Who cares if she can race... She's HOTT!

Its great to see that women have finally broken down the gender barriers and have shown men (and women) that they have what it takes to be successful in motorsports. But unfortunately, the media has used female drivers as a sex object to boost ticket sales in their respective racing series. The best/worst example of this is Danica Patrick. Until earlier this year, she has not won a single race, but yet is by far the most popular racer in Indy Car.
Maybe it could be photos like: that have made her popular? or maybe...

or....
Honestly I don't understand how a bunch of sexy pictures enhances your ability to drive a race car.

"And it’s been a long, long ride since she first got on the road. Patrick was usually tormented with “When are you going to win something?” questions and with comparisons with Anna Kournikova, the tennis player who never won anything but became famous for being good-looking."
( http://www.afterellen.com/blog/mariana/danica-patricks-historic-win)

Does...=??? Well not any more, because after her 50th career start she won the Japan 300 on April, 20th, 2008.

"Patrick is one of the Indy’s biggest stars, but she has always been known more for her good looks than her abilities. In 2005 in Indianapolis, she took fourth place — her best result prior to her win in Japan — and that was enough to get her more attention than the race’s winner, Dan Wheldon. She was even named Rookie of the Year for her 2005 IndyCar Series without ever having won anything."
(http://www.afterellen.com/blog/mariana/danica-patricks-historic-win)

But Danica is not the first women to ever race a car, nor will she be the last. One of the first women racers was Shirley Muldowney. Even she has taken "Racy" (Pun intended) photos.
The main difference is that Shirley was hugely successful in drag racing.
She has,
-Won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982.
-Ranked No.5 on the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000
-Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990.
-In 2004, she was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
-In 2008, ESPN ranked her 21st on their top drivers of all-time, citing her record as the first woman to win a major racing championship.

She has most notably opened the door for many other women to follow in her footsteps such as, Melanie Troxel, Hillary Will, Ashley Force, Angelle Sampey, Karen Stoffer, Erica Enders, Rhonda Hartman and Connie Cohen. What is also amazing is that all of these women have won National Events! I haven't see any of these talented women gracing the pages of FHM or Maxum either. I find that interesting too because besides being talented, all of these women are very beautiful, in fact, some in my opinion, more than Danica Patrick.

Who cares if she can race? I do...

-Eric Oglanian-

Check out some of these other articles and links about female drivers
Women in motorsports
Ashley Force
Danica Patrick
Women are no stranger to Drag Racing Success
Shirley Muldowney
NHRA not Dragging its feet