NASCAR driver Danica Patrick had to start from scratch when she transitioned from the Indy series in 2012. She is slowly but surely gaining the skills necessary to compete at that level. So much so that she was actually expected to be a contender at the Coke 600 Saturday night. But a blown engine meant Patrick failed to even finish the race.
Despite high expectations for this race, Patrick had car trouble and was forced to exit early (via USA Today):
"Patrick hadn't been headed for a very good night anyway. Her engine began to sound ill roughly 20 laps before the incident and she spent extra time on pit road as the crew tried to diagnose the problem...
"Patrick's engine finally expired on lap 281, when it billowed smoke and dumped oil all over the frontstretch...
"[Said Patrick] 'Sorry, guys. Definitely not what we wanted, but we did some good things this weekend.'"
The poor performance actually came by surprise as analysts were looking for Danica to at least gun for her first victory. She has shown steady improvement this year by all accounts (via USA Today):
"If anything, her excellent qualifying effort (she also was fastest in the second round of knockout qualifying) embodied Patrick's improvement this season...
"It remains to be seen whether all that will translate into results. But Patrick's style - she's known for taking good care of her equipment and running a steady race - could serve her well in NASCAR's longest event, where attrition is often a factor."
As young and talented as Patrick is, it's just a matter of time before she starts winning races. The fact that she is starting to get more ink for her driving than her gender is a good sign. The boys of NASCAR better start watching their backs.
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