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Who won the Indy
500 race? As usual, today's confused and confrontational culture has distorted the
important race results and promoted subordinate issues. The winner -- the driver and team
whose car crossed the finish line first -- is Dan Wheldon, 26, driving for the Michael
Andretti team. |
| However, the headline
story is that a 23-year-old female driver, Danica Patrick, ran a great race and finished
fourth. She led 3 times for 19 laps becoming the first woman to lead in the Indy 500. She
has a promising career ahead. |
| Danica came in
fourth. She confronted many of the usual problems and challenges that every driver
confronts. Thanks to the air draft benefit from following Wheldon, Danica Patrick retook
the lead on a restart with 10 laps to go. But Wheldon caught up to Danica Patrick, who had
misjudged her fuel supply and was running short on lap 194. A few laps later, Patrick's
teammate, Meira, and Wheldon's teammate, Bryan Herta, passed Danica Patrick, while she
continued to conserve fuel in order to be able to complete the race. |
| Media darling, great
race car driver, woman, female, lady, poor at judging throttle control to conserve fuel,
all these may describe Danica Patrick. Often the Indy 500 -- and several other races each
season -- have stories of excellence, cheating and good and bad luck. The story here is
the great American story of winning -- being the best at something in a fair test -- the
best at this moment in this Indy 500. The Indy 500 should not be demeaned into being just
another battleground in the ongoing gender battles of the US cultural war. |
| Congratulations go to
Dan Wheldon, the winner of the 2005 Indy 500... even though he is a Englishman ! |
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