Can't we all get along.....

f1racefan1966 - 17 May 2008 05:31 PM

Can't we all get along.....

I'm getting along. I was trying to lighten it up a bit. Didn't go over well, though.

The general rule in the pits, paddock or anywhere ther are race cars, the race cars have the right of way. This is true from Saturday night dirt tracks on up. Driver's needn't have to be worried that some moron is going to walk out in front of them. Now, why she allowed herself to be "whisked away" as they put it, instead of coming over to check on the guy is another story.

SCCA93 - 17 May 2008 10:24 PM

The general rule in the pits, paddock or anywhere ther are race cars, the race cars have the right of way. This is true from Saturday night dirt tracks on up. Driver's needn't have to be worried that some moron is going to walk out in front of them. Now, why she allowed herself to be "whisked away" as they put it, instead of coming over to check on the guy is another story.

I'm pretty sure they didn't want her to see a guy laying in his own blood for fear that putting her back in a car to drive 230mph with that picture in her head might mess with her concentration a little bit. Believe me - and I'm speaking as a fan of the sport here - I think they made the right call. Otherwise you risk her either not going out for qualifying or her going out and putting herself and others at risk because she isn't thinking straight. It's the same reason they kept her away when Paul Dana was killed.

On top of that, they were going to have emergency crews around and the fewer people the better. Considering this was Danica Patrick that was involved, you would have seen a ton of photographers hanging around her if she stayed. Instead, the majority of them followed her when she went back to the garage.

I think that once she found out that the guy was okay then she was okay. Again - I speak as a fan of the sport on this post - that they made the right call for both Chuck's safety and the efficiency of the emergency crews.

By the way, I was a witness to a guy at a local dirt track being struck when a car lost control and ran into the opening of the pit area. The guy that was hit died that night. Even as someone who was a spectator that night, it messed with me pretty good as I was due to race the next day. I got over it because that's what I had to do, but that image is not something you lose. Not allowing her to see Chuck laying there was probably the best for her and the team.

Now, granted and luckily, Chuck survived. But still...not something you want to look at.

thunderstix33 - 17 May 2008 11:25 PM

I'm pretty sure they didn't want her to see a guy laying in his own blood for fear that putting her back in a car to drive 230mph with that picture in her head might mess with her concentration a little bit.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/patrick-shaken-silent-about-accident-on/n20080511070909990009

Kanaan said Patrick had tears in her eyes Friday when he consoled the IndyCar Series' most popular driver after watching video of the accident.

"I hugged her and she cried a lot more, so I thought that was a bad move on my behalf," Kanaan said. "I said, 'Let it go. Look, if you're driving down the street and somebody runs and jumps on top of your windshield, what are you going to do?' She was like, 'Well, you know, the guy has a family.'

"I said, 'Listen, it wasn't your fault. It's going to get better. There's not a lot to say. You've got to keep your head straight. Go talk to his team. Maybe give a call to his family.'"

As weird as it sounds, it probably helped her to see it more than it hurt her. Lets her deal with it.

I work for the railroad and I still cannot bring myself to watch videos of people being hit by trains. I know the day I do I won't handle it as well as Danica handled this, even if the person survived.

Folks, chalk it up to an unfortunate racing incident ... nothing more, nothing less.

I'm just saying that if it were me that hit the guy, I would have stayed and checked on the guy and I think the vast majority of drivers would except for maybe some of the arrogant F1 jockeys. Nothing against Patrick here but it seems that there is always a team of "handlers" that controls everything that goes on around her. Just leaving the scene seems kind of calous. I'm sure someone just grabbed her arm and started escorting her back to the paddock but, she could have said, "screw you" and went over on her own. Pit accidents happen all the time. In most cases, the driver has to return to the track immediately and continue. I've never before seen one run off for a cry and a hug.