It was a beautiful Sunday morning. A typical Vegas morning. Since the "DanicAl" mission was a success the night before, I just wanted to sit back, relax and watch Danica go around LVMS in her #10 GoDaddy Chevy SS in circles. And hopefully, she would do well despite very little practice.
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| #10 GoDaddy team trailer behind the Neon Garage. |
As the morning started, I attended the Driver's Meeting in the Neon Garage where the drivers, teams, and officials all get briefed on the race's rules and procedures. Then I ran my ass off through the tunnel to get to the actual track entrance where I can get a decent spot in front of the track stage where the Driver Introduction ceremony would be, and where I would be able to root for my girl. Unfortunately, the starting order for the race was determined by owner's points since they couldn't qualify Friday due to rain. Danica would be starting 37th. Damn...
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| Danica on stage getting introduced for the race! |
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| Danica shaking hands with Las Vegas Mayor Goodman! |
As for the race, it was a tough outing for her and the #10 team. Danica had a loose car they just couldn't figure out. Listening to her radio conversations with Crew Chief, Tony Gibson, I could hear the frustration in her voice on how to explain to him what was wrong with the car. In turns 1 and 2, she was pretty fast. I especially like her entry into turn 1. But it was turn 3 and into and out of 4 she had serious problems with. Danica would finish 33rd after starting 37th, 6 laps back. Not a good outing at all. After the race you can tell she wasn't a very happy girl. She drove straight to the trailer, hopped out of the car, made a bee-line inside the trailer, changed out of her firesuit, and gone...to the RV.
I can't blame her for her frustration. But is it frustration from the lack of practice and qualifying? Or is it the frustration of her lack of technical know-how on the ability to communicate what could possibly be wrong with the setup of the car? I know for a fact the first would be an enormous factor. But she always lacked the technical ability to understand and convey, it could be this part, or that part, of the car that might need attention. A very important ability to have as a NASCAR driver. And a skill Danica eventually will learn with more experience with this type of car AND a consistent team roster.
I bring this up because of listening to Brad Keselowski's radio chatter during the Nationwide race the day before. The way he understood his racecar on a technical level was quite impressive. He even tried to diagnose his racecar's issues down to how the front right shock might be broken. And he was right! Alongside a messed up front splitter, he was close on the diagnosis. He didn't win the race, but he stayed competitive. That's why he's won Nationwide Series Championships, and is the current Sprint Cup Series Champion. A little technical know-how by a driver goes a long way here. It's something that will come to Danica hopefully sooner than later. Hell...she killed her weakness of restarts after just half of a season in Nationwide. She'll figure this out just the same.
