Danica Patrick Crashes Early In Practice
NASCAR racer, Danica Patrick, is coming off to a bad start at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Friday afternoon. Just three minutes into her opening for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice on the 0.533-mile track, Danica crashed.
According to Yahoo Sports, Danica Patrick was practicing, when Danica lost control of her No. 10 Chevrolet at the exit of Turn 2, veering sharply left. Danica unfortunately included the No. 30 Toyota, and its driver, Parker Kilgerman, in the crash. Nobody was seriously hurt, as Danica and Parker limped back to the garage area.
Danica Patrick’s Stewart-Haas Racing team unloaded its backup car, hoping to get some practice time during the 90-minutes session. Parker Kilgerman’s Swan Racing team worked to repair its entry ahead of Coors Light Pole Qualifying, scheduled for 4:40 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1).
As of now, Danica Patrick ranks 33rd in the Sprint Cup standings heading into the series’ fourth race of the season. Danica’s best finish, of the season so far, was 21st place last weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Danica Patrick’s crash isn’t the only one to occur that day. Justin Allgaier, Kyle Busch, and Greg Biffle crashed into the wall too. All three of them, like Danica, went to backup cars hoping to get some practice time. As per Fox News, Denny Hamlin watched the first fifteen minutes of practice from pit road. He speculated that Danica, and the other racers, crashed because of increased speeds from NASCAR’s new aerodynamic rules. This includes the elimination of the ride-height rules for the front of the car in which there will no longer be a minimum ground clearance between the front splitter and the ground. This is actually good for racers, because a lower car means a faster speed. However, higher speeds can mean less control.
The lack of control showed in the last two races. As reported by The Inquisitr, there was a thirteen-car wreck at the Daytona 500 which caused Danica Patrick to place 40th. However, last week’s wreck with Justin Allgaier was especially frustrating. Damica was able to finish the race, but her 38th-place finish was far from the top 20. If she wants to progress, Danica needs to really step up at the next race.
Danica Patrick did state she hopes her luck turns around. However, with a crash just three minutes into a practice run, Danica’s hopes may not have been answered just yet.
