Danica/Phoenix thoughts

Before the race starts, I will give my thoughts.
She qualifys 30th & this is one of the more unique tracks on the schedule. never will be confused with a cookie cutter. Which to me means she has a lot she can learn here, that she may not be used too. I think she might very well fall a lpa down starting that far back. Especially if the start of the race goes green for a long period.
Schmoops goals for Danica. Try & finish on lead lap (after getting LD) Think of a top 20 as a victory. Dont allow the media pressure get to her & overdrive car. Keep all four corners of car clean. If she does all that I think she will have done a very good job & most likely learn a lot.

Well she got a p21. Close to the goal (mine not Eury Jr.)
3 laps down, but the last two times she was lapped a yellow came out right after she was past by leader. She could have easily stayed one lap down.
She ran consistent laps
She kept her car clean & didnt put it in a bad position.
All in all I think she did a decent job, & is about par for the course of what is to be expected.
Eury Jr. thought she should have been in the 8th to 14th position. I didnt think that was realistic.
She was loose the whole race, the middle being the loosest. (even though tv reported her being tight)
I give her a thumbs up for the day. Also she didnt sound stressed out today on the radio. thinking a good learning exp for her, on an odd track.

Danica have two problems - short tracks and loosing car.. Both problems in one race = hard day..

As said--Danica WILL always struggle on short track racing where the car isnt stuck to the track with downforce like in Indycar. Facts are, while Danica was racing GoKarts and at 16 yrs went to Europe learning a different syle of racing, the young guys now in nascar today were on short dirt tracks learning how to drive stock cars. Drivers like the Dillon brothers for sure and even her own youg teammate Cole Whitt and Bayne and Steinhouse and most all others even in the Cup series as well. Most all of them started on the dirt tracks and short track racing where clutching, shifting, throttling or lifting and braking is key to doing well on these tracks. Tony S who has done all types of racing has even said exactly that, as has her NNS CC Tony Eury Jr as well who basically taught her how to drive a stock car. Both expect her to struggle on these tracks as she does NOT have the background of the other drivers she is competing against on these type of short tracks requring a different discipline/background then the speedways of Daytona or even the 1 1/2 mile tracks.

Whether or not Danica will ever be good enough on these tracks to get even top 10's is yet to be determined, but as tough as everyone is on her, she is most likely really upset at herself? All she can do is keep trying/learning from the bad races, and hopefully figure it out?

Have you guys forgotten or maybe didnt know---It took the Indycar Champion Sam Hornish Jr 4 yrs in Cup & NNS series back & forth, before HE FINALLY WON a NNS race. Therefore--dont be so quick to judge Danica as she still has only ran 27 races and most of them PT months apart which most say hindered her ability to learn, as now FT in NNS, PT in Cup-- we will see?.

Remember the old addage "If it was that easy everyone would be doing it" Its NOT.

I like her fire. She has alot of pressure. It will get better she just has to hang in there.