Milka Duno Bests Danica Patrick at ARCA Test

In a stunning display of WTF, the much maligned Milka Duno finished P13 in the Saturday afternoon session of the ARCA test at Daytona.

Milka's top speed was 181.91 mph. She only turned 17 laps on the test. Danica Patrick did 84 total laps and finished P19 with a top speed of 181.554. Leilani Munter was 28th fastest with a top speed of 180.108 and 40 total laps.

As a fan of the underdog, and someone who loves to see long-suffering drivers overcome, I'm happy to give Milka a huge and extended shout out for her performance. We'll see if the racing press will notice on their stampeded to Danica's press conference.

Alli Owens, entering her second year in ARCA, was fastest female on the day , finishing P3 in a Venturini Motorsports sweep of the top three spots.

Comments

[Sue]

Go Milka! And go Alli! And go Leilani!

I am quite sure there will be a variety of excuses (oops - make that reasons) for Danica's underperformance in relation to the overhype. Even though she's supposed to be in a top car, with a top team. Can't wait.

For the first time, Milka and Danica have had equal equipment. Oops - make that equal cars. It's made for an interesting day, for sure.

The best of all the women, though, is Alli Owens. She's the real deal, and has been for quite some time. Hopefully, with all the press in Daytona for the Princess, they will notice that there are other, more deserving women for coverage.

[Nick Kuhar]

Of course the napcar press won't notice. Unless they see the technical advances she brings to the COT. Namely... airbags.

[chunter]

If Milka performs well outside IRL it's damning evidence against her team.

[Dylan]

Um, bad news for you guys. I'm suprised in single car laps Danica wasn't a little faster, but truthfully, at RP races, time on the speedcharts matter very, very little. Often, if you look at practice timecharts during a Restrictor Plate(Daytona/Talladega) practice, the drivers who are fast don't even always make the race.

Also, in drafting practice, time matters very little. What happens during drafting practice, a group of cars line up and exit pit road together, and then run around the track in simulated race conditions.

To be fast at RP races, one of the things that's done is to almost completly tape the grill, and use special oils and stuff to make the car faster, but,they can't be used for very long. Thus, Duno likely did that, while Danica was running for a longer time trying to get track experince.

Duno is likely to be a Start and Parker, so all she needs is speed for qualifying.

[pressdog]

Um, thanks for that Dylan, but it's not fair to ridicule a driver when they are last in a test (which Milka has endured repeatedly) and then talk about how it doesn't really count when that driver does well in a test. I don't think you can have it both ways and be fair. Nobody is saying anything beyond congratulations on doing well in the test. Period. We're not saying she'll dominate races, win Daytona, be Ricki Mears, beat Danica like a rented mule or anything. We're just being happy for her for this one outcome.

[Gary Turkeybaster]

I'd make a joke about making mountains out of molehills, but there's too much potential for it to turn to boob jokes.

[Sue]

Besides, Dylan, you have absolutely no idea if the grill was taped, or special oils were used, or anything. Guess nobody showed Milka the memo that said she wasn't allowed to do well on any racetrack or in any car.

[Tony Johns]

Look, I like Milka. I got to be around her a lot when she was racing prototypes and I think she gets a bum rap, especially from Robin Miller (who's becoming more of a caricature of himself by the day). But I'm just going to be honest here - I've also spent 12 years around stock cars and beating someone in a December test session just isn't that big a deal. It's usually enough for one driver to owe another a beer afterwards if they have a friendly side bet but it's not really a landmark moral victory.

I'll say this - I think Milka is in a MUCH better situation than Danica. She has virtually no pressure, she's with a really good team, and she can go out there and just drive instead of having to carry the torch of being A WOMAN RACE CAR DRIVER. That's what I'm happiest about for Milka, at any rate.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1334491002]

Was there any towel-throwing involved...?

[Dylan]

I still stick by my statement. A test at Daytona is differant story than a test at Sebring, Atlanta, Bristol, Infenion, Barber, Homestead, fontana ect. Daytona is just flat out,even more so than an Indycar at a 1.5 track. The really, really poor car/driver combo's can do well, re: Tommy Bawldwin racing at talladega in the fall. Testing is literally just turning left, particularly in an ARCA car, which is pretty low horsepower. Even Milka shouldn't be scared at that low of speed!

Plus, during a drafting practice, which to be fair would involve more skill, the cars go faster just based off the fact they get into the draft with others.

I'll give her credit for not wrecking, and for being on pace, but I wouldn't consider this an underdog success, either. If she were to win at the race, that would be another story, though.

As for knowing if tape/oil were used on her car, I can't for sure, but I know enough about Stock Car restrictor plate racing/qualifying to believe that is possible, although she might have simply got into a fast draft, either is possible. But, those type of tatics are very common for the back end of the grid, and the fact she ran significantly fewer laps than Danica would lead me to believe that could be the case.

[Dylan]

Braun a good team? How many races did they win last season? Besides JRM is a better team, and Danica will be a major focus for the Hendrick/JRM group. Besides, Braun plans to expand to a four car team, but I think that likely will involve some start and parking.

[pressdog]

I apologize if my 44-word shout out to Milka was way over the top, praise wise. I should have just limited myself to 18 words, I guess. It was just a test, after all.

[rj]

I would personally have not even bothered with 18 words. It's a speed chart at Daytona where how fast you go by yourself is 99% down to the car and engine.

[Sue]

Dylan, Braun Racing's website is www.braunracing.com. It's worth checking out before dissing them. Jason Leffler, who drove for them all year, was 4th in the drivers' championship. Brad Keselowski, of JRM, was 3rd. Not shabby for Braun.

RJ, if it only a speed chart at Daytona, why all the pre-test frothing and press conferences re and with Danica? Obviously it's not just a speed chart for a lot of people, but unfortunately when Milka who is supposed to be a dud on the track actually does well, she gets trashed. And Alli Owens, who really is good and has been for quite a while? The only one mentioning her is Pressdog.

Danica carries the torch of being the WOMAN RACE CAR DRIVER only because she wanted that torch. No one forced it on her, and earlier in her career she consciously cultivated it with a vengence, all the while disregarding all the women who went before and paved the way for her. Now she must live with the consequences. She makes her own bed.

[Tony Johns]

@Sue: The reason everyone's frothing about Danica is because she's a pop culture icon now. Where she finishes is truly irrelevant now.

Alli Owens has gotten a lot of attention where it matters - the ARCA driver paddock. She is earning respect. That the press isn't paying attention to her now is something that will change when they turn laps in anger.

As for Milka, I don't think I'm trashing her by saying that turning a faster speed than Danica in a drafting session is not that big a deal in the grand scheme. When (notice I didn't say "if") she outraces Danica during the race, that event will be the one that gets eyes popping and jaws dropping.

And Dylan, don't think that JRM is a lock for being the better team. JR Motorsports has not historically fared well when faced with intense expectations or media pressure. And don't forget that Braun Racing is a Toyota factory team - that automatically puts them in the top five in the ARCA pecking order.

What this ends up being is a very promising first step for Milka, and it's overdue IMO. And if she can skate into this under everyone's radar, it will make any future victory on the track that much sweeter.

[Dylan]

Really? I'd say that Junior Motorsports actually won races probably puts them ahead of Braun. The only way Milka will outrun Danica is if Danica wrecks, or has a mechanical failure, and thats IF Milka isn't just a start and parker. Using that standard, Milka could outrun Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson too. Ali Owens is impressive, as is Johanna Long, but neither are as ready for the Nationwide series as Danica, and neither can get as good of equipment. But I do hope Milka becomes a NASCAR S&P driver to get her out of the Indycar Series, and hopefully give a driver who can run in the top 15 a chance.

[redd carr]

All this fervor about ARCA testing in December? I suppose this is a good answer to anyone who wondered why DP was moving to Nascar.

[Beachbum]

Perception vs reality. The reality is Milka did a nice job and probably ran better than expected. But the perception that Danica is some kind of Wonder Woman who will save NASCAR seems to force some people to denigrate Milka's performance to support that perception (fantasy).

It is just a test, but a lot is learned from a test. One is that those who have been caught up in the Danica fervor can't allow anyone else to get a well desired compliment. Nice job Milka

[rj]

"if it only a speed chart at Daytona, why all the pre-test frothing and press conferences re and with Danica?"

Because Sue, she can make them lots of money by more people turning up at the track. I'm sorry, the world's not fair, more people in this world care about Danica than Scott Dixon and as long as Dixon has all the personality of a cardboard box that will never change. You're a mature adult, you should learn to deal with it.

[pressdog]

Way to go Milka!

[Luis]

Go Milka Go
No doubt that Milka made a fantastic Job. She drive for first time an stock car and she prove that with only 34 laps, she beats not only Danica, because that you review the time chart, the rest of the drivers in front Milka have a long time racing in stock cars.

[Luis]

No doubt that it is the first time that Milka and Danica have had equal equipment, and the results stay there.
Milka know finish races, remember that she and her team won races in endurance Championships like ALMS and Rolex Series.
Danica was testing in a private test the last week in Disney, the problem that she have a lot people around her that try to sell her like the best woman driver and it is not true.

[S0CSeven]

Same old, same old. A person that drives a bad car for a bad tems must be a crap driver. A person who drives an excellent car for an excellent team (& finishes 5th all the time) must be an outstanding driver.

But when they're finally put in relatively equal cars the cream rises to the top.

Go Milka, you go girl! Make us proud!!

[Dylan]

It's not equal equipment! JRM is a Henrick team! It's an ARCA Car, which means it's incredibly low speed compared to an Indycar, or even a Sprint Cup car, so on a track that's 2.5 miles and banked, I'd hope Milka could sorta keep up. If she could keep up at say, Loudon, that would be a big deal. But it's Daytona, so it's not.

[Sue]

So your comments just reinforce how well Milka is doing, if her car is inferior to Danica's. Maybe you need to reread before you post.

[Dylan]

Maybe not, since it's ARCA! A restictor Plate track equalizes all cars, and really all drivers. Note Brad Keselowski's win at Talladega in the spring.

[Miguel]

I couldn't stop laughing, I love this!

[AZZO45]

Hey Luis... Do you crown a F1 Champion during Winter Testing too?

Not to sound like Allen Iverson or anything... but its PRACTICE, we're talkin' about PRACTICE!! Worked up over PRACTICE!!!

May I suggest we review ALL the driver(& team) performances after an ACTUAL RACE??? How 'bout a series of races... when it actually means something!!!

[software testing services]

It is just a test, but a lot is learned from a test. One is that those who have been caught up in the Danica fervor can't allow anyone else to get a well desired compliment. Nice job Milka