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Some races on the Sprint Cup schedule are especially evocative of NASCAR history since the track and the event are rich in racing history. The lore is often as interesting as the prerace build-up for races at Darlington and Martinsville, and the big events like the Daytona 500 and Coca Cola “World” 600. NASCAR.com provides such a fascinating look into NASCAR’s past when 25 years ago, in 1976 Janet Guthrie, unable to make the field for the Indy 500, secured a ride, qualified, and finished in 15th at the Charlotte memorial day marathon. The article goes on to show she was no Humpy Wheeler publicity stunt, she’d go on to make 33 Cup appearances with five top ten’s and a sixth place finish at the second Bristol race in 1977 finishing 23rd in points before returning to the Indy circuit. Most interesting of all, her average career finish was 19.3 slightly better than her 19.9 average starting position.
Here’s a link to the interesting article: http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/05/18/charlotte.moments.jguthrie.1976/index.html
NASCAR has a history for women drivers going back to the earliest days of competition on the beach and dirt tracks, but Janet Guthrie was the first lady to start on a super speedway. With a Philly winning the Preakness and the massive marketing sensation Danica Patrick ignited for Indy racing, how far is NASCAR from having a lady aiming at the top ten in points. Shawna Robinson and Patty Moise experienced modest success in the Busch series in the 1990’s, but were never a factor in their token Cup appearances never having the equipment or crew to give an adequate assessment of their ability against the highly competitive field.
Currently, there are no potentially competitive drivers in the three major NASCAR series or ARCA competition. Chrissy Wallace, daughter of Mike, and niece of Rusty and Kenny has the right racing DNA and healthy heartland good looks that would appear to make her a fine candidate for racing stardom, but the results have not looked hopeful so far with teams cutting back on their developmental driver programs, Ms. Wallace is ride shopping instead of trading paint.
Danica Patrick is a true racer not just a media sensation. Look at the results on the track and realize she’s a factor every time she straps on her helmet. She finished in 12th place in her debut season, but has since finished in the top ten every year racking up consistent top five and top ten finishes despite having just one victory. Consider from Bill Rexford to Matt Kenseth, NASCAR champions have been crowned with just one victory in a season.
While the prospects of Ms. Patrick switching to NASCAR would be a publicity sensation, the pressure on her to produce would be enormous, probably far greater than Dale Jr.’s move to Hendrick proved to be a year ago, and as that move proved, teaming up with the top racing operations does not buy success on the track. Check in with former open wheel drivers like Sam Hornish, Scott Speed, and Juan Pablo Montoya on how difficult the transition is to the big heavy cars with fenders is to master. Meanwhile, Patrick has become the marketing face of IRL and has sponsors like Go Daddy along with tons of horny male fans fawning all over her in her present situation.
We’re also looking for when we might see a successful African-American driver rise up through the ranks to being a top level competitor in the sport. What’s interesting is unlike the other sports, the first place blacks have made substantial inroads is among the ranks of the team owners with Brad Daugherty being the most notable owner of the #47 Toyota Sprint Cup team and New England Patriot star, Randy Marsh, is starting to show a very successful Camping World Truck team.
We hope to see folks from all walks of American society follow their dreams and succeed as NASCAR drivers, crew members, and owners if that’s their calling, but let’s hope that they do so on the merits of their talent and not some contrived program that forces them into the picture having not paid their dues like the rest of the field. NASCAR must do everything it can to make sure that it promotes an open culture that puts up no barriers to anyone for his or her background seeking to compete. It can use its institutional strength to encourage and promote greater participation providing educational and training resources to open doors that have long been shut.
Wendell Scott won a Grand National race in 1963 just as the Civil Rights struggle was escalating into full gear and producing results. Bill Lester has recently attempted to succeed. In between them, only the name of Willy Ribbs stands out whose misbehavior, missing two practices and eluding the police in pursuit for driving the wrong way on a one way street, led to his losing a potential ride in the 1978 Coca Cola 600 being replaced by a young upstart who’d be rookie of the year the next season, Dale Earnhardt. Bill Lester sadly came to racing prominence a little too late to be a major factor. At 48 years old, he’s at an age where most drivers are contemplating retirement if still active.
A crowd shot of any NASCAR races shows fans from all walks of American life and apart from certain aspects of the media elite culture that still perpetuates NASCAR as the sport for just southern rednecks, the American sports fan is generally quite aware of the latest goings on in the world of NASCAR. Still, the elites make their stand as the negative publicity and public comments aired to shut down NASCAR’s attempts to pursue building a race track near Seattle, Washington showed their intolerance seeing NASCAR fans, in the eyes of an elected official from the great North West who called race fans, “toothless rednecks with beer bellies.” There must be some interest up there since Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle hail from Starbucks, Nordstrom’s territory!
Let the media elites and PC police cry all they like, NASCAR is a sport of the people, and the more NASCAR people reflect all the people who love the sport, the brighter its future will be.
Meanwhile, while we look ahead to the Coke 600, we wouldn’t mind seeing little Danny girl keep those fellahs chasing her for the chance to get a nice long drink of milk in victory lane at the Brickyard this weekend!!!
Here’s a link to the interesting article: http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/05/18/charlotte.moments.jguthrie.1976/index.html
NASCAR has a history for women drivers going back to the earliest days of competition on the beach and dirt tracks, but Janet Guthrie was the first lady to start on a super speedway. With a Philly winning the Preakness and the massive marketing sensation Danica Patrick ignited for Indy racing, how far is NASCAR from having a lady aiming at the top ten in points. Shawna Robinson and Patty Moise experienced modest success in the Busch series in the 1990’s, but were never a factor in their token Cup appearances never having the equipment or crew to give an adequate assessment of their ability against the highly competitive field.
Currently, there are no potentially competitive drivers in the three major NASCAR series or ARCA competition. Chrissy Wallace, daughter of Mike, and niece of Rusty and Kenny has the right racing DNA and healthy heartland good looks that would appear to make her a fine candidate for racing stardom, but the results have not looked hopeful so far with teams cutting back on their developmental driver programs, Ms. Wallace is ride shopping instead of trading paint.
Danica Patrick is a true racer not just a media sensation. Look at the results on the track and realize she’s a factor every time she straps on her helmet. She finished in 12th place in her debut season, but has since finished in the top ten every year racking up consistent top five and top ten finishes despite having just one victory. Consider from Bill Rexford to Matt Kenseth, NASCAR champions have been crowned with just one victory in a season.
While the prospects of Ms. Patrick switching to NASCAR would be a publicity sensation, the pressure on her to produce would be enormous, probably far greater than Dale Jr.’s move to Hendrick proved to be a year ago, and as that move proved, teaming up with the top racing operations does not buy success on the track. Check in with former open wheel drivers like Sam Hornish, Scott Speed, and Juan Pablo Montoya on how difficult the transition is to the big heavy cars with fenders is to master. Meanwhile, Patrick has become the marketing face of IRL and has sponsors like Go Daddy along with tons of horny male fans fawning all over her in her present situation.
We’re also looking for when we might see a successful African-American driver rise up through the ranks to being a top level competitor in the sport. What’s interesting is unlike the other sports, the first place blacks have made substantial inroads is among the ranks of the team owners with Brad Daugherty being the most notable owner of the #47 Toyota Sprint Cup team and New England Patriot star, Randy Marsh, is starting to show a very successful Camping World Truck team.
We hope to see folks from all walks of American society follow their dreams and succeed as NASCAR drivers, crew members, and owners if that’s their calling, but let’s hope that they do so on the merits of their talent and not some contrived program that forces them into the picture having not paid their dues like the rest of the field. NASCAR must do everything it can to make sure that it promotes an open culture that puts up no barriers to anyone for his or her background seeking to compete. It can use its institutional strength to encourage and promote greater participation providing educational and training resources to open doors that have long been shut.
Wendell Scott won a Grand National race in 1963 just as the Civil Rights struggle was escalating into full gear and producing results. Bill Lester has recently attempted to succeed. In between them, only the name of Willy Ribbs stands out whose misbehavior, missing two practices and eluding the police in pursuit for driving the wrong way on a one way street, led to his losing a potential ride in the 1978 Coca Cola 600 being replaced by a young upstart who’d be rookie of the year the next season, Dale Earnhardt. Bill Lester sadly came to racing prominence a little too late to be a major factor. At 48 years old, he’s at an age where most drivers are contemplating retirement if still active.
A crowd shot of any NASCAR races shows fans from all walks of American life and apart from certain aspects of the media elite culture that still perpetuates NASCAR as the sport for just southern rednecks, the American sports fan is generally quite aware of the latest goings on in the world of NASCAR. Still, the elites make their stand as the negative publicity and public comments aired to shut down NASCAR’s attempts to pursue building a race track near Seattle, Washington showed their intolerance seeing NASCAR fans, in the eyes of an elected official from the great North West who called race fans, “toothless rednecks with beer bellies.” There must be some interest up there since Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle hail from Starbucks, Nordstrom’s territory!
Let the media elites and PC police cry all they like, NASCAR is a sport of the people, and the more NASCAR people reflect all the people who love the sport, the brighter its future will be.
Meanwhile, while we look ahead to the Coke 600, we wouldn’t mind seeing little Danny girl keep those fellahs chasing her for the chance to get a nice long drink of milk in victory lane at the Brickyard this weekend!!!
Perhaps Crissy Wallace can follow in her dad's and uncles' footsteps in the near future.
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