DESPAIN: My Take On Danicamania

Sprint Cup

DESPAIN: My Take On Danicamania

Danica Patrick needs to prove she can deliver on track...

Dave Despain | Posted February 29, 2012 Charlotte, NC

Danica Patrick attends NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

I'm too often reminded that I'm an old man. It's been almost 40 years since I cheered a gender-barrier-breaker named Diane Cox, a dirt-track motorcycle racer.

Over the years I have admired the work of Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James, Shirley Muldowney, Jutta Kleinschmidt, Michele Mouton, Desire Wilson ... the list goes on. And 30 years ago I editorialized that one great thing about racing is that a woman can compete on equal terms with men because she is not required to physically over-power her opponent.

Thing is ... it's that long-term perspective that leaves me a little skeptical about Danica-mania. Listen to what Danica said about the media during media day at Daytona ... "They don't know how to describe a pretty girl other than being sexy and that has such a negative connotation to it. I wonder why we can't talk about it in a different way."

C'mon, Danica ... if being sexy has a negative connotation — DON'T DO GODADDY ADS!

To me Danica-mania is a huge marketing story WAITING to become a major racing story. Patrick generates huge interest, attracts new people to the sport and that's all great. That wave of promotional horsepower — be honest, much of it based on sex appeal — has carried her all the way to a guaranteed start in the Daytona 500. That strikes me as the peak for the marketing story. Unless she decides to take a shot at Formula One or maybe tries to do the Indy 500/Coke 600 double, I don't see another opportunity for her to be the huge story JUST BY BEING THERE.

So now it’s time to see if Danica can actually become a major RACING story ... a weekly threat to win ... a contender for championships. The hard truth is that she has not been that in the past. When and if she BECOMES that, I'll be right there cheering her on ... just like I was for Diane Cox 40 years ago.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave Despain

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