NASCAR Daytona 500 News: Danica Patrick Car Crashes in Daytona 500 Practice
DAYTONA BEACH--Danica Patrick's car crashed with four others while in practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at the Daytona International Circuit.
Patrick was completing the second lap of her run when Denny Hamlin tried to overtake her at the middle, also locking horns with Casey Mears. Patrick's car then hit the wall and stopped into the grass with damage on the front. Michael Annett and Jeb Burton also got involved in the incident with both their cars also damaged.
Patrick left the infield care center without any injury, but she expressed dismay after her No. 10 Chevrolet got damaged in the incident.
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"I'm obviously disappointed and I know that it was a good car and it's never a good thing to crash. But, I was just riding along and it turned, so it's the nature of pack racing and that's what makes it challenging, too. Sometimes there's not much you can do about it," she said during the interview.
However, she also admitted that crashes often happen in her chosen sports career.
She continued, "But that's just group racing at Daytona. That's the gamble that we all face. That's what makes it exciting and very frustrating. So, we knew we were going to have to run hard in the Duels no matter what, and that just doesn't change."
On the other hand, Hamlin, who continued on as his car only had a minor hit, admitted that the multi-car crash was partly his fault too.
He said, "I went through the middle and it was really wide -- it just closed as soon as I had already got inside of her and the lane closed. It knocked me into [Mears' car] and we had some attrition after that."
Patrick, once a pole starter in the Daytona 500, will now have to start at the back in the qualifier on Thursday, where a spot in the said race on Sunday is at stake.
