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The last Daytona 500 should be NASCAR’s wakeup call. For years, NASCAR has been one of the most gender exclusive sports out. But two weeks ago, it featured a fresh face in the traditional lineup of drivers that the entire sport can learn from — Danica Patrick.
Typically, NASCAR has always been a sport devoid of any women; the only women you even see on the track are the stereotypical glamorous, blonde “driver’s wifes,” in the stands hoping and praying for her hubby’s million dollar win.
Patrick is far from typical. Once thought of by many as a novelty item who was nothing more than a pretty face for the racing world, Patrick took the pole position on NASCAR’s biggest stage.
This is indeed a new precedent in the world of stock car racing. In the world of sports, particularly NASCAR, women have never been on the same level as men — perhaps Patrick’s performance in the race illustrates the potential women have to succeed in sports, breaking through the glass ceiling.
What does this mean for the sport? It means the beginning of a new era for NASCAR.
Now that Patrick has proven women can race, I believe we will begin to see more women among the ranks of excellent drivers.
Partly what makes this a big deal is that her success in the race — even though she finished in 8th place — is a “take that” to men who have dominated racing since its beginnings.
This also sheds light on the conservative nature of its fan base. NASCAR has always sported fans that usually wouldn’t take kindly to big changes like this one, which I find to be one of is pitfalls.
From the outside, it seems to be an insular group, and I think Patrick’s presence in the race really shook them up. Things have definitely changed for NASCAR, and show no signs of stopping, whether they like it or not.
Its meager beginnings in North Carolina as a circuit, where working-class men would race their everyday cars, has now grown into a multimillion dollar franchise, but it’s diversity is lackluster.
In an attempt to appear diverse, NASCAR has created an initiative to promote diversity in the sport, “Drive for Diversity.”
I don’t think it has truly come to fruition until the last race, where the organization was force-fed something new, perhaps leaving a bitter taste in its mouth.
What NASCAR has needed for the past several years, has been a makeover — a complete changeup, something beyond “diversity initiatives”, and to recruit female drivers, along with ethnically diverse drivers.
This will be difficult for NASCAR, because it may pose too big of a change over a short time period.
What will make or break NASCAR is whether it will broaden its horizons, and make a legitimate push for diversity of not only race, but also gender like the rest of society.
If it don’t take away anything else from this last race, maybe the viewer ratings — which were the highest in five years for the Daytona 500, according to Sports Media Watch — will surely send it a wake up call.
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 5 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Where has the author been hiding? Hardly Danica's first cup race. Nor is she the first female driver since Janet Guthrie.
Then there are the Women on the Pit Crews, Officiating not to mention the marketing dept. etc.
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It's sad when a journalist misuses "it's".
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NASCAR is NOT a freaking sport. I am sure some of the people are going to try to debate me on this, but as an Ironman Triathlete, I will gladly debate that my sport is more of a sport than many left turns. Therefore, it shouldn't matter if the driver is male/female, young/old, etc.
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I would say football is the most gender exclusive sport out there. Almost every single sport I can think of has some sort of official women's league. For every Olympic event, there is a women's event.
On a racing team, there are many people supporting that driver, the driver is just a small part of the whole team.
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This is one the most blatant displays of ignorance that I have ever read in the CT. "NASCAR has been one of the most gender exclusive sports out." Really? NASCAR is the only sport (and it can be called a sport) that has ALWAYS allowed women to compete equally with men. Women have competed on the track in NASCAR since the very first official race ever held, back in 1949.
"The only women you even see on the track are the stereotypical glamorous, blonde “driver’s wifes,” in the stands hoping and praying for her hubby’s million dollar win." Really? Have you ever been to or watched a NASCAR race? The stands are filled with women from all walks of life. Women work as NASCAR executives, race officials, and promoters. And drivers wives? Many manage teams and help pit crews.
"In the world of sports, particularly NASCAR, women have never been on the same level as men." Once again, this is flat out wrong. Look at what Janet Guthrie did back in the 70s. She raced on the exact same track with some of the greatest names in NASCAR history, and she was able to beat some of them. Nothing even remotely close to that has ever taken place in the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB.
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"[NASCAR] seems to be an insular group, and I think Patrick’s presence in the race really shook them up." How so? I actually watched plenty of both pre-race and post-race interviews with drivers and other members of the NASCAR community, and not one of them seemed the least bit "shook" by Danica Patrick or her Daytona 500 performance.
"[NASCAR] was force-fed something new, perhaps leaving a bitter taste in its mouth." Really? The last time I checked, Danica Patrick has prime sponsorship and is able to compete in NASCAR because she has strong support from both fans and industry insiders. Last year she was voted "Most Popular Driver" in the NASCAR Nationwide series. Patrick is not being forced on anyone.
The next time that you decide to critique something, maybe it would be a good idea to do even just a little bit of research first.
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"[NASCAR] seems to be an insular group, and I think Patrick’s presence in the race really shook them up." How so? I actually watched plenty of both pre-race and post-race interviews with drivers and other members of the NASCAR community, and not one of them seemed the least bit "shook" by Danica Patrick or her Daytona 500 performance.
"[NASCAR] was force-fed something new, perhaps leaving a bitter taste in its mouth." Really? The last time I checked, Danica Patrick has prime sponsorship and is able to compete in NASCAR because she has strong support from both fans and industry insiders. Last year she was voted "Most Popular Driver" in the NASCAR Nationwide series. Patrick is not being forced on anyone.
The next time that you decide to critique something, maybe it would be a good idea to do even just a little bit of research first.
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No it actually is not a sport. Please tell me how driving a car is a sport?
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I agree with Anonymous...NASCAR is not a sport. I will say though they pit crew guys qualify more as athletes than the drivers. All NASCAR drivers need is mental willpower.
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