Outspoken NBA Analyst Called Out NASCAR Drivers for Not Deliberately Losing to Danica Patrick & Starting the “Tiger Woods Effect” in 2013

Back in 2013, Danica Patrick made history, as she became the first woman to win the pole in NASCAR. And that win was nowhere other than the iconic Daytona International Speedway. She was on route to becoming the first woman to win the Daytona 500.

However, it was the Seven-Time Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson who eventually took the win. As per Skip Bayless, commentator on the ESPN2 show First Take, there was someone to blame for Danica’s loss and surprisingly, it was not her.

Bayless blamed all the drivers for not helping Danica to win and compared it to Tiger Woods’ actions!

“If I’m another driver, I, thinking the Tiger Woods effect. Tiger Woods elevated golf, and made multi-millionaires of the top-50 golfers, because he put it on the Nashville map.”

“But Danica, if she had won this event, it would be extraordinarily beneficial to all the other drivers in NASCAR. So, I’m saying, wouldn’t they have discussed that?”

Bayless then spoke with the perspective of a driver, “She’s the pole sitter, so maybe we should give her an equal opportunity here. If she can hang and be third, with 2 laps to go. One of us should step up and say, ‘Here, let me help you.”

Read More: Danica Patrick Shares the Fact Which Is “The Only Way to Get There”

Unfortunately, Patrick didn’t exactly find much success in the race.

Did Danica Patrick Missed Out On Leaving Her Mark In The History Of NASCAR?

Patrick won the pole, making history in NASCAR. And she put herself in the perfect position to take the victory and leave her mark in history as the first woman to do so. However, Jimmie Johnson took that away from her.

She couldn’t lead the race from the start. Surprisingly, this was the first race as a full-time driver in the Cup Series, and she sure started it at a big high. Although she did not win the race, she finished a respectable P8.

WATCH THIS STORY: Danica Patrick Reveals The Most Common Household Thing She’s Been Avoiding For Years

Even though she didn’t win a race in her Cup Seris career, Patrick did leave her mark on the sport. And her name will be remembered by NASCAR and IndyCar fans for a long time.