Danica Patrick Doesn’t Win Indy 500

Danica Patrick Stripping Race Suit PhotoThe 2006 Indy 500 is over. Danica Patrick did not win. Mario Andretti’s grandson finished second and some guy I’ve never heard of won.

Unlike golf reporters, who at least have the sense to tell us where Tiger Woods finished when he doesn’t win an event, the story does not mention where Patrick finished. She placed 4th last year.

Update: She finished 8th. Not a bad first two Indy 500’s. Incidentally, the winner was Sam Hornish, Jr., who was the 2001 and 2002 IRL champion. That I’ve never heard of him says something about how far this sport has fallen from its heyday. There’s not a pre-1996 CART Champion whose name I’m unfamiliar with; most are household names.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. John Burgess says:

    She finished eighth. She had some bad luck in going into a pit stop just before a caution flag when up, costing her postion.

    Not a bad race from her, though. Winning the Indy 500 is not something even great drivers do regularly.

  2. James Joyner says:

    No doubt. The Indy 500 isn’t what it used to be, what with the split in the circuit that took place a few years ago, but 4th and 8th in her first two tries is still quite impressive.

  3. Mark says:

    Actually, the story does mention where she finished:

    Wheldon wound up fourth, followed by Tony Kanaan, Dixon, Dario Franchitti and last year’s rookie sensation, Danica Patrick, the only woman in the 33-car field.

    Granted, they could have edited the story to add this info.

  4. James Joyner says:

    Mark: They’ve probably edited the story half a dozen times since I posted. The current update is 9:13.

  5. James says:

    Here’s my $0.02. The first article that I read on ESPN.com about the results of the race made no mention of DP or how she placed in the race.

    Perhaps this is a sign that she is considered to be a racer first.

    Perhaps the novelty of a woman driver on the circuit has worn off now, and so people have raised their expectations, race wise.

    Although I must admit that if the newest racing phenom was some European whose name would embarass me if I tried to say it, I wouldn’t care near as much about it, instead of the verifiable hottie that’s been in FHM, Maxim, etc.

  6. I will show my ignorance by not even being able to tell you how many other drivers where in the race, what positions they had in comparison to previous years, etc. The bottom line is I suspect that most drivers who try for this never win a major race (or at least never win Indy). A few win multiple major races.

    This entire tempest seems to be that someone who is photogenic (imagine our modern culture valuing that) and a first in the field to be a woman is getting more publicity than if she was not the first or photogenic. And then she has the temerity to not immediately win the race unlike all the other drivers who won.

    Who cares? I recognize the Andretti’s name. Why is he not being questioned as to why he didn’t win. And if he looks anything like his grandfather, please do not post any pictures of him in swimming attire.

    Can I look forward to a post on every driver who didn’t win the race?