Danica's Racy Image

Oh my goodness, my head hurts. Today's press conference shows this whole GoDaddy/Danica! pairing is either the perfect match for two publicity hounds or a sign of the apocalypse. Only time will tell which it is.

Bob Parsons, the unnerving CEO of the internet domain supercenter and Mrs Hospenthal were formally announced today with mind-numbing quotes in tow. Here's what I read out of this Adrants summary.

One reporter wondered whether GoDaddy's "racy image" might scare off other Andretti Green racing sponsors. Patrick was unconcerned citing the plethora of sponsor logos already covering her car.

"Racy image" - oh, I'm sure that pun was unintentional. Har. Dee. Har. And yes, "plethora" is the perfect word to describe her sponsorship. Darn near a cavalcade.

And slapping down any notion she might be in any way compared to Michelle, Patrick wryly added, "I don't look like Candice. [It would be] "hard to pull that off."

Wow, double-entendre there. Just lovely. Can I get some aspirin?

Patrick also tossed off worries about GoDaddy turning her into an object of desire, becoming a bad role model and sending the wrong image to young girls saying, "I'm not concerned. I'm not going to do anything I'm not comfortable with."

Well if FHM didn't "turn her into an object of desire" and such then I don't know what any GoDaddy ad is going to do.

Look, this is exactly the kind of thing that makes people scoff at whatever abilities she has. She's making a name by trading earned credibility in her line of work for pure publicity. And in truth it's working. From what I can tell she seems to be a solid driver, but who cares when you garner all those sponsorships and media airtime?

Hey it's her life and her paycheck, and publicity for her is publicity for the IRL. Love her or hate her, she's out there in the public eye. People pay to see her drive more than any single driver, and that's with or without a check from Bob Parsons.

But at the same time I know whatever ad she's in will appear during the Super Bowl, which is not only watched by a zillion people but also airing at the end of January right before the IndyCar season ramps up. A lot of eyeballs at the right time of year. If this this ad campaign is done right then it will likely provide more exposure (pardon the pun) then the IRL will generate for itself.

And yet, this is still GoDaddy. I have visions of Danica walking around in Daisy Dukes or some such embarrassment. I just hope the finished product is an ad with Danica! driving something during the nonsense instead of being the nonsense that is the hallmark of GoDaddy commercials.