I’ve been pretty hard on Danica Patrick this NASCAR season in regards to her results on the race track. I even called Danica Patrick the Tim Tebow of racing at one point. Perhaps that was a bit much. I was being hyperbolic. Because Tim Tebow is actually, truly terrible at what he does, while Patrick is is not.
It’s just that Danica is an amplifier; just like Tebow. Both athletes get so much coverage and hype despite actually ever producing much. However, upon further review Danica Patrick isn’t all that terrible. She opened the 2013 Cup season by winning the pole in the Daytona 500 and finishing eighth in the biggest race of the season.
Since then, it was all downhill though. She hasn’t hit the top 10, and her average finish was an ugly 26.6; before taking 21st place in Atlanta last night. To finish 27th…how many “start and parkers” do you beat to pad your numbers up that high? NASCAR Cup Series is a 43 car field.
Danica Patrick, who started 21st, drove a smooth, clean race and finished eight spots higher on Saturday night than she did a year ago at Atlanta.
“I’m proud of the GoDaddy guys,” said Danica Patrick, who made her 35th Sprint Cup start and her second at Atlanta. “We weren’t good in the first practice (on Friday). Tony Gibson and the guys worked really hard, and we qualified well and then continued to get better throughout the weekend.
But when you compare it to the rookie seasons of other drivers who have moved to NASCAR from major open-wheel and sports-car series, suddenly, Patrick’s numbers don’t look bad.
Here are the stats, courtesy of Fox Sports:
Danica Patrick, NASCAR Sprint Cup career to date – 34 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, average finish, 26.6.
ANDY LALLY (2011) – 30 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 tops 10s, average finish, 30.8.
SCOTT SPEED (2009) – 35 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10, average finish, 29.0.
SAM HORNISH JR. (2008) – 34 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 tops 10s, average finish, 29.6.
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA(2007) – 36 starts, 1 victory, 3 top fives 6 top 10s, average finish, 22.7.
AJ ALLMENDINGER (2007) – 17 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 tops 10s, average finish, 31.6.
CASEY MEARS (2003) – 36 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 tops 10s, average finish, 30.0.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan, he also writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)