Danica Patrick Crash Takes Out Boyfriend During NASCAR Race
Danica Patrick has apologized for a second crash this month after knocking rookie boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. off the track at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Patrick apologized on Sunday after losing control of her vehicle and sliding sideways, striking her boyfriend and fellow racecar driver Travis Kvapil. This is the second time this year that Patrick has been involved in a crash with Stenhouse. Both Patrick, who was making her first attempt as a Sprint Cup driver, and Kvapil parked their damaged cars; Stenhouse waited for repair and finished the race.
"We all bunched up on those restarts, and I'm not sure if I misjudged the braking zone or if they stopped really quick in front of me," Patrick told USA Today. "It felt like they stopped, and I tried to stop myself from getting in the back of anyone, but I got sideways when I did that. It's so unfortunate I took people with me. I'm really sorry."
Patrick said she attempted to avoid the crash, but car congestion on the track prevented her from doing so. In the end, she took full fault.
"In hindsight, you want to give all the room you can so that that kind of thing doesn't happen. There were other restarts, too, where I had gotten the rear wheels locked up trying to slow down in time because we all get so bunched up. Cars were sliding across the front of cars," she said. "But, at the end of the day, it was me who was sideways, so I'm sorry."
Competing in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, Patrick finished in tenth place after losing her lead position during a multi-car crash that occurred just two laps before the finish line.
Patrick opened the race in 11th place but had managed to get as high as second behind winner Jimmie Johnson on lap 108 before the crash occurred. Patrick apologized for her involvement although it was unclear who was at fault.
