Danica Patrick Leaves Race Following Unexpected Collision
After receiving backlash last week for cursing some jeering racing fans, Danica Patrick had to face another misfortune in her career yet again. On Sunday, Patrick had to bow out of the FireKeepers Casino 400 after a crash in the remaining laps of the race.
Held at the Michigan International Speedway, the event saw Patrick leave the race following a hard collision with one of the track's infield walls. The unfortunate incident occurred during a restart when another racer, Ryan Blaney, got loose. As the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series field started to get jam-packed, Patrick tried to pick up her pace by making her way to the inmost part of the track. Unfortunately, Darrel Wallace Jr.'s car collided with the rear of Daniel Suarez's vehicle, which led the latter to make a sharp turn and hit Patrick.
Although Patrick did not sustain any injuries during the incident, the events of late have generally been a disaster for the racer. Just a few days before the FireKeepers Casino 400, a fan encounter left her bruised.
Last week, the NASCAR star also admitted that after the qualifying round for the race, she had cursed a fan who was booing her. The video of her confronting the booing fan in Pocono, Pennsylvania, soon went viral.
"In a perfect world, I would have never walked over there and I'd have just kept going. That's mostly what I do, every single day, if someone boos me, is you just keep walking," she said while on a promotional tour in Boston.
Patrick added that it hurts her feelings when she gets booed. "Every now and again, they just catch you in a moment. And I had a moment," she said.
Despite the negative reactions drawn by her fan encounter video, Patrick said the good thing about doing what she does is that she hears people saying that she's an inspiration to them. After the booing incident, Patrick visited the Warren-Prescott School in Charlestown, where dozens approached her for autographs.