Ramenth:
While she is more than a little annoying, and does play up the cheesecake angle far too much, it should be remembered that she was in Indycar before coming to Nascar. In Indycar, she actually did win a race, and actually did finish fifth in points one year. Nascar is NOT the be all and end all of racing; she has done well in Indycar; and while she may not be the fastest driver, she is a legitimate driver, and does have ability. She is part of the Tony Steward race team, and out qualified her team mates to end up with the pole, and her teammates are not exactly inexperienced or untalented.
Most of the photo shoots were in the off season, not during the race season, and happened while she was running in Indycar.
Look how much Juan Pablo Montoya has accomplished in Nascar, in comparison to his success in Indycar and Formula 1. Nowhere near as impressive. Seems like the open wheel drivers (with a few exceptions) have a hard time making the transition to Nascar stockers, and it isn't based on gender or effort. Tony Stewart chose to sign her, and while the press coverage will be good for the team, if she were a no talent, Stewart probably wouldn't have signed her.
I don't know if she will win a Nascar race, ever be in the points championship race, or even win another pole, but I do think she is a legitimate driver and has every right to be in Nascar, or whatever series she races in. The Kardashians (and Paris Hilton, and....) references are out of line; the Kardashians are for all intents and purposes, useless human beings. Patrick has had some racing success, and has just won a Nascar pole. World of difference.
Kostas