They say the odds of winning the lottery are about the same as getting struck by lightning. So, if you think shaking hands with Danica Patrick then going out and buying a PowerBall ticket is the way to change your life, you'd better plan on a flash of bright light and electricity curling your hair.
I'm not saying Danica Patrick is one of the unluckiest people on the planet, but since she began racing
The last two races, however, for me at least, sum up a bulk of Danica's NASCAR career. During a restart with only eight laps left at Michigan, the field had bottle necked near the front of the pack and, with a good run, Danica made a bold dash down the inside on the backstretch. It looked like a brilliant move that would have her passing at least six other drivers and she was within a fraction of second of pulling it off when Daniel Suarez bumped her car, sending Danica hard into the inside wall. Instead of a
Daytona, Talladega,
Sometimes, it's more subtle like at Sonoma last Sunday. Junior had no intention of spinning and getting into Danica down in turn 11, but early in the race would he have been charging that corner that hard if he was trying to pass say Kurt Busch or a Jimmie Johnson? There's no way to be sure, but I don't think so. Later in the event, would Kyle Larson make it three-wide in turn four if Kyle Busch was the car on the outside instead of Danica? Again, no way to be sure, but I don't think so. The fact Danica kept digging and finished 17th is
Now, in no way am I saying Danica's lack of success is because she's always being picked on by the boys. Yet, in my opinion, she would have already racked up some better numbers if they respected her space on the track like they did their male competitors. That's, again, not the entire answer to a meager number of good finishes, but it's certainly part of it, mixed in with a little bad luck and getting invited to the NASCAR party a little too late.