Track Smack: Dodge needs a big Talladega weekend (cont'd)

2. Danica Patrick's victory in the IRL last weekend is going to cause some to wonder why there's no woman racing full-time in NASCAR's top division. Are the comparisons fair?

Joe Menzer: Well, I certainly think it's fair to wonder why it hasn't happened in NASCAR -- especially since it has been nearly 33 years since Janet Guthrie ran in the Coca-Cola 600.

Dave Rodman: My knee-jerk reaction is that that is an extreme apples-to-oranges comparison. But I don't know for sure if it is, or not.

David Caraviello: People are going to wonder, guys. Here you have the IRL with a female race winner and F1 with a black championship contender, and NASCAR struggles to diversify its ranks. It has to make some folks in Daytona Beach uncomfortable.

Head2Head

Danica Patrick made headlines this past weekend by becoming the first woman to win an open-wheel race. Did she shed light on an issue in NASCAR?

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Joe Menzer: The real question, when it comes down to it, is this: Why are there female drivers coming up through the ranks in IndyCar, but not in NASCAR? At least not to the top level yet. But you can't snap your fingers and suddenly have a black driver or a woman driver in top equipment competing in the Sprint Cup Series. It just doesn't happen that way -- for anyone, regardless of race or gender -- in this sport.

David Caraviello: It's strange, because I think NASCAR is something of an easier series to get into, given the volume of cars and the fact that you're often buying your ride in IndyCar racing.

Dave Rodman: I think it's just going to take time. Don't take this the wrong way, but forever and ever, women have been an extreme anomaly in American motorsports.

Joe Menzer: Boy, Roadman, you are going to get some e-mails on that one!

David Caraviello: But it's happened in other series, guys. The thing is, it's not like NASCAR isn't trying here. I believe the series brass desperately wants diversification in the ranks. They have put some initiatives in place. But nothing's worked, and when Danica finally wins, they look bad in comparison.

Dave Rodman: Given equal experience, Danica is not even the best woman in American open wheel racing.

Joe Menzer: Let's get one other thing straight: Danica Patrick was making her 50th start in IndyCar, is in top equipment, and I believe has been racing since she was in pigtails. Why shouldn't she be able to win?

David Caraviello: But to the public at large, guys, that doesn't matter. They're not getting bogged down in fuel mileage and split fields and equipment quality. They see her win, and wonder why the same thing isn't happening in NASCAR.

Dave Rodman: If the economy improves, race teams stay viable and they stay motivated, open wheel could have three competitive women within the next few years.

Joe Menzer: Therein may lay one of the keys to why you aren't seeing more women come up through the NASCAR ranks. The schedule is more of a grind. You have to race almost every weekend, and it is very physical.

David Caraviello: So Joe, are you saying a female couldn't handle 38 weeks on the road?

Dave Rodman: They could handle it. Up until now, they haven't seemed to have been inclined to.

Joe Menzer: DC is trying to get me to say something that will offend all the females out there. That is not my intent. I'm just saying, given the two choices of what to get into at a very young age, young women are more likely to choose open wheel. It is less of a grind. Plus now I think you have to look at another factor. Now there is a track record of success for young women in open-wheel racing; but not in NASCAR.

Dave Rodman: Well, if they start in karting, they are more apt to road race. And road racing, for novices, is way more adaptable and way more fun.

Joe Menzer: So now young women who might be looking to get into racing could be even more likely to get into the open-wheel side. It's a catch-22 for NASCAR.

David Caraviello: Here's what I think -- NASCAR can't make this happen. It's the teams who scout talent, sign drivers, and provide development. When it happens, it's going to be because a Hendrick or a Roush made it happen. And not Drive for Diversity, which, despite its intentions, just hasn't worked.

Joe Menzer: I agree with DC. The austere governing body can't just snap their fingers and make this happen. It is going to be up to one of the super-teams to give the funding and training and equipment to a young girl who shows talent.

Dave Rodman: If someone had to look for role models, they would be much more apt to see and follow Danica, Katherine Legge or Simona de Silvestri than ... hmmm, just who is a racing female in NASCAR these days?

David Caraviello: Yeah, who is NASCAR's female standard-bearer at the moment? Chrissy Wallace?

Joe Menzer: I guess so. But the fact that we have to think about it for a minute indicates there is a problem.

Dave Rodman: Still an anomaly (that's our word for the day, ain't it?). The proof of that is the inside-out treatment SPEED gave Chrissy's Martinsville debut. Chrissy deserved the notice and she did a great job. But women in oval track racing are still so much of a rarity when anyone almost even shows up and qualifies, it's noteworthy.

Joe Menzer: Say what you will about Danica Patrick perhaps being overrated, but she has marketed herself very well. And the IndyCar folks have marketed her well, too.

David Caraviello: Some would say that's because they have no one else to market.

Joe Menzer: And now she has a race win on her resume to back it up. (Continued)