IRL Adopts "Danica Rule"

Alternate title: Return of the Jib Doctrine

I found a new excuse to blog about Danica Patrick!

From now on, the minimum weight for IRL cars must include the driver.

What's the big deal? Well, it just so happens that the lightest driver on the circuit is a woman. And not just any woman. It's Danica Patrick...

At just 100 pounds, she weights 20 pounds less than the two other women on the circuit, Milka Duno and Sarah Fisher. The heaviest driver, according to the IRL guide, is 165–pound Ed Carpenter.

…Danica even admits that in a sport where less weight can mean higher speeds, being light offers a slight edge.

In 2005, rival teams were outed in an AP story, saying Danica might gain as much as one mph due to her size.

Jealous and bitter. All of them. They ought to be ashamed.



The pic on the left is size 16 contestant for Miss England, which I found at Boots and Sabers, where they got it from Rachel Lucas, who got it from Dr.Melissa Clouthier, who found the story in the UK's Daily Mail.

The story goes, she's a little on the big side to be a beauty queen, so Dr. Clouthier compared her to Marilyn Monroe.

I'm not comparing them to Danica Patrick* - it's just a good excuse to post her picture. Plus, it's interesting to compare the two stories: one woman too big, the other too small, or so the powers-that-be in their respective fields of excellence would have us believe.

* Official IRL Driver of the Badger Blog Alliance, as long as I can say that without triggering any adverse legal repercussions. Maybe we should contact her agent?