Wow.

Is it a surprise that Danica Patrick rolls out on top of the grid for the Daytona 500? Perhaps… But her position as the pole sitter says something about her adaptation to the sport despite her general lack of experience compared to many veterans who drove laps behind her. However, it was just a year ago she was on the pole for the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona. How many times has a Nationwide Daytona pole winner come back in a Sprint Cup series car to win the pole the very next year?

The real surprise is the unwelcome response from too many “NASCAR” fans about Patrick and her mere presence inside a Sprint Cup car. What is it that makes some of these “fans” so adamant in their dislike? Is it that she is a woman? Is that really the only reason? Are they really that narrow? She is certainly not the first woman to get behind the wheel…

Is it the attention? NASCAR and media have given her a good bit of press. Let’s put it out there. She is attractive, a bit outspoken, and while women have driven before she brings a personality that generates attention. For as long as the subject is open her pre-NASCAR record is also less than stellar compared to many who have made the jump from other series. Is that it? Her lack of a winning record…?

Is it a view that there are drivers all over the country scraping and even winning on small tracks and minor series that should get a shot before this female, Indy upstart trips and falls into the seat? Is it the fans of these weekend warriors, or even some of the drivers themselves, generating the negative Danica narrative?

Is it a combination of the above, or possibly more?

Historically, fans and drivers have a strained relationship to begin with. People love or hate Jeff Gordon. It wasn’t long ago fans were snapping because of attention on Jimmie Johnson. Kyle Busch is a love/hate driver. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is as much a lightning rod as anyone. People love they guy. People say he can’t run. People compare him point by point to his father.

The point is that fans, and who they latch onto or who they would just assume dump bad beer on, are not always rational about who they cheer for. However, there seems to be a layer of real antagonism when it comes to Danica Patrick. There seems to be a real belief that her mere presence takes something away from the sport. It was the same when Toyota made the Camry debut but now the stands are jumping with fans of Camry drivers. It was the same when Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 but he has proven to be a competitor with the Wood Brothers and carries his own. These are only a few comparisons…

Can Danica drive her way to respect from the detractors? Is it time that is needed? Time and some results on the board? Is a pole at the first race of her first full Sprint Cup season a start or an anomaly? She had the Nationwide pole just a year ago so perhaps there is something more in there. Perhaps time will tell.

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Perhaps the “haters” will always be there no matter what she does. Some of the best in NASCAR have tossed aside the derision and stand with her. Dale, Jr. and her Nationwide ride stood with her. Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas racing stand with her. If Danica Patrick can roll with the positive and toss away the negative from a few then she’ll likely be fine.

For now, she is on the pole for the Daytona 500. No amount of chatter from the peanut-brain gallery is going to change that. Let’s roll with the “Duals” and see that green #10 at Daytona!