DEPRECATED

Local Sports

Danica Patrick Confronts Driver for Race Collision

Tools

Danica Patrick Confronts Driver for Race Collision

By Associated Press

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) -- Danica Patrick may be small, but she's not about to back down on the track or off. Patrick, one of two women in Sunday's ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at the Milwaukee Mile, had an on-track collision with the car driven by Dan Wheldon and then made a beeline for the Englishman in the pits after coming back to finish eighth. The incident took place on the 88th of 225 laps, with Patrick, who started 17th in the 18-car field, diving low on the track in an attempt to pass both Wheldon and last week's Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti for fourth place. She got past Franchitti with no problem and appeared close to passing Wheldon when the two cars came together, sending Patrick's car spinning into the infield grass. She made a great save, straightening out her car and getting back on track as the yellow flag came out. The collision bent Patrick's suspension and forced a long pit stop for repairs, costing her a lap that she eventually made up with pit strategy and a timely late caution. Wheldon's car was not damaged and he went on to finish third, behind winner Tony Kanaan and Franchitti. The postrace conversation between Patrick and Wheldon was a pretty one-sided, with Patrick doing most of the talking and eventually giving her rival a light push as she walked away. "I just came up to him, looked up at him, put my arm around him, started walking and said, `What happened. What was that for? Did you not see me? Why didn't you back off?' And he didn't say anything," Patrick explained. "I said, `I was clearly inside you' because I heard him saying in an interview that I wasn't all the way up alongside of him. I'm not sure what is lost in translation there, but I was completely alongside of him. I've made many more passes happen with being less far up in someone. "Then he said, `You can't get caught up in the marbles' and I said, `Well, that's a pass Dan.' I told him, `If you don't think I'm going to remember this, I don't know why you're being like this, but if you don't think I'm going to remember, you're crazy,"' she added. Wheldon didn't see the on-track incident the same way as Patrick. "She obviously thought she was past me," he said. "She wasn't. I've been in this business long enough to know when someone is there and when somebody is not. Maybe it's a bit of inexperience there on her part." As for the postrace confrontation, he said, "She's just feisty. There's a lot of pressure on her because she has not won a race and her teammates are (winning). I think in a situation like that, sometimes you get desperate. ... She's just being Danica. She'll be fine when she calms down." For another amazing story on Danica, click on http://www.todaystmj4.com/bloggers/lanceallan/7837177.html
DEPRECATED