Patrick has always exhibited talent, drive of a top-flight racer
04:02 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Unless you don't watch TV, listen to the radio or read newspapers or
magazines, chances are you probably know something about IRL driver
Danica Patrick by now.
The rookie's fourth-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 last Sunday
helped make her famous.
But what makes her good?
Fort Worth's Johnny Rutherford, a three-time Indy 500 winner who works
with IRL drivers, said he believes Patrick, 23, has all the intangibles
you can't teach.
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"She has that look in her eyes," he said. "That's the thing that jumps
out at you. It's that little extra spark; that passion for racing that
you look for in a winner."
Competing against some of the best open-wheel drivers in the world
doesn't seem to faze her.
"Sometimes I get a little nervous," Patrick said at Indy. "But I'm never
intimidated."
Team owner Bobby Rahal saw those qualities in Patrick before he signed
her three years ago.
"When I first watched her race in England, I could see she had that
burning desire to succeed," Rahal said. "And I still tell people, 'That
girl has ice in her veins.' "
Some people say Patrick isn't better than Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James
or Sarah Fisher – the three women who raced in the Indy 500 before
Patrick's debut 10 days ago.
Those people claim Patrick has an advantage as the first woman with a
good ride on a competitive team in Rahal-Letterman Racing.
"I don't think that's true," Rahal said. "I don't mean to take anything
away from the other women, but if they had been that good, they would
have gotten opportunities with better teams."
It was St. James who introduced Patrick to IRL team owners. Patrick took
part in St. James' driver development program when Patrick was 14 years
old.
"Danica never was that giddy little girl like most young teenagers," St.
James said. "She had an intensity about her. You could see that
single-mindedness of a serious racer. Her concentration skills are very
good. She has the ability to focus on the moment. And she absorbs
information like a sponge."
More than 200 drivers have gone through St. James' program. The former
racer said fewer than 10 have been exceptional. But she classifies
Patrick one notch higher: "Danica is extraordinary."
Even so, St. James had some doubts. Patrick is only 5-2, 100 pounds. St.
James was concerned Patrick couldn't meet the physical demands of
driving a 700-horsepower car in a three-hour race.
"She is so tiny," St. James said. "But you shake her hand and she just
about squeezes yours in half. Danica is very strong for her size."
Rutherford said Patrick has the skills a driver needs to succeed: "She
has excellent hand-eye coordination. She proved that at Indy when she
saved the car a couple times in dangerous situations."
Patrick believes she has the right instincts on the track.
"It's sort of intuition for me at 200 mph," she said. "I trust myself,
but I also know the limitations of my car. I can see things happening
around me and have time to react to them. I think it's a special gift."
Said Rutherford: "She's good at defining a situation and coping with
it." However, St. James can remember when that wasn't true.
"Danica is very cool under pressure, but that's something she had to
learn," she said. "Her dad has a pretty good temper, and I think she
inherited it. The fact that she's been able to change her natural
characteristic says a lot about her."
St. James said Patrick's attitude started to change after Patrick left
her family at age 16 to race Formula Fords in England. Patrick spent
four years racing in Europe. "No one was going to listen to that stuff
or put up with it over there," St. James said. "And she didn't have dad
and mom to fight her battles."
Patrick still shows her fire at times. She was furious with herself when
she didn't win the pole at Indy because of a wobble on the first
qualifying lap. Pole-winner Tony Kanaan was impressed at how Patrick was
able to control the car.
"That was one heck of a save," Kanaan said. "She did a really good job.
That's talent. Nothing else."
Race winner Dan Wheldon said Patrick's visible frustration on pit road
after the qualifying run showed him a lot about her.
"Some people might call that spoiled," Wheldon said. "To me, it shows
that she's not here to mess around. Some of the previous women who have
been in the series, I don't think, would be like that. That's why I
think she'll be the best for a long time to come."
E-mail tblount@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer Terry Blount examines five incidents before and during the
Indianapolis 500 that prove 23-year-old rookie driver Danica Patrick's
ability:
1. Keeps control on a qualifying lap wobble: Patrick would have
won the pole if not for nearly spinning the car in Turn 1 of her first
qualifying lap. Many drivers would have slid into the wall. She kept the
car pointing forward and continued to step on the gas, and she qualified
fourth.
2. Bumping wheels without crashing: Patrick was making a pass to
the inside of Kosuke Matsuura when Matsuura turned down quickly and the
two cars touched wheels at more than 200 mph. Nine times out of 10 the
car getting bumped is going to spin and slide into the wall. Patrick
managed to hold the car steady.
3. Doesn't panic after stalling the car: Patrick made a rookie
mistake by dumping the clutch and stalling the car when trying to exit
the pits. She lost 12 spots on the track, but she apologized to her
crew, kept her composure and didn't try to make it all up in one lap.
4. Keeps digging after crashing on a restart: Patrick made
another rookie mistake of spinning the car on cold tires at a restart,
crashing and knocking off part of the front wing. Again she remained
calm, came to the pits for a new front nose and kept digging to work her
way forward.
5. Passes Wheldon for the lead with fuel running low: On the
final restart of the race, Dan Wheldon leads and Patrick is second. She
makes a classic slingshot pass like a pro, using the draft to perfection
to move in front of Wheldon. But Patrick is low on fuel and has to dial
down her consumption to keep from running dry. Wheldon moves ahead with
seven laps to go. Patrick doesn't try to overdrive the car. She plays it
smart and finishes fourth.
Ten things that make Danica Patrick a good race-car driver:
1. Concentration: She has the ability block the distractions
around her and focus on the moment. Like a racehorse with blinders, it's
a single-mindedness of purpose.
2. Reflexes: Excellent hand-eye coordination. She quickly reacts
and adjusts to dangerous situations on the track.
3. Moxie: Enjoys taking on the big boys of the sport. In fact,
she thrives on the in-your-face attitude on the track.
4. Savvy: Wise beyond her years. Rarely makes a comment that
isn't well thought out. Really understands how to work the media to her
advantage.
5. Experience: It's her first year in the IRL, but she has
driving competitive open-wheel cars for seven years, including four
years in England.
6. Intensity: She has that deep-seeded inner drive a racer needs
to be suc- cessful. She's a female version of Tony Stewart sans the
emotional baggage.
7. Courage: She is fearless and willing to do the gutsy things it
takes to win. But she won't take irresponsible chances.
8. Intelligence: You don't have to tell her something twice. She
soaks up information quickly and rarely repeats a mistake.
9. Control: She doesn't let setbacks affect her in a race.
Patrick has learned to keep her emotions in check, some- thing she
didn't do as a teenager.
10. Talent: The bottom line and one thing that can't be taught.
It's the ability to drive a race car on the edge at more than 200 mph
and pass others while doing it. Some have it. Some don't. She has it.
George Riba reports: Fans line up to see Patrick
