IRL Driver Says Danica Patrick’s Success May Be Menstrual

By Mark Hoerrner

Ed Carpenter, stepson of Indy Racing League CEO Tony George, made allegations that fellow female driver Danica Patrick may be a tougher competitor during ‘the right time of the month.’

After commenting yesterday about Patrick on WGFX-FM in Nashville, Tenn., Carpenter later said he was trying to be complimentary when he used a stereotype to describe his female colleague.

"I think Danica’s pretty aggressive in our cars," Carpenter said. "I mean, you know especially if you catch her at the right time of the month, she might be trading plenty of paint out there, but I think she'll hold her own. Who she's going to drive for is hard to say. I don't think she's leaving, so we'll see."

"It's obvious when you're around her, she's very competitive," he told the Associated Press afterward. "I think she has goals that she hasn't accomplished yet in the IRL Indy cars. That's going to want to make her stay."

Patrick said she was amused by the hormonal insinuations made by Carpenter, who trails her by four slots in the Indy point standings.

"That sounds like a good joke to me," Patrick said backstage at the ESPYs where she was on duty as a presenter. "No big deal. Ed is a really nice guy. There’s no drama here. I think it’s funny. I’m glad he’s showing some personality."

Holding the premier driver spot on the Rahal-Letterman team, Patrick is still considering a switch to the NASCAR Series. Her IRL contract will terminate at the end of this season and she’s considered NASCAR as a new frontier in racing. Her father, who is also her agent, was a guest of Roush Racing last weekend at the Nextel Cup Series, but insider reports say that this was not a serious meeting and that "high-level" Roush execs were not involved.

"My priorities haven't changed," Patrick said in an interview with USA Today. "I still want to be a winning IndyCar driver. If I'm given an opportunity to drive for an IndyCar team and win races, I'm going to do it."

"It would be silly of me being my contract year not to look at all my options," Patrick told the Associated Press in Los Angeles. "My interest level right now is not really high, it’s a little there just because it’s racing. The (NASCAR) schedule is sort of unfathomable."