The GoDaddy/Danica Effect

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June 23, 2012

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]GoDaddy, the internet hosting site known for it’s racy commercials starring NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) driver Danica Patrick, recently announced that their company was ready to change their image. They want to come across as a more professional business and cut out the sexy advertising.

We all know sex sells in a lot of situations, but men make up a good-sized part of the racing fan base. Yet women, including myself, don’t really care for a bikini-clad Patrick going across my screen when there’s action on the track. The driver of the #10 GoDaddy Chevy hasn’t done anything on-track that’s really special, but she’s the topic that’s setting the NASCAR world on fire.

If the new direction for GoDaddy’s campaigning makes her seem more like a serious driver, then I’m all for it. What I’m wondering is if the damage is already done.

With all the publicity Patrick is getting, it could sway the thoughts of other female drivers or, even more troublesome, young girls. “If those commercials get her more attention, why not?” In racing, and in society, image has become a factor that determines how people view individuals. Although it isn’t right, those with a more flashy representation get more publicity, compared to those who may be more entitled to the promotion.

Take Johanna Long, for example. The 20-year-old gained respect from competitors such as Elliott Sadler and Brad Keselowski last week at Michigan, where she claimed a 16th place finish. She ran great throughout the whole race. The announcers only talked about her twice. During the same race, Patrick spun two times and was the subject of much talk. I see that as unfair.

Now, on the other hand, we have Kasey Kahne. He’s known as a NASCAR heartthrob because of how he looks, and many females were attracted to the sport for that reason. The driver doesn’t like talking about his ‘fan girls,’ mostly because he doesn’t see himself that way. I remember back when he was sponsored by Allstate, and the company used his Pretty Boy image to their advantage. The commercials featured three woman chasing around Kahne and vying for his attention. You could say that’s similar to what Patrick is doing. But there’s a line: when the business opportunity is used, and when it’s abused. Kahne brought women in, yet Patrick is pushing them away to some extent.

If I were Patrick, I would be happy with this new direction GoDaddy is going in. It’s definitely a new direction for the company, but maybe it’s the right direction.

Piquet Jr. wins the Sargento 200 at Road America

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SM Staff

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June 23, 2012

[media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”244″][/media-credit]Polesitter Nelson Piquet Jr. held off Michael McDowell by 2.258-seconds and won Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Sargento 200 at Road America.

Piquet Jr. is a former Formula One driver and the son of three-time F1 champion Nelson Sr. has extensive road racing experience and it showed as he easily cruised to his first victory in only three NNS starts.

Ron Fellows finished third, Max Papis fourth and Sam Hornish Jr. finished fifth.

On the final lap, Danica Patrick briefly took fourth place from Papis as they entered turn-5. Jacques Villeneuve, driving the no.22 this weekend drove hard into the inside of Patrick entering the turn, booting her into the gravel trap. Patrick was able to get out and finish 12th.

“Where Villeneuve goes, there tends to be cars that have problems, whether it’s his fault or the other car’s fault or (just) stock car racing at the end of the race. You all can make a decision for yourself, what you think happened there.” Patrick said.

“We were racing hard, and I wasn’t even fighting with Danica, I was fighting with Max Papis.” Villeneuve said.

On lap 39, Elliott Sadler got turned around in turn-5. Sadler was able to get the car turned around and continue on despite front end damage. Sadler battled back and finished 15th and holds an 11 point lead over Austin Dillon in the series standings.

Unofficial Race Results
Sargento 200, Road America
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=14
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Pos.	St.	No.	Driver	Make	Points
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1	1	30	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Chevrolet	0
2	2	18	Michael McDowell	Toyota	0
3	3	5	Ron Fellows	Chevrolet	0
4	5	33	Max Papis	Chevrolet	0
5	8	12	Sam Hornish Jr.	Dodge	40
6	4	22	Jacques Villeneuve	Dodge	39
7	6	11	Brian Scott	Toyota	38
8	22	54	Kurt Busch	Toyota	0
9	14	88	Cole Whitt *	Chevrolet	35
10	7	31	Justin Allgaier	Chevrolet	34
11	11	6	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	33
12	10	7	Danica Patrick	Chevrolet	32
13	19	44	Mike Bliss	Toyota	31
14	15	81	Jason Bowles *	Toyota	30
15	13	2	Elliott Sadler	Chevrolet	29
16	20	275	Kenny Habul	Toyota	0
17	17	199	Victor Gonzalez Jr.	Toyota	0
18	23	3	Austin Dillon *	Chevrolet	26
19	28	1	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet	25
20	16	38	Brad Sweet *	Chevrolet	24
21	29	14	Eric McClure	Toyota	23
22	25	41	Timmy Hill	Ford	0
23	33	40	Erik Darnell	Chevrolet	21
24	37	70	Tony Raines	Dodge	0
25	26	51	Jeremy Clements	Chevrolet	19
26	12	43	Michael Annett	Ford	18
27	36	23	Bill Prietzel	Chevrolet	0
28	27	126	John Young	Dodge	0
29	9	32	Miguel Paludo	Chevrolet	0
30	24	19	Tayler Malsam	Toyota	14
31	32	39	Josh Richards	Ford	13
32	34	124	Casey Roderick *	Chevrolet	12
33	18	87	Alex Kennedy	Toyota	0
34	42	4	Matthew Bell	Chevrolet	10
35	21	159	Kyle Kelley	Chevrolet	0
36	41	89	Morgan Shepherd	Chevrolet	8
37	43	50	T.J. Bell	Chevrolet	7
38	40	108	Matt Frahm	Ford	6
39	35	52	Ryan Ellis	Chevrolet	5
40	39	46	Chase Miller	Chevrolet	4
41	31	47	Matt DiBenedetto	Chevrolet	3
42	38	42	Tim Schendel	Chevrolet	2
43	30	10	Jeff Green	Toyota	1

CHEVY NSCS AT SONOMA: Gordon & Johnson Post-Qualifying Transcripts

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SM Archive

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June 23, 2012

Race No. 4: Emco 200 at Delaware Speedway

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SM Staff

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June 23, 2012

[media-credit name=”delawarespeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]In race number two of the three oval races stretch, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series heads to Delaware Speedway for the Emco 200. It will mark the fourth race of the season when the field takes the green flag on the half-mile.

It will mark the fourth race on the oval located in London, Ontario. in the previous three races, D.J. Kennington has found victory lane twice while Don Thomson Jr. found victory lane once.

For Kennington, his two victories came in 2009 and 2010 while he finished third last season while leading a total of 293 laps in those three starts. It’s no surprise to anybody at Kennington’s success so far as he began his racing career at Delaware as a kid.

The 2010 series champion will be looking for his second straight victory of the season as he won last weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s half-mile oval. Kennington’s consistency of five straight top-fives and six consecutive top 10s has paid off as he currently sits second in points, one point behind J.R. Fitpatrick.

Fitzpatrick will come into the event with experience on his pit box as last year’s winner Thomson Jr. is now his crew chief. Fitzpatrick has had success at Delaware in the past as he finished runner-up in 2010 and fifth last year, while leading a total of 64 laps over the past three years. Fitzpatrick will look to continue his string of consistant finishes after opening the season with a win at CTMP’s road course.

“The goal of this team is to win the championship. Period,” Fitzpatrick said at the start of the season.

However, part of that will be making sure communication with Thomson Jr. is solid. Back at CTMP after he won the race, he said that it was good as they clicked well together. Though he said earlier this week that there are some issues they need to work through.

“We do need to communicate better during the race in terms of adjustments,” Fitzpatrick says. “I need to be more specific on how the car is handling, so that we can get the right adjustments made.”

He also adds that part of it is the fact that he’s gets a little frustrated at times and he knows he has to get that better.

“J.R. is intense behind the wheel. That’s who he is and you’re not going to get that out of him,” Kennington says. “He’s just got to manage it. So far, it’s working for him.”

Beyond those pair, another driver to keep an eye on is Andrew Ranger as he enters this weekend sitting third in points, six points behind Fitzpatrick. This will mark Ranger’s first start at Delaware since racing there in 2009, where he finished eighth. However, he is on a roll as he has top 10 finishes in his last six Canadian Tire Series starts and has finished inside the top 10 in 25 of his last 26 starts, dating back to 2008.

Not in the championship picture, but one to watch is Mark Dilley. Last week in his 2012 season debut, he finished second at CTMP. He is splitting driving duties with Kerry Micks in the No. 02 PartSource/BDI/Leland Ford as they look to become the first to win the owner’s championship in a team effort. They currently sit eighth in owner’s points, 30 points behind the No. 84, which is driven by Fitzpatrick and owned by his father John. Last season, Dilley scored his best finish at Delaware when he finished 11^th.

There are other drivers that bring momentum to Delaware as both Steve Côté and Noel Dowler (No. 5 notched their first series-career top-10 finishes. Côté’s finish allowed him to move up to first in the Rookie of the Year standings, one point ahead of Martin Roy. They will both be making their first starts at Delaware this weekend, along with L.P. Dumoulin, Roy, Ray Courtemanche Jr., Larry Jackson, Howie Scannell Jr. and Mike Scholz.

While he has not yet to find victory lane, Ron Beauchamp Jr. could break that spell as he has an average finish of 6.3. Last year, he finished ninth and had a runner-up finish in 2009. He is also coming into Delaware riding a wave of momentum as he has scored back-to-back top 10s in his last two series starts.