Women in IndyCar racing is the hottest new trend on the racing circuit, but looks alone don’t get female drivers too far without due talent to back it up. Danica Patrick paved the way in the IRL for women drivers when she made her grand arrival onto the IndyCar scene in 2005, and while Patrick has proven she’s good enough to run with the big boys, Venezuelan beauty Milka Duno has not.

Following the Honda Indy Edmonton race on July 25, IndyCar has had enough of Duno’s lag on the racetrack. The IZOD IndyCar Series sanctioning committee has placed the Venezuelan driver on probation through December for failing to meet minimal performance standards, giving her one last chance to get up to speed or get out of the way.

Though she can still contest the penalty, Duno will have only a few more months to meet performance standards she hasn’t recently been up to par with. These include measures of time on road/street courses (107 percent of the lead car) and speed on oval courses (10 mph of the lead car).

Milka Duno is the consistent bottom feeder in the IRL, but her sponsorship backing brings in enough money for her team at Dale Coyne Racing that she’s been able to squeak by without many problems thus far. She’s also been a top seller of Indy Racing League (IRL) tickets this year, no prescription cialis generic matter her on-track woes.

Issues have recently arisen with other drivers, however, as several IRL racers see Duno as an on-track obstacle and hazard instead of a competitor. Duno has been criticized by drivers – most vocally Danica Patrick – for a couple years now. The most famous incident between the two ladies of IndyCar racing occurred in 2008 at Mid-Ohio, where Duno blocked Patrick during practice. The hot-tempered Patrick confronted Duno afterward and the two got in a cat fight, further illuminating the problem.

Jump forward two years and the same problem has occurred in the pits at the recent Watkins Glen International – though without the thrown towels and curse words this time around. Ryan Hunter-Reay had a similar problem as Danica Patrick with Duno at the Watkins Glen race in early July when Duno got in his way during qualifying, knocking his shot at the pole. Confronting the Venezuelan – who apologized this time – Hunter-Reay later told The Canadian Press, “If she’s going to drive in this series, she’s going to have to drive with her mirrors. There are 15 turns on this course and she’s the 16th.”

Duno’s recent lackluster performances and tiff with Ryan Hunter-Reay caused IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard to evaluate the situation after Watkins Glen, leading him to place Duno on probation. Bernard told Yahoo! Sports, “I’m going to get myself in trouble on this one, but I’m going to tell you. It’s very, very important for the credibility of the IndyCar Series that fans know they’re (the drivers) the best in the world. And if someone can’t maintain and compete with that, I really think that’s what we have a ladder system for.”

Will Milka Duno be booted down a series or even forced off the IRL scene or will she rally and make a comeback before the end of the season? It’s all to come as the rest of the 2010 racing season plays out.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Indy Racing League (IRL) tickets, other sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.

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