pressdog Lauches Free Danica! Campaign
Photo: Shawn Payne and Indy Racing League
Reacting angrily to rumors of oppressive sponsor behavior, pressdog today formally launched a "Free Danica!" campaign.
"It's just wrong man," said obscure racing blogger pressdog. "Danica wants to run the Daytona test so she should be able to run the Daytona test. I mean, why is everyone getting so knotted up about it? You know what that is? It's The Man, bringing her down. We gotta stick it to the man."
Reaction came after IRL sponsor darling Danica Patrick had to drop out of a test of a Daytona prototype car for the 24 hours of Daytona. Danica had been slated to participate along with Champ Car rookie Katherine Legge and Rolex series regular Milka Dumo. The prospect of having three fast women on the track at once had put the blogosphere into a brief-but-intense frenzy.
When the all-knowing IRL insider kings from www.tracksideonline.com said in a podcast that Danica's inability to participate was probably a "sponsor conflict," the blogosphere reacted. (Open your iTunes and sign up for the free tracksideonline pod cast right now and then go briskly to www.tracksideoline.com and sign up for their news service. Do it now.)
Sponsors often times put pressure on their high-profile drivers/celebrities to not participate in something when they thinking it may make a competing company look good. Speculation in Danica's case focused on her sponsor, Honda, which participates in the American Le Mans Series, having a cow when it heard that Danica was going to participate in something that would draw attention to a rival league.
"Dude, Danica has to live her life, OK?," pressdog said. "Maybe all the sponsors should chill. Pretty soon the woman can't even make a phone call unless it's on a Motorola phone or something goofy like that. FREE DANICA NOW."
pressdog insiders said they had heard Danica was "totally pumped" to do the test and then The Man came down on her.
"It's just not right. Drive and let drive, I say," pressdog said. Plans include sending tersely worded notes to her sponsors, thinking positive thoughts about Danica and buying a Jay Z album in her honor.
Sponsors reached for comment on the Free Danica! movement said, "press-who? Never heard of him, or it, or whatever."
--
Don't miss the pressdog! Sign up to be notified when this blog is updated (usually once or twice a week). Go to the home page and use the form at the top right. The pressdog mailing list is double secret and won't be sold, leased, loaned or even spoken of in public.
posted by pressdog @ 11/08/2006 09:10:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Hmmm...I think the Jay Z album should put it over the edge and get us a resolution to this problem. Thanks as always for the insight PD.
When you take money from the Devil, he expects a lot in return. All that sponsorship money comes with strings attached, although there any number of people that would like to have her problem...
Will she be missed at Daytona? I doubt it. Could it be that her sponsors didn't want her to embarrass herself? Her complaining on the in-car radio last year about her mirrors at the same time she bounced an already wounded engine off the rev limiter was priceless. I just loved the live TV coverage.
Don't be a hater. Danica has skillz.
Danica! obviously didn't read her contract - shame on her, that's her responsibility. Jahuti's right-when you take the money there are always strings attached and you'd better know what they are, or you look like an idiot. As far as last year's race, the in-car radio had her crew saying over and over again to watch the engine, it had problems, don't over-rev it, and the whole time she's talking over them complaining about her mirrors and banging the rev limiter with every shift. They finally gave up trying to talk to her, and brought her in. And the whole communication was played on TV. Not one of her most shining moments, there. She definitely has flashes of brilliance in her racing, but she has no mechanical sense with the equipment. And in a 24 hour race, that mechanical sense is priceless. Been there, done that. Gotta have it. Sorry I'm being serious here. I gotta lighten up! Free Danica! so she can get more seat time!
Apparently whoever invited Danica to drive for them wasn't too concerned with her radio habits. I just bought Jay Z's Show Me What You Got on iTunes in Danica's honor.
Free Danica? Personally, the kinky part of me would tie her up!!!
Oh that is sexist, I better stop it, I mean just because a girl uses her physical assets to make a name for herself doesn't mean I should notice right? Danica is the most overhyped race driver ever, and unfortunately it has gone to her head. The fact she couldn't test is no great loss to Legge and Duno, they might learn more without her.
Whatever happened, someone f***ed up either DP for not keeping the appointment book updated or some sponsor for needing her when it may not have been needed. As much as I like her, I'd have to go with the former.
I just hope the league doesn't keep on depending on her to carry the PR load for the series if consistent success (I think she's good but not championship caliber)is not forthcoming.
Post a Comment
<< Home