Nobody Willl Remember Who Won

Walter Hagen, the golf guru, once said that no one will remember who came in second.  

Mrs. Linklater, the asskicking guru, suggests that anyone who saw yesterday's Indy 500 will be hard pressed to remember who won.

Because this was Danica Patrick's race.

She was the first serious female contender with a chance to win the big one at the Brickyard. But at the end of the day her number was four.

Danica was the fourth woman to ever qualify at Indy. She qualified in fourth position -- the first woman to start in such a high position. And she finished fourth -- the highest female finisher ever. Higher than a lot of guys who have been racing at Indy for years it could be pointed out, unnecessarily.

Somewhere a numerologist is having a field day.

She made some rookie mistakes, killing the engine during a pit stop for one. She also lost a front flange after being tapped from behind in what became a multicar wreck, doing a full three sixty before gaining contol of her car again.  

But she made some slick moves, too, working her way back from sixteenth place to slingshot into the lead with 28 laps to go, propelled by the deafening roar of a very supportive crowd of more than one hundred thousand spectators. 

The moment had finally arrived -- a woman was leading the historic race for the first time. She led three times over nineteen laps.

And like Woodstock, the number of people who were actually at the track when it happened will increase exponentially over the years.

With six laps to go Danica was still in first place. But to conserve fuel she had to slow down to insure that she finished. So three other drivers crossed the line ahead of her. Three drivers whose names have already become the answer to a trivia question.

No Danica Patrick didn't win the Indy 500, but she sure won the hearts and minds of racing fans who are ready and waiting for this young woman to take her place in history.  

I wonder what a Danica hat is selling for today on eBay.