Nascar

[Europe]

I remember a couple of fellows talking about NASCAR here on the forum . So maybe those same fellows will post their opinion. We discussed this after the recent race and congratulations to Kevin Harvick on his win!

Many have ask me about Patrick in the past and I was not a big fan actually, but she did sell tickets and t-shirts. But I am following and supporting Hailie Deegan. I think her move to Ford was a smart move and she seems to have the right attitude. granted she is only 18, but I am hoping for the best. I hope they dont push her past her capabilities, too fast.

Do you fellows think she is possibly the "real deal", racing wise, or just being used to keep a certain segment of the audience interested in the sport. ?

Do you feel using "female" drivers in this sport is just a marketing strategy, and she, nor any other female, will ever succeed in the big races, like the Indy 500 ?

Not a hunting or firearm discussion --- an---"Isolation" discussion--(-:

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Personally, she seems like the real deal but I always think that a woman, lady, girl will be physically limited. Not mentally, intensity, attitude etc etc. There are physical limitations in those cars that other series don't have and the level of competition is such, that small things make the difference. That is not to say she is not capable of being at the top half or quartile of the sport.

I also feel like teams truly competing for the title are less likely to take a chance, right or wrong, on a female driver. Not saying it's fair just saying when big sponsors want wins not just publicity there are choices that have to be made. This may limit her chance at sustained success, right, wrong or indifferent.

As the father of a little girl that has big ambitions I certainly wish to see Hallie succeed. After all, in the NHRA that I also follow, gender does not seem to be a limiting factor for success or opportunity.

 

[MO Betta]

I can't comment on most of it as I don't watch a whole lot of Nascar, but I can't think of any reason a female driver couldn't beat male drivers. Sharp reflexes, endurance and awareness seem to be the major requirements for a successful driver (and being a bit of an a-hole from what I've seen from most of the successful ones haha). I think a problem is just that there aren't a whole lot of females interested in racing and making their way through the levels to reach Nascar, at least nowhere near the interest that men have in fast cars and racing. In my age range I don't remember any women getting actual sports cars (other than neutered v6 mustangs) and enjoying racing other than as a social event. Meanwhile guys like myself were being idiots in twin turbo rx7s, chevelles & camaros, and fox body mustangs.

As far as Patrick goes, she seemed to be more of a pretty face in the Nascar world to grab sponsorships. The few times I saw her race she was pretty pitiful.

 

[Europe]

Vaspeedgoat, Thank you and I agree! We ( females ) are made differently and some "physical " strengths, are just not the same IMHO. And I also agree with your second point and to be honest, who can blame them. Not I

My daughter loved competing with horses and found few males in the Hunter/Jumper contests, but found her attempt at being a jockey (quarter and thoroughbred ) put her in the minority. My point in bringing horse competitions into this is not all understand the physical demands of competing whether horses or vehicles and we are ( on average ) just not able to compete physically with our male competitors. I have heard people say, your just riding ( horses or cars ), how hard can it be ? I enjoyed drag racing and horses and it can be hard, and physical.

VAspeedgoat. Thank you also for mentioning ------ mentally, intensity and attitude and these were the ones where I told the group yesterday, " I am not so sure, actually" Do we "females" have that "killer" instinct and if we do, is it as well defined as our male counterparts ? Obviously I can not speak for all women, but IMHO, we do not. I respect those men who seem to be able to rise to the next level whether as a quarterback, boxer, race car driver, etc and put it "ALL" out there --damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead---this is where I wonder if "males" are not better equipped mentally ---as well as the obvious physical superiority.

which of course is why I posed the question to the forum membership

JeffJ. You make an excellent point. The ratio of women "wanting" to race cars compared to men is huge. Starting with their dads in grade school. Sons are working on vehicles together, dirt biking together, etc. Of course some girls do also, but the difference in the ratio is huge. And I dont disagree with your point about Patrick either. But, I do believe they "marketed" her in that direction. I also think, but I dont know this, that the attention she got was more important to her than winning and that bothered me. But she certainly served the industry well and brought more people to the sport. I just hope Deegan doesn't get the same type of publicity that Paige got in pro Golf ( there were others besides Paige also ).

thanks guys for your kind responses

 

[Panda Bear]

April, I believe that men have a tendency or desire to win at everything more than females do. To be the top dog whether it is ping pong or car racing. they, on average, play to win, not just play for the enjoyment of the sport or game. I also believe men are easily pushed or shamed into doing things they might not normally try and will push themselves past their limitations to win at all costs . I dont think women have the same mind set, however I do believe if something is important to them and I mean real important, not just a sunday afternoon of pond hockey, that some do have the so called killer instinct and will do everything in their power to win. I just dont think it is as prevalent in women as in men. From personal experience I am pretty laid back until I am in a dog sled race and then I will do anything within the rules to win. I do not want 2nd place nor am I happy with it. As to strength. An average female can get stronger but never equal the strength of a male, with all things being equal.

As to how we present ourselves. You referenced Paige. She is a good golfer and a beautiful woman and I dont know why she can not be both. We talk about men who are talented and attractive but the media doesn't spend as much time on his chest ( even if he is in very good shape ) as they do a female. Some of this is just the world we live in. Should she play it down or flaunt it. I will let others decide that. I do remember this being on the wall of the weight lifting room in college. If you have it, flaunt it, if not cover it up.

As to NASCAR specifically, I dont follow it.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

I do want to be clear, women are by far the tougher of the two sexes. Men would never be able to have children. Case closed.

 

[Bob-WY]

Much of what is being discussed a female limits is actually culture, not biology. The desire to win above all else for example. That kind of determination in male youth is applauded, in female's it's not. In the looks, it flows both ways, we talk Paige and her golf, the bottom line is she simply wasn't good enough to make it in golf, and people use the looks and sexual attraction as an excuse. Sure she is capitalizing on that very aspect now, but bottom line, she wasn't good enough to make it as a golf pro

I don't see any reason a women can't compete in nascar. However it takes YEARS to get there and get to the top, many fail, men and women, so when you start with a very much smaller pool, you get fewer winners. "Cars" are culturally the domain of guys. I know a couple of female mechanics that are great, but odds on the local mechanic is a guy, still culture.

 

[Europe]

I do want to be clear, women are by far the tougher of the two sexes. Men would never be able to have children. Case closed.

LOL I want to say something , I want to-----but I wont LOL

Bob-WY You are correct sir, some of it is definitely culture . I agree with you and hope your correct about women being able to compete in the racing world.

However I do not believe ( but I may be wrong as I often am ) that women are physically able to compete. On average, I am not even sure if we can mentally compete. Whether it is the difference in the way society raises boys and girls or the difference in the muscle structure of boys and girls . Can society teach girls to have the win at all cost attitude, maybe, but probably not in my lifetime ( which might be another two weeks (-: ). And then the different in the muscle structure. We spoke of golf and you are correct about Paige ( however your point was not my point ) But regardless, Annika, was GOOD, but was unable to complete with the men. Wie is VERY good, but so far can not compete with the men. Lets take another sport. Brittney Griner is a good WBNA player and she is 6' 8" and weighs over 200 lbs. But IMHO James and others would destroy her. Back to Deegan----can she compete. Of course I hope so. But I will be surprised if she can, but I hope I am wrong. I certainly wish her well.

Sorry forum members for the thread, I thought there were some NASCAR fans here, but from the posts, I was wrong, my error. I am one female who loves sports, from Rodeo to Rugby and everything in between. I watched a Rugby match once when in Australia, and that is a man's game for sure.

Maybe if one ask about a female quarterback playing for the Broncos we might get more replies than we did about a female driving in a NASCAR race (-:

 

[JohnCushman]

I think Danika was just a pretty face to bring in sponsorship money. Yes, she had success in open wheel racing, but that's a whole different skill set than oval track racing. Juan Pablo Montoya showed us that. He's a great Indy racer and road courses, but sucked on the oval. Danika should have at least started in Xfinity, if not trucks. Instead they thrust her right into a cup car with no experience and she sucked. If she wanted to be a part of cup so badly, she should have stuck to bikini pics with the cars.

I think Hailie is the real deal. She is coming up through the ranks the right way and having success.

 

[noharleyyet]

I like Danika...and her whiny sister Aaron also.

 

[3855WIN]

Impressive that these ladies can drive at 200 mph and still put on makeup going around the track.
Sorry....couldn’t help it.

 

[Panda Bear]

Impressive that these ladies can drive at 200 mph and still put on makeup going around the track.
Sorry....couldn’t help it.

thank you for bringing multitasking into the conversation. Without a doubt we are better at multitasking and if you dont believe me ask your wife. Plus, and this is an important plus. If she wins she needs to look good at the finish line

 

[Dave N]

Big NASCAR fan here, so I'll throw in my .02 worth. Danika was out of her league. She should have been introduced in a lower class of car instead of jumping right to Cup. If she would have gotten the feel of it and done well then she could have advanced. Made for good TV discussion, though!

From what I've seen of Hailie she appears to have a pretty good drive for racing. Doesn't seem afraid to move someone out of her way when she wants through. That's a plus to me. She has a LOT of eyes on her right now and I hope it doesn't get carried away moving her up in the ranks before she is ready. I would like to see her have her shot if it ever develops with her talent.

As far as men vs. women, I don't think pure physical strength plays much of a role compared to endurance. Except for road tracks, they only shift at starts and restarts. No big deal with that. Power steering equals out the handling for the most part. The hard part is hanging on and making the turns and braking/accelerating over, and over, and over. THAT would take a lot out of you if you weren't prepared for it.

I believe that up until now it's been a man's sport, and a "girl" wasn't going to run with the big boys no matter what! That's changed a little recently, and maybe Hailie will actually break through and be able to show us all something. Her attitude and desire has impressed some of the right people.

 

[BigHornRam]

Alright NASCAR speculators. Who gets J J's ride next year?

 

[Dave N]

Leaning hard towards Keselowski. Hendrick always liked him. Plus, his contract is up this year. Larson was a top choice until his screw-up.

 

[Europe]

Dave
Big horn ram

Fo you guys think Byron has a shot at it ?

 

[Dave N]

Nope. He's already running for Hendrick. No point in just swapping cars.

 

[BigHornRam]

My longshot wild guess is JHN. Any chance of that Dave?

 

[Dave N]

My longshot wild guess is JHN. Any chance of that Dave?

It's a possibility. Especially after his showing Sunday at Darlington getting a top 10! DiBenedetto and Bowyer both have their contracts ending this year, along with Bowman. Lots of choices. And let's not forget that with the Covid thing throwing a wrench into things this year Jimmie may just put off retiring until NEXT year!

 

[JohnCushman]

I thought Bowman just signed a one year extension