Former female racer Moise says give NASCAR a break
Quote selected text Published May 2nd, 2008 in NASCAR News
Patty Moise was a regular on NASCAR’s Busch tour for almost 10 years, and drove in six Cup races along the way. Popular and personable (enough to get a few TV jobs), she never quite made it over the hump, but she was competent, rugged and dogged about it, running her own team for a while.
“Danica (Patrick’s) win was great, totally cool,” Moise said. “She’s been knocking on the door. It shows there’s no reason a woman can’t do this if she’s got the skills and the right background and the right opportunity.
“Either I did not have enough skills, or I couldn’t put myself in the right position. Danica has been with one of the very top teams. And there hasn’t been an opportunity like that in NASCAR.”
Should NASCAR and its teams and sponsors be pushing harder to get women in good rides?
“I found it very promising that Tony Stewart would go down to Mike Wallace’s daughter, Chrissy, and kind of endorse what she’s doing,” Moise said. “And I thought Chrissy did a good job at Martinsville. She finished on the lead lap, and for a first-time effort, that’s pretty good, even for a guy.
“We forget that NASCAR is the most competitive series in the world. I think Juan Pablo Montoya has done a great job. But look at some of these other top guys, even guys who have won championships, and it’s been no piece of cake.
“So you’ve got to give a break to NASCAR. And in its defense, they don’t have a big group (of women racers) to pick from.
“I’m sure a lot of team owners would like to talk to Danica right now, but why would she want to come down here?”.
Especially after watching the struggles that Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. are having in trying to make the transition from open-wheel racing to stock cars.
“From all the places NASCAR and its Cup owners are looking, if there were some women kicking hard, then it would be a logical step to give them a shot here,” Moise said. “That is probably as much of an issue as anything.
“For women who have had the opportunity to race, they’re not going to be backing off any more than the guys would. They’re going to race like everybody else; give everyone as much respect as anyone else. We don’t think any different than the guys.
“It might be a nice marketing opportunity (having a female driver), but in the end they also want their cars to run up front. And there are only a handful of drivers running up front on any given day.”
More at newsadvance.com
- NASCAR still looking for its Danica Patrick, Ashley Force
- Melanie Troxell Nominated for “Best Female Athlete” ESPY
- Ricky Carmichael Could Race for Gibbs in NASCAR
- Melanie Troxell wins Sportswoman of the Year Award
- Formula 1 Mercedes Engine Reaches 20,000 RPM
Is this woman still married to Elton Sawyer?
According to Wikipedia they still are married, but you can never be sure how true stuff on there is.
A racer is a racer, man or woman. If the talent, drive and abilities are there then I say they deserve every much a chance as anyone. Patty did touch on one subject that has been a pet peeve of mine though, and that is the marketing end. Some that have come through the ranks seem to have had a lot “handed”to them simply because it would make the team look good or help land a potential sponsor. In the end, I feel that only hurts the sport and the idea of equality though simply because the poor performance is then based on the fact that the driver is a woman. THATS WRONG. Then the whole stereotyping comes in to play and the next thing you know, it’s three steps back again. If a driver can drive, give em a shot, but not at the expense of a more qualified driver. Man or woman. Once you put the brain bucket on, it becomes a matter of who can do the job better.
Just my .02 worth.
Paul
Paul you hit the nail on the head about the marking stuff. To me the diversity program is actually racist/sexist because it is essentially saying “You are getting this shot because you are not a white male”