the advantage.. lol j/k i don't think 50 pounds is that much, especially when she has a full load of fuel and others don't..
 
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