She emerged into NASCAR racing after a mediocre open wheel career. Among some of the best open wheel drivers in the world, she had a career with good sponsors, good equipment and support, and consistent finishes, though not a champion. Some have pinioned that her open wheel career is not an adequate qualification for the attention she receives. Being a woman with that career seems to be the qualification. This circumstance certainly creates opposing opinions.
That she is good for the sport goes without saying. Anything or anybody that can create new fans, sponsors, improve TV ratings, and sell tickets is a good thing for NASCAR these days. In this modern era of stock car racing (a reference I think I heard first in the 80s) drivers make their way into the sport by being marketable first. Having the ability to effect an immediate financial impact doesn’t hurt and is certainly a preference to a car owner and to NASCAR. Yes, talent seems to be less important than marketability but today they all have to be talented to some degree to be in a position to be marketable. But in the past the reputation of talent had to be earned…in a different manner. Some have drawn their lines and formed their opinions of Danica right here.
The fact that Danica’s good fortune may have been presented due to a new-age set of circumstances is far from anything for which she should be faulted. Anyone would certainly pass through the same doors opened for her if given the same opportunities. But her good fortune seems to be yet another polarizing attribute. Why do some dislike those who experience good fortune?
In a sport that has been dominated by men since its beginnings, stock car racing in general has not developed the ability to handle the presence of a competitive woman. There have been some very talented and competitive women to come through the sport, but all had short-lived careers and none reached the pinnacle of being a consistent top-level competitor year after year. This sport has often fueled heated rivals that have just as often included pushing, shoving, and even a few punches thrown as the result of on-track actions. So how do the men handle being pushed around by a woman? Danica has already shown she can use her car to retaliate. This will certainly be viewed by some as an unfair advantage. Just as many will most likely rally for the same reason. Can simply being a woman contribute to polarizing fans? Absolutely!
As the face (and/or body) of GoDaddy.com Danica has been the subject of some revealing ads that have given her an edge afforded to few other stock car drivers. Being a beautiful woman is one thing, but one who has the ability and has already taken the opportunity to use her looks to market a product puts her on a completely different level than any other aspiring wheel person. Could her beauty be yet another polarizing attribute?
All the circumstances surrounding Danica’s emergence onto the NASCAR scene have created quite a media stir. Some call it Danicamania. This media stir has at times placed Danica at the center of attention and the object of on-air interviews when others may have been more deserving due their on-track performance. Although a factor of all the other attributes mentioned herein, an excess of attention has already polarized the fan base. Her fans love it, her “non-fans” do not.
She was born with the genes to become a beautiful woman, and through her efforts earned opportunities to compete in racing. Those opportunities begat more opportunities that have lofted her into the world of top-level stock car racing. Stock car racing has not, until now, been exposed to such a phenomenon. So, she bears the brunt of criticism from some, for a variety of reasons, while attracting the adoration of others for some of the same reasons.
She is certainly in the spotlight causing her to be praised, criticized, cheered, and booed. This type of fan response has been good for the sport in the past. Time will tell how she ultimately handles the experience and the end result. Perhaps, rather than judge her for some of her intermediate actions, her good fortune, and opportunity, one should for a moment consider and try to imagine being in her shoes. Some of us would certainly love it; some of us would most likely hate it.
