GoDaddy aired another silly ad featuring Danica Patrick during tonight's Super Bowl, but according to the braintrust at TrackSide Online now might be the time for her to get a deal instead with Outback Steakhouse.
On an interesting technical note, the IRL will count both the driver and car weight in 2008. Exactly how they will do that, we don't know. Those details will be given to the teams later via technical bulletins. This means the total minimum weight could actually be different for different tracks. There is sure to be a different weight for the ovals versus the road courses as has been the case in the past. The reason for that detail is simple - steel brake rotors are required on road courses, versus carbon fiber on ovals. Together with the rest of the road course package, that added around 75 pounds to the minimum weight in the past.Let's see Mrs Hospenthal sitting at the table having a big slab of meat, a baked potato with all the fixins, a Bloomin' Onion, and a Chocolate Thunder from Down Under added just for good measure. And let's have her sharing it all with Robbie Gordon.
The IRL will put out something more official, and clearer, in the future, but for now, here is what the 2008 IRL rule book states:
Appendix B, 103, D (page 110/111) - "The Car and Driver together shall have an overall minimum weight to be identified in a bulletin. This Car/Driver weight includes all lubricants and coolants to be used, but does not include fuel. If ballast is utilized, it must be securely bolted in the main chassis structure from a line behind the pedal bulkhead or securely attached within the bellhousing in a position approved by Officials."
Well Robby won that one that's for sure round 2 please.
Have you watched the "banned" GoDaddy.com ad on their website. It is lame. LAME! L-A-M-E.
This will please many, I'm sure. However, there will still be an advantage to the lighter driver as it seems that precise location of the additional ballast weight is not pinned down. This means that the teams will have latitude to place that ballast weight as low in the car as they can, thus lowering the overall center of gravity for the vehicle. Tall drinks of water like TK will still be starting with a slight technical disadvantage. As we've seen over the past few seasons, Danica's weight (or lack thereof) hasn't allowed her to blow away the rest of the field. Far more important is driver and engineering skill.
This new rule appears to be a way of silencing the whiners. If weight was the only issue, then why hasn't Robbie been able to run along with TK and the rest of the top drivers? He's absolutely the man off-road, but I've never been very impressed with his on-road racing.
Gee, I wonder if the media idiots will start slamming the league for being sexist now?