Now that Danika Patrick has had a couple of turns of the wheel in NASCAR, where things generally haven’t been going her way, she’s gotten all pouty about the whole thing. But there have been other drivers who have made even less auspicious debuts, and we want some suggestions as to the one that was the most floptastical.
Y’all remember Bill Elliott? While Awesome Bill from Dawsonville won the 1988 Winston Cup series, his performance since then would lead you to believe that was a fluke. Willy T Ribs? His temper helped kill his chances. How about Car and Driver’s Patrick Bedard’s crash at the 1984 Indianapolis 500? That was kind of his debut and swan song, all in one front straight-littering blaze of glory.
So, who has had a career misfire by going to another discipline, or just not living up to expectations?
Image sources: [GoDaddy.com, Pwned.com]
Hooniverse Asks- Who Has Had The Most Disappointing Racing Turn?
By Robert Emslie
Feb 22, 2010
Jeff Glucker
Anyone starting/moving into Nascar.
It's like saying that you want to move from brain surgery to being a podiatrist in Wichita.
For the excitement.
As a Wichita resident, I approve of this message.
I am a Footman for the Counteeeeeeeeee
And I fry the bun-yonnnnnnnnnns
Lookin for the fungus in the other toes
NASCAR is difficult for most anyone to get into and be good at right off the bat. Over the coarse of the decades many open-wheelers have tried their hand at NASCAR…usually for the money.
The most disappointing of these, to me, was Jacques Villeneuve. After a decent F1 career, Villeneuve went to the there'snothingstockabout'em Stock Car league and disappointed. His highest finish was 4th in the Nationwide series race at a track named after his dad, but in Nationwide and Sprint Cups he has seen more crashing than finishing.
Another disappointing racing switch would be Boris Said. After being a ringer for NASCAR teams when they run road coarses, Said tried his hands in the best little series on the planet…V8 Supercars. He's only run two races, both in 2008. He raced at Phillips Island and finished 19th, and at Bathurst and DNFed due to a crash by his teammate. Then he went back to NASCAR. That is the disappointing part.
It's a bit premature, but… USF1.
It's a bit premature, but… USF1.
Nonsense. Falcon Kenny and Peter Windsor have assured us that, though there are some bumps in the road, everything will work out.
<img src="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9021/bddmpflesh53.jpg">
No loss, RedBull gives you wings.
I was going to mention them. Even Campos seems to have their act together. We have not heard anything from USF1 in a few weeks. They were supposed to have a car on track earlier this month.
Uh…Campos almost went bankrupt and Ecclestone had to pull strings to find them an angel investor.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/…
USF1 is still struggling and is trying to get FIA to allow them to miss the first 4 races and they would begin in Barcelona.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/sports/autoraci…
Yes, I see names like Geoff Willis and Collin Kolles and think they might have a chance at getting on the track. Bernie's influence is not to be underestimated.
Are we even sure Widsor’s still on board WTF1, sorry, USF1?
I hear Falcon Kenny is a big part of the problem, can’t delegate fer a carbon-based sheet….
Are we even sure Windsor’s still on board WTF1, sorry, USF1?
I hear Falcon Kenny is a big part of the problem, can’t delegate fer a carbon-based sheet….
Xuey in a Ferrari, Take II: Ow, that pain in my neck isn’t a gay vampire.
More disappointing than Fisi in a Ferrari? Worse than SeaBass in a Toro Rosso-tastes-like-ass surely…
Mario Andretti's first foray into F1 was pretty disappointing. In his inaugural season, three races, three DNFs.
Futility, thy name is Michael:
<img src="http://www.macsmodeling.com/michael%20andretti%20image%2001%20emailable.jpg">
<img src="http://www.macsmodeling.com/michael%20andretti%20image%2002%20emailable.jpg">
Pretty much any Superbike rider going into MotoGP. Not a one of them has lived up to the hype.
I have some hope for Spies though.
Except for Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Gardner, Wayne Rainey, and Kevin Schwantz … The US totally OWNED GP from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. And Nicky Hayden did, if you remember, actually win a championship. Other than Vale, who HAS lived up to the hype since King Kenny?
And yes, Ben Spies looks like he has as good a chance as anyone who isn't Rossi.
I think the more interesting question regarding Danica Patrick and NASCAR is what current NASCAR driver has a more attractive ass. The answer to which is "none".
Jimmy Johnson has the most attractive ass!
You know, now that you mention it, he does kinda… uh….. nevermind.
Is that why I've always been rooting for him?
Careful… This guy spells his name Jimmie Johnson.
<img src="http://www.jimmiejohnsonchevrolet.com/blog/uploaded_images/Jimmie-Johnson-Pic-1107-770325.JPG">
This guy spells it Jimmy Johnson.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/smokyburnout/f8a80180.jpg">
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/2001DaleSrCrash.jpg">
I'd say this was a pretty disappointing turn.
Dale actually did make his Grand-Am racing debut a few weeks before his death, but that doesn't answer this question either because it was hardly a dissappointing debut (2nd in class, 4th overall).
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/smokyburnout/9ed13a64.jpg">
As a road-racing snob, it's fun to make fun of NASCAR drivers, but he could hold his own with the road-racing crowd. And I've heard from more than one person that GM might not have been so eager to fund the Corvette Racing program had he not spoken so enthusiastically of it.
His son, on the other hand…
<img src="http://www.nsxfiles.com/images4/july04_fire.jpg">
damn that vette looks good.
I will withhold comment until after my April debut at the 24 hours of LeMons.
Then again, even a shitty LeMons debut is going to be awesome.
NASCAR is difficult for most anyone to get into and be good at right off the bat. Over the coarse of the decades many open-wheelers have tried their hand at NASCAR…usually for the money.
The most disappointing of these, to me, was Jacques Villeneuve. After a decent F1 career, Villeneuve went to the there'snothingstockabout'em Stock Car league and disappointed. His highest finish was 4th in the Nationwide series race at a track named after his dad, but in Nationwide and Sprint Cups he has seen more crashing than finishing.
Another disappointing racing switch would be Boris Said. After being a ringer for NASCAR teams when they run road coarses, Said tried his hands in the best little series on the planet…V8 Supercars. He's only run two races, both in 2008. He raced at Phillips Island and finished 19th, and at Bathurst and DNFed due to a crash by his teammate. Then he went back to NASCAR. That is the disappointing part.
Jesus Vileenough's problem is that he's always bought into his own hype. He only reluctantly tested during his CART and F1 career. When he had the best car in the field (CART 1995, F1 1997), that worked out OK. When he actually had to work at it…not so much.
Or maybe I just don't like him because, when I almost knocked all 3-foot-7 of him over in the paddock at the Toronto Indy 1995, he called me a motherfucker. Either way.
I don't know. Mario Andretti seemed to do pretty well in stock cars (Daytona 500 winner 1967), as did Dan Gurney (5 career wins in 17 starts).
<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3386402010_af51f274ab_o.jpg">
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2591/3948656506_158d4e5d82.jpg">
They are more the exception than the rule. Juan Pablo Montoya is just now hitting his stride in NASCAR, but he's been in it for several years.
Also, don't forget AJ Foyt. He only took 10 races to get a NASCAR win, and won the 1972 Daytona 500.
I'd have to call Super Mario's results in Grand National mixed. He won Daytona in his second race. It was his only top 5 finish of a mere 14 starts.
The last time I watched Super Mario in a race, I believe his brother passed him up in the early going. A crash into a huge, spinning mushroom took out his car as well as a blond-haired princess that was close behind him.
It's that darn Rainbow Road. That course has always belonged to Jeff Gordon.
Peach is good, too.
wait a sec, those look like real cars, I mean they have door handles and everything. Now where would somebody get the lame brained idea to run stock cars in a stock car race!
Key phrase is "look like". That #11 Fairlane, which Mario Andretti drove to the 1967 Daytona 500 victory, is in a museum today. But it looks like this:
<img src="http://www.modelroundup.com/images/y-7295.jpg">
…because it was a tube-frame silhouette car just like today's NASCAR racers, and at some point they slapped a Mercury Cyclone body on it.
” target=”_blank”>http://www.stockcarracing.com/thehistoryof/11438_darrell_waltrip_1971_mercury_cyclone/index.html
dang dude, you know your racing. Boris Said is a good driver.
Boris is the man! The only time I cheered for a Hendrick car was when Boris was driving it. I knew he had spent a little time in V8 Supercars, but had to look up when and where. Now I need to find that Bathurst race.
I'd say Dave Blaney. I remember him having so much success in the World of Outlaws sprint cars when I was a kid, and while I'm sure the money's better in
Winston NextelSprint Cup, he's had just one win in the national NASCAR series in 10 years and that was in the Busch series. (Meanwhile he's in the news today because his car from yesterday's race is going through a detailed technical inspection by NASCAR and might not be back in their hands before the next race.)Meanwhile he's in the news today because his car from yesterday's race is going through a detailed technical inspection by NASCAR and might not be back in the team's hands before the next race, and it's that team's only fully-race-ready car.
You can't get your car on TV by leading the race during the first pit stop cycle, then bring the car into garage and park it with 80% of the race left because you didn't even bring a pit crew to the track and not expect NASCAR to be pissed at you.
Wow, that was quite a run-on sentence.
Yeah don't even get me going on start-and-park. Striving to start the race just to intentionally finish last place shouldn't be a paying proposition IMO.
My name is eggwich and I am going off-topic.
If driving in NASCAR is sooooo easy, we should all do it. They earn a shit ton of money. And yes, I said "earn" not make. You fly around a track at 180 with Dale Jr. next to you and see how long you live. (I'm not saying other racers don't risk their lives any less, I'm just saying anyone getting on any track; road course, dirt track, or Talladega, has my respect.)
Anyone remember Patrick Bedard's debut at Indianapolis? That was the most horrific crash I've EVER seen.