Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Danica-mania results in friction between AGR, IRL

Wednesday, July 27, 2005 | 9:16 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Indy Racing League points leader Dan Wheldon was one of four Andretti Green Racing drivers who boycotted an IRL autograph session Saturday in Wisconsin when a different waiting line was created for rookie sensation Danica Patrick.

Wheldon, who won the Indianapolis 500 and three other races this season, insisted Tuesday that he harbors no ill will toward Patrick and was only following team instructions.

Andretti Green Racing personnel reportedly are irked at the way the league has promoted its lone female driver at the expense of other drivers. AGR officials ordered its drivers to skip the session.

"We don't have an issue with Danica at all," AGR co-owner Kevin Savoree told the Indianapolis Star prior to Sunday's race at The Milwaukee Mile. "She's a great young talent and she's proven it every weekend. But we've got some things to talk to the IRL about."

Although he avoided directly addressing the issue of boycotting Saturday's autograph session, Wheldon echoed his boss' sentiments.

"You've got to remember what Danica has done for the sport," Wheldon said. "She was a big part of raising those TV ratings for the Indianapolis 500. What we must remember is the Indianapolis 500 TV ratings as compared to the Coca-Cola 600, which is a big race for NASCAR, and we totally blew those guys away. From that standpoint, you have to be very, very grateful to Danica.

"I will also say the other 32 drivers on that grid that raced in that race put on a show that I really think captured the attention of the media, too. Sure, Danica was in there and doing very well but there was a lot of (passing), a lot of exciting kind of moments captured by ABC and that's not just one person that does that. I think she's also brought a lot more fans to the racetracks and filled those grandstands more and more."

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. I think they recognize the fact that I don't control the autograph sessions. It's out of my hands, really; all I do is show up where I'm supposed to and sign as many autographs as I can."

Patrick said she hopes her fellow drivers realize that any attention directed at the IRL eventually will pay dividends to all its drivers.

"The attention that's happening is good," Patrick said. "I think a lot of people recognize that -- drivers included. The more people that are watching, the better, and this sport will grow.

"Not everybody's going to be a Danica fan so I think as this sport grows, the fan base for each (driver) will grow, too, and I think everybody is excited about that."

MANNING OUT: Darren Manning and Target Chip Ganassi Racing will part ways effective immediately, the IRL team announced Tuesday.

TCGR will head to this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway as a two-car team with drivers Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe.

"Darren did a great job for us and we were very happy to have had him as part of our team," team owner Chip Ganassi said in a prepared statement. "The team does regret that we weren't able to bring him to Victory Circle in our time together, but we certainly wish him the best of luck in his racing career."

Manning was winless in 24 IRL starts for Ganassi and was 13th in points after 10 races this season. Manning's best finish this year was sixth in the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway but he posted a pair of 20th-place finishes in his past two outings. In 24 IRL races, Manning had four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

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