Good day for Danica Patrick cut short in Daytona 500
Danica Patrick didn’t get the finish she wanted in the Daytona 500, but that was about the only thing missing in her Daytona Speedweeks.
Like her Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, Patrick got caught up in one of the many crashes that marred the 59th running of the Daytona 500.
Officially, Patrick was credited with a 33rd-place finish in the 500, which was won by Kurt Busch in another SHR Ford.
But overall, Speedweeks were a big success for Patrick.
One week earlier, she finished fourth in the Advance Auto Parts Clash and in the 500, she ran as high as second place before getting wrecked in an accident not of her doing.
More importantly, until her crash, Patrick was able to keep pace in the draft with her three SHR teammates, something that hasn’t always been the case in her career.
“The Aspen Dental car was really fast today,” said Patrick, who won the Daytona 500 pole as a rookie is 2013. “The Fords were really fast today. We got organized and we were gone!”
All that speed made for a good day until Patrick’s race came to an abrupt halt.
“It was the funnest 500 I’ve ever had,” said Patrick. “Well, probably not 500, more like 300 or 250. It is a real shame. I feel like we could have been a contender at the end, for sure we could have been an influencer.”
