05.27.2008 2:23 pm
Danica vs. Briscoe smackdown; how the fight might have gone
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
If security and valets had not steered Danica Patrick clear of trouble before she could reach Ryan Briscoe’s pit box Sunday at Indy, what would have ensued?
– Would Patrick and Briscoe have tussled as Cale Yarborugh and the Allison boys did at the Daytona 500 in 1979?
– Or would they have had a shovefest ala Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya last year at Watkins Glen?
Or would it have gone down something like this?
I don’t know how it would have gone down, but I think that the ‘little lady’ can hold her own with ‘the boys’, and I have to admire her ’spunk’. It would have been interesting to see, either way.
It would have been interesting to see the fallout if she had initiated contact with Briscoe and he had responded in kind.
I would have loved to see the security chief let her make it to Briscoe’s pit. Let them get in each other’s face, maybe grab each others’ helmet (Steven Wallace style), and build the tension before breaking it up. A few years ag, NBC’s coverage (produced by CCWS) cut away from the tussle between Paul Tracy and Sebastian Bourdais, effectively killing any buzz the media could have picked up on. The IRL needs more media, and a little public display of emotion could be just the ticket. Many of us old-timers realize the 1979 Daytona 500 was the catalyst for the immense growth of NASCAR. Humpy Wheeler, your services are needed!
Danica had a confrontation with Dan Wheldon last year in which she gave him a shove. Wheldon just walked away. No man is going to get into a physical altercation with a 5 foot, 100 lb. woman. I don’t care what the cirumstances are. Danica certainly had a right to be upset but I don’t know what she thought she would accomplish by confronting the Penske pit area. I believe some of this comes from wanting to show her toughness in order to support her team and owner. It’s just like a MLB manager arguing with the umpire to show support of his players.