So it seems that the Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler has finally discovered that Danica Patrick is a mediocre NASCAR driver:
Don’t let the drama obscure the truth, though: Patrick is not going to win Sunday, because she never does.
The time for people making excuses for Patrick – she doesn’t have the experience, she’s getting closer, she’s had a lot of bad luck – is long past.
The stark truth is that Patrick isn’t good enough to win in NASCAR’s top series. Not only that, she’s often not good enough to run anywhere but in the middle or back of the pack.
Before Patrick ever got into NASCAR full-time, I always wanted her to join the series and stop racing those IndyCars (where she had more success). Like everyone, I was curious as to how she would do.
I relished the idea that she might anger some of NASCAR’s good ol’ boys by winning some of the races they thought she shouldn’t win.
Did Danica have more success in IndyCars? Yes. She actually was a winner there. Once. And only once. Given that IndyCar fields are significantly smaller than NASCAR fields, it’s unclear why anyone who was paying attention thought she’s actually excel in stock cars.