Quote:
Originally Posted by BevoLJ
I'm not sure where that hot young lady drove. Danica Patrick her name is? Is she Nascar? Maybe someone could get her in a F1 car?
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Danica Patrick will be racing full time in Nascar next year. Nascar has three top series, the Sprint Cup with 865 hp engines (top drivers and teams), the Nationwide Series with 650–700 hp engines, and the Camping World Truck Series also with 650–700 hp engines. All the engines are 358 in³ (5.8 L) V8s. The hp differences for the engines can be attributed to the size of the carburetors, with Nationwide and Truck series having 390ft³ per minute, and Cup series having 750–830ft³ per minute. Chevy, Ford, Dodge, and Toyota brands are ran. Since the chassis and engines are very similar in size by series regulations, the difference between winning and losing is mainly based upon the team's and driver's skills. Danica will be racing in the Nationwide Series full time, and part time in the Sprint Cup, next year.
Danica has been racing in the American based Indy Racing League (IRL) - Izod Indy Cars the last few years. This is a specification car series, everyone is running a Dallara chassis with 650 hp 3.5 L (213.6 in³) Honda V8 engines. The difference between winning and losing is based upon the team's and driver's skills. Indy Car also has two junior series, the Firestone Indy Lights running Dallara chassis with a 420 hp 3.5 L Infiniti V8 engine, and the F2000 running Star Mazda cars with 250 horsepower Mazda 'Renesis' rotary engines.
Formula 1 is an European based racing league. Every team runs different chassis and engine combinations. This year there were 12 teams. There are rules all the cars and engines must meet, but there's plenty of room for teams to develop both to make faster cars. The difference between winning and losing is mainly based upon the car's capabilities (who designs it). The last American to race in Formula 1 was Scott Speed from 2006 to 2007, who drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso, a satellite team owned by Red Bull. The last podium by an American driver was Michael Andretti at the 1993 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy at Il Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The last American World Driver's Champion was Mario Andretti in 1978, who drove for Lotus. Other than the elder Andretti, the only other American World Driver's Champion was Phil Hill who took the title in 1961 in a Ferrari.
So, in the last 50 years, only two American drivers have won a F1 World Championship. Neither won in an American car. And that's why fewer Americans follow F1 closely than Indy Car or Nascar.