On Sunday, an obviously upset Danica Patrick made her way to Ryan Briscoe's pit after he put her car into the wall on pit lane, breaking her suspension and ending her day in the Indy 500. Patrick, who was stopped by the head of security a the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, appeared hellbent on letting Briscoe and his team know what she thought about the move that knocked her out of the race. The question arises: Does Danica Patrick feel entitled to special treatment because she is a woman or is she simply becoming the "bad girl" on the track, similar to NASCAR's current "bad boy", Kyle Busch?
The altercation on Sunday would not be Patrick's first altercation with a driver on the track. Last season, Patrick shoved Chip Ganassi driver Dan Wheldon at the Milwaukee Mile after questioning him about a move in which she claims he turned down into her, almost causing her to spin. Patrick saved the car, but lost a lap while repairs where made to her car's steering rod. She still managed to salvage an eighth place finish. In 2005, she also, allegedly slapped Jaques Lazier in the final race of the season, as the two drivers rode together to the infield care center.
Typically, it takes over a month to prepare for the Indianapolis 500. When all the time and effort a team put into those preparations is wasted when a driver makes a mistake that ruins the day for another driver, it is justifiable to get frustrated and upset like Danica Patrick did. Controlling that emotion is difficult in the heat of the moment. When she walked down pit road towards Briscoe's stall, it was evident that there would be a physical altercation if she made it to the driver that wrecked her.
Danica Patrick is human, like every other driver in any division of motorsports. Like her male counterparts, she has the right to get mad about on-track incidents. If it had been a male driver that was in Danica's place, there would not be nearly as much coverage about the altercation on pit road.
How many times has a NASCAR driver had an altercation with another driver after a race? It happened as recently as a few weeks ago when Kyle Busch confronted Steven Wallace after a Nationwide Series race at Richmond International Speedway. That altercation was played in the highlight reel for a day and then was forgotten.
Patrick does not feel entitled for special attention or treatment because she is a female race car driver. She is, however, creating a "bad girl" persona on the track, just like her NASCAR colleague, Kyle Busch.
Patrick does get more attention than most drivers because she is a woman having excellent performances in a sport that is dominated by men. Just like in NASCAR, the IRL benefits from Danica's edgy personality as well as her driving skills. It does not matter if you are a race fan, Danica's actions at Sunday's Indy 500 were known by everyone.
Did Danica Patrick walk towards Briscoe's pit because she believes she is entitled to special treatment simply because she is a woman? Absolutely not. Does she, and the IRL, benefit from her edgy attitude? Absolutely. I can guarantee ratings and track attendance will grow to see a possible rematch after the events on Sunday.
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written by Tim Zaegel, May 29, 2008
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