Danica Patrick takes her place in NASCAR history

-- L. Maurice Draine

On Sunday May 29, Danica Patrick became the first woman in Indianapolis 500 history to place as high as fourth. The 5’2” 100-pound rookie thrilled 300,000 spectators at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The spectators, who were mostly there to see her, spent much of the final 30 laps on their feet screaming and cheering as Patrick tried to pull off the biggest upset in 89 years of Indy history. Unfortunately, no happy endings come without a little drama. Patrick, the gutsy but inexperienced 23 year-old, would encounter a few problems on her way to the checked flag. With 10 laps left in the race, Patrick held the lead despite her spinout on a restart with 44 laps left. That spinout crashed out three other competitors.

Like any other driver would, Patrick tried to stretch every single drop of gas she could before she had to stop and refuel. Unfortunately for Patrick, cars don’t run on fumes alone, and she was getting low. This forced her to back off just a little bit, which in turn, allowed Englishman Dan Wheldon through to his fourth IRL IndyCar Series victory in five races. Patrick was almost good enough to take the checkered flag that day; leading three times for 19 laps and overcoming a stalled engine in the pits. In the end, though, there were just too many mishaps for the young rookie, and it cost her a shot at racing immortality.

The TV ratings have been down for the storied Indy 500 for some time now. Patrick alone helped ABC generate the best TV ratings for the race in nearly a decade. The overnight rating for the nation’s top 55 markets was 6.6 with a 17 share—meaning that 17 percent of people watching TV that day tuned in to the 500 at some point during the three-hour race. Ratings also indicate that during the last 15 minutes of the race, with Patrick in or near the lead, the rating jumped to an 8.8 with a 21 share.

Patrick did a great job and not just for a woman either, but for any driver on the track that day. Now that her butterflies are gone, along with the month-long media blitz, look for Patrick to relax and cause a little damage in upcoming races.

With Patrick’s Indy 500 experience behind her, and with sports shows constantly running reminders of the mistakes she made her first time around, she won’t repeat those same mistakes; but she will repeat that same intensity, and wave to all the boys she passes on her way.

If you have comments about the sports column or sports in general, send them to drainele@go.metrostate.edu.

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