There was a lot of talk surrounding Danica Patrick during the month of May. The media frenzy came to a head at the Brickyard and didn't begin waning until the checkered flag fell at the end of the Texas race.
It was apparent that some weren't pleased with Danica's new found fame.
Danica Patrick is a breath of fresh air in the IRL. She is, with out a doubt, the best thing to happen to the league since its inception. Not only has she brought more interest to the sport, she has also added a tremendous fan base that wasn't there a year ago. Older fans who had lost interest in the IRL action are returning in droves. It's apparent at this stage of the game that Danica is the real McCoy, and almost everyone wants to see her succeed.
True, Danica is still a rookie, and makes rookie mistakes. That's why they call them rookies; every race driver in every series has to go through a learning curve. Their first season on the circuit is usually filled with more downs than ups.
Danica Patrick is well on her way to winning the Rookie of the Year award for the '05 season. She has already taken the Rookie of the Race honors for the 89th running of the Indy 500, and that's quite an accomplishment within itself! The rookie standings after the Texas event have Danica leading Ryan Briscoe by 30 points, with Tomas Enge listed in third, scoring 74 points. Danica is listed with 129 points, while Briscoe has racked up 99 points so far this season. Please check out the rookie finishes and driver's points awarded to the rookies for the races that have been run so far this season, along with the 2005 rookie point standings on my 2005 Rookie Stats page. I'll be keeping this page current as the season progresses. Thanks for stopping by folks, happy racing!
