Was a Danica Protest Held?

26th July 2005

Was a Danica Protest Held?

posted in Commentary, IRL |

Andretti Green Racing will hold an emergency meeting with IRL bosses this week after all four of the team’s driver boycotted last weekend’s official autograph session - because Danica Patrick was given a separate queue for the second time this season.

As Autosport is a paid subscription site the only section available is the quoted section above. I also have not found another reference to this story on other media outlets as yet.

If this report is correct I say the [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/irl.png]IndyCar[/avatar] drivers, and more specificly the AGR Team, are flat out wrong.

I fail to see a problem. If the attraction is so strong for Danica Patrick’s autograph wouldn’t it be to everyone’s benefit, both drivers and fans, to separate those wanting Patrick’s scribble from the rest of the drivers? The line for AGR Team drivers would move along faster and benefit all concerned. The same can be said about those desiring only Patrick’s autograph.

Shorter lines means less wait, a win, win situation as far as I can see. I have a feeling this story will be updated as the story migrates to more media resources. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: There seems to be a little fire where this smoke is. This quote is from the moderator in the weekly [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/irl.png]IndyCar[/avatar] teleconference:

MODERATOR: I do have an announcement. I would like to ask the members of the media, that you do not ask questions of Dan [Wheldon] about the Milwaukee autograph session. The team has requested that questions about that matter go through Andretti Green Racing, their PR person, Al Larson. We’d ask you to contact Al on that matter.

And the plot thickens!

UPDATE II:Based on this USA Today report there is apparently a re-think by the big-wigs at Andretti Green Racing.

Andretti Green Racing drivers will attend a mandatory autograph session around Sunday’s IRL race at Brooklyn, Mich., one week after boycotting an appearance near Milwaukee because organizers set up a separate waiting line for popular rookie Danica Patrick, the series’ only female driver.

IndyCar Series points leader Dan Wheldon, who missed the session along with teammates Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and reigning series champion Tony Kanaan, promised Tuesday that all four would participate in Friday’s event in Jackson, Mich. But he stressed that last week’s decision to boycott Milwaukee was made by AGR co-owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree.

The picture gets a little clearer. At least we know who instigated the boycott in Milwaukee but no reasons were given as to why it occured.

On a side note, I e-mailed AGR’s PR. contact Al Larson asking for a statement to be published here, as yet I have not received word from him. He did issue this statement to USA Today: “The misconception is that we have a problem with Danica Patrick, and it’s not about Danica,” AGR spokesman Al Larsen said. “Beyond that I don’t want to say too much. But we like where it’s going. Our drivers did not make that call.”

If the boycott was called by team owners and it isn’t “about Danica” what is it about? Was the placement given to Patrick a hinderance to those that wanted AGR Team drivers autographs? Was the space allotted larger? Who the hell knows?!

As it stands I’m sticking by my original assessment, I see no valid excuse for a boycott over separate tables used during the autograph sessions. It makes even less sense when you consider Patrick isn’t a member of the AGR team.

UPDATE III: Here is a little more to add via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal newspaper (free reg req’d)

The team’s issue is not with Patrick but with the format of the session, an Andretti Green spokesman said.

Having separate lines leaves the impression that there are two classes of drivers, and the team apparently was concerned that the series is not doing enough to turn Patrick’s new fans into fans of the sport.

The team co-owners stated they were concerned about how Patrick was being marketed in relation to a perceived slight the other series drivers have gotten. The impression I get is their main complaint is strictly marketing and not Patrick per se.

Fine, I can understand that and in no position to judge one way or the other whether they are correct. But I do have a simple question. If the concern is “marketing” series participants other than Danica Patrick, just how much did they gain in public relations by withholding AGR team drivers from the session? Whether legit or not a more adult method to voice their concerns should have been used. It should also be noted the story points out “No one complained they couldn’t get an Andretti Green autograph,” said Jim Tretow, the track’s public relations director.

So where’s the problem? I still have a few more sources to check but have little time at the moment. More later.

UPDATE IV: As per my last post in the comment section I didn’t think I would be adding to this story. The officials of [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/irl.png]IndyCar[/avatar] have seen fit to make it newsworthy again. They have decided a financial penalty to Andretti Green Racing is the correct response to their action in Milwaukee last weekend.

AGR was penalized for violating Section 7.1 (B) of the IndyCar Series Rule Book (Additional Driver Activities) which states:

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 26th, 2005 at 11:29 am and is filed under Commentary, IRL. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On July 27th, 2005, Lew said:#

How many times will the word “boycott” be associated to the IRL? I am not certain what the real issue is in this case, but to continue to boycott seems so childish. If it’s not this, then it’s Michelin. If it’s not Michelin, it’s boycotting Texas Motor Speedway because the track is too fast. I am a Nascar fan and have tried to get into IRL this year mainly because of Patrick. If the other drivers are so short-sighted that they can’t ride the wave of the Patrick publicity, then so be it.

Reminds me of one of my ex-wives. She would try her type of “boycotting” if she didn’t get her way, if you know what I mean, and I divorced her.

Lew

posted on July 27th, 2005 at 8:15 pm

2 On July 27th, 2005, Marc said:#

Your comment is worth a laugh or two Lew. I had the same problem with my first wife but she added to her “boycott” by not cleaning the house. Needless to say she was quickly shown the door. So quick in fact she probably still has the doorknob embedded in her backside 20 years later!

I still haven’t figured out what the deal is with the AGR nonsense. I still have not heard from AGR’s pr guy Al Larson, not that I expected to. Heaven forbid a high stepping pr guy address an issue with a lowly blogger.

At the moment I tend to believe the AGR co-owners, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree, both made a serious error in judgement and got pulled up by their short hairs by the IRL officials.

posted on July 27th, 2005 at 8:40 pm

3 On July 28th, 2005, Carrie said:#

Put yourself in the shoes of every other driver in the IRL when they were relegated to the status of ‘Other Driver’ as they were during the autograph session. Put yourself in the shoes of the fans that weren’t given the same courtesy as the Danica fans, who were given a beeline straight to their driver. Maybe you’ll understand the boycott of the session then?

Aside from that, anyone that wanted to meet AGR was able to do so at their merchandise trailer. Their placards were removed from the official session and fans were told where Bryan, Dario, Tony and Dan could be met. They even accepted the fans without the wristbands from the official session. It’s not like they dissed their fans in any way.

I just find it funny that the only person who doesn’t seem to be upset about the boycott is Danica herself. She’s even said she completely understands where they were coming from at Milwaukee.

posted on July 28th, 2005 at 6:30 am

4 On July 28th, 2005, Marc said:#

Hi Carrie, long time no see!

As yet I have no idea precisely what happened at Milwaukee other than a protest was held by AGR and started by the co-owners. You have stated facts I have not read anywhere. If you could point me in the direction of the articles you have seen and AGR’s pr guy won’t “lower” himself to answer an email from a poor little blogger.

I will say this based on what you have noted. If AGR removed the placards and directed fans to the team trailer I still don’t see a problem (unless it was far away which I doubt), at least not one that warrants a boycott. Sure in may have caused a few fans to bypass getting the scribble of the AGR drivers but that calls into question how interested they were in the first place.

As I said my thoughts on the subject are based on what little has been in the press and would appreciate any links to other stories you may have seen.

posted on July 28th, 2005 at 8:52 am

5 On July 28th, 2005, Carrie said:#

Well I suppose the word boycott depends on your definition. They boycotted the official session and held their own at a venue of their own choosing and under circumstances of their choosing. Does that necessarily constitute a boycott? I don’t know. The IRL looked at it as a boycott because it is something that is mandatory for the drivers.

I’ve never been to an IRL official session. Never been lucky enough to get those coveted wristbands. However, several fans that I talk to on a regular basis have been to sessions on different occassions. They’ve waited in long, multi-fandom lines, even before Danica was on the scene, and not gotten the autographs they wanted because of this. Now I suppose you can look at the separate line issue as a convenience but 1) the handling was completely disrespectful and 2) everyone else was forced to wait in a multi-fandom line except the Danica fans. It’s as if they were saying, “You don’t love Danica so we don’t love you.”

My friend that wanted to meet Danica and Patrick Carpentier (among others) was forced to choose because she knew there was no way she’d get through the Danica line even with enough time to meet Danica.

If they wanted to be fair to everyone, they should have had separate lines for everyone or do like NASCAR does and let each team handle their own deals.

As far as Al not emailing you, don’t you think he might be a tad busy now what with Jim Rome, Howard Stern and a bunch of other know-nothing idiots reaming his guys on a situation they know zero about? Sad to say it but people that actually know what they are talking about only count when they have a TV show or radio show or something to broadcast their opinions. People that know what they are talking about don’t tend to get their own TV shows either.

Here is Curt Cavin’s original article that broke the story that mentions the AGR guys having their own session.

AGR stages protest

I don’t have the time right now (damn work expecting me to actually work) but I’ll find the article where Danica says that she knows the other guys just want it to be fair and link you to that later as well as a couple others that saw blatant disrespect in the handling of the session.

In the end, if you haven’t seen what has been going on with the situation from glasses that aren’t Danica-tinted all along, the session boycott seems to be an extreme overreaction and, honestly, it was more like the straw that broke the camel’s back. The IRL’s handling of the whole season has done nothing but piss me off so I can imagine how on edge the guys are.

I’ll hit you again later.

posted on July 28th, 2005 at 9:34 pm

6 On July 28th, 2005, Carrie said:#

Oops btw I think that it’s the other way around about who has who by the short hairs in this situation. You think the IRL wants 16% of their already small field pissed at them? So far no fines have been levied for a situation that would normally warrant it, so I think we know who really has who by the short hairs.

posted on July 28th, 2005 at 9:36 pm

7 On July 29th, 2005, Carrie said:#

Patrick on Tuesday downplayed the controversy and said she didn’t sense a rising tide of jealousy among the other drivers because of all the media attention directed toward her.

“I think, for the most part, everybody just wants it to be fair,” Patrick said. “I have nothing against the guys.”

posted on July 29th, 2005 at 12:05 am

8 On July 29th, 2005, Marc said:#

Thanks for the links Carrie. I had already tacked down the Indy Star link but haven’t had the time to update the post.

As it stands it looks more like a media circus than anything between AGR, Danica or the IRL. There is no doubt with the massive amount of extra media due to “Danica-mania” the IRL and the individual tracks are fighting a hard battle to please everyone.

Unless someone issues some stupid quote related to the story I won’t waste too much more time on it. And what to hell is HOWARD STERN bloviating about auto racing for !!!!

Oh wait… she is pretty, posed in a bikini, and he has probably used her as a vehicle for a thousand, “she MUST be a lesbian jokes!”

Never mind I understand now.

posted on July 29th, 2005 at 10:59 am

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