Perhaps I've Grown Up

Danicamania.  It turned 5 years old this year.  After dozens and dozens of racy photo-ops later the Google search "Danica Patrick Swimsuit" is one of the more often used searches.  I can understand that.  This is Google we're talking about.  If some immature guy (somebody like oh....ME) wants "purdy pictures of ladies" they go to the widely misused Google image search (aka:  The Porn Oracle).

So it's no real shock to find what I found when I clicked on the Fanhouse.com Motorsports section story about the De Silvestro Fire Review by IndyCar.  After reading the story I was somewhat unshocked and unsurprised to find what I saw at the bottom of the page in the links section.

There I found these links:

NASCAR Hall of Fame
NASCAR Photos
Indianapolis 500 Photos
Danica Patrick Photos
Sarah Fisher Photos
Milka Duno Photos
Ana Beatriz Photos
Simona de Silvestro Photos
Female Indy 500 Drivers
Ashley Judd Photos

I'm sure they would be flattered.  To Fanhouse's credit, it's mostly images of the ladies of IndyCar in their element at the track.  I'll give them that.  But why does it have to be about them?  Wow!  Girls DRIVING?  Seriously?  No way! How exactly does Ashley Judd fit into all this (besides the ovbious relation to Dario)? 

I can almost hear you now saying "You're reading too much into this, old man!" or "What, would you rather be looking for images of Heilo NOT happy?".  Actually, that last one would be interesting, because I'm not sure more than 6 such images exist on EARTH (that is before Moraes killed yet another KV Dallara with Helio at Texas).  But I'm no old man.  I'm 28.  Why does this bother ME of all people?

Maybe it's because I'm a racing fan.  I was a Kasey Kahne fan from the moment he replaced the living legend that is Awesome Bill.  Watching and listening to women of all ages squeal over his "cuteness" and "OMGSOHOT!!!!" through the years has been mildly entertaining (those Allstate commercials were CLASS).  But as a guy I respected his driving ability.  Dude can wheel a car.  The same goes for the ladies as well.  Are they pretty?  Are you literate (how else would you go this far down the page)?  YES.  But I respect them first and foremost.  A quick glance at my hard drive shows nearly a dozen or so images of Simona De Silvestro saved.  Almost all of them have her either in her car or around it with her fire suit on....or it's just the CAR (It does remind me of Raul Boesel's old Duracell car).  I became a fan when she turned her very first laps at Sebring in an IndyCar just as fast as the boys.  TALENT.  I didn't care what she looked like.  The same goes for Danica back during the final stages of the 2005 Indianapolis 500.  She almost won it in her first try.

Perhaps something like "Simonamania" could bring the world to my point of view.  Hey, even Danica didn't pose for anything this year.  Maybe "Danicamania 2.0" could do that as well.

They are race car drivers.  IndyCar drivers at that.  RESPECT first and foremost should be a given.

Wow.  My first blog was about THAT?  I promise much more humor, wit, and of course epic haikus for the future. 

I can't promise the maturity such that was posted here and now.  That's a GIVEN. 

Off for beer.  And Google.