During a 13-car accident on Lap 145 of Sunday’s Daytona 500, Danica Patrick suffered a bone-jarring impact against the outside wall in the tri-oval, after contact from Aric Almirola’s Ford damaged the right front of her No. 10 Chevrolet and sent it rocketing into the fence.
As heavy as the hit was, Patrick’s feelings may have been hurt more extensively, given that the wreck destroyed a competitive car and robbed her of a chance at a strong finish.
“I think, more than anything, I’m just upset that the GoDaddy car felt really good , and it was the best car I’ve had during Speedweeks,” Patrick said after leaving the infield care center. “It seemed like we could catch whoever, and it seemed like we could move around and move forward at the end of the day.
“I felt like everything was going pretty well, so it’s just upsetting. It’s just the culmination of sitting around all day (during a 6 hour 22 minute rain delay). It’s a bummer, but that’s the excitement of speedway racing—that anything can happen—and it was unfortunate that I was on the short end of the accident.
“But that’s the kind of thing that happens, and I appreciate everyone sticking around and watching, and we’ll go get them at Phoenix.”
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