Danica Fined Twenty Grand
Danica Patrick was hit in the wallet by NASCAR for her actions after an incident during last Sunday’s Auto Club 400 race in which she found the outside retaining wall after making bumper contact with driver Kasey Kahne during competition. Danica spun into the infield and Kahne drove on. Danica got up out of her car and started to walk toward the waiting ambulance but saw Kahne coming around again and she ran up to the white line to shake her fist at him. This is now a safety rules violation and it cost her $20,000. No matter how much money you make, 20 G’s is a big chunk of change. Driver Jimmy Johnson won the race and Kahne finished 28 and was running at the end.
The rule in question is part of the NASCAR on track incident section of their rule book.(10.4.2.1). It was implemented in 2014 after the death of driver Kevin White Jr. on August 9, 2014 at the Canandaiuga New York Motor Speedway when he charged Tony Stewart on the track and was hit by Stewart’s rear wheel.
Danica is the series’ most controversial driver. Many of the NASCAR traditionalists (that’s translated “Good Ole Boys”) absolutely despise her because they feel she got her ride because she is a hot looking girl rather than because of any racing talent she has and The Cup Race is noooo place for a girl. As a matter of fact “hating Danica” has become a full time preoccupation with some fans. Patrick’s on track record hasn’t been overwhelming and she has more than her share of incidents, both on and off track, but she does bring a great deal of interest to the races she competes in. It’s speculated that a third of the NASCAR TV audience watches just to spew their outrage that Ms. Patrick is still taking part in the event and jump for joy if she is eliminated by being bumped by another driver.
Many racing fans feel that NASCAR racing has become as exciting as watching paint dry and Danica brings in a television audience even if it’s for negative reasons. The fear is that if Danica left the series, TV audience would plummet and the media rates would continue to drop which would cause sponsors to reconsider buying commercial time during race broadcasts. Danica will stay in NASCAR as long as she brings in an audience.
Batter Up at the Vic
What is one of the surest signs of spring in Indy? Baseball opening up at Victory Field! This coming Saturday, April 7, the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the Cincinnati Reds in their final exhibition game of the preseason. This is a big deal for Indianapolis baseball fans. The Pirates are the Indians’ current parent club and several of the Pirate starters were with the Indians a few years back. The Reds have a long standing relationship with both Indy and the Indians and there are many local Reds fans. It should be a really fun and exciting game. It is sold out, however, so if you want to see it, you are going to have to pay scalper prices. The game starts at 1:35 p.m.
The Tribe opens it’s season on the road against the Columbus Clippers on Sunday, April 10 at 1:05 p.m., then opens at home against the Clippers on Thursday April 14 at 7:05 p.m. PLAY BALL!
Maintaining Good Bladder Health
New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey had a mysterious injury that had fans worried about his future as a Mets pitcher. The Mets organization was being very quiet about. It turns out that the problem was a serious bladder infection that caused blood clots to form in his bladder and caused blockages which were both painful and debilitating. The whole situation was caused because Matt was holding his bladder too long. Matt found that relieving his bladder was often inconvenient and just a bit boring, so he tended to put it off to the last possible moment. A really bad idea. Once again a human being found out that trying to fool Mother Nature can have disastrous consequences. We all should remember that when our bladders tell us it’s time to go — IT’S TIME TO GO!!!