After going quite some time without controversy, Indy Car driver Danica Patrick has opened up a treasure chest of gold for her haters. Danica struggled through Indy 500 qualifying averaging just 224.217mph placing her 23rd heading into next weekend’s race. In an interview broadcast over the PA system following her qualifying run, Patrick blamed her car’s setup for the poor performance. The AP says Danica was fighting back tears after the run and you can tell in this Danica Patrick video that she was having a hard time:
Danica was complaining that her car was too loose and the rear tires weren’t gripping the track well:
“I wasn’t flat out the last two laps and I was scared to death flat on the first two,” Patrick said, her words booming out to the sizable Pole Day crowd around the 2.5-mile track. “I’ve never been bad here before. I’ve never been outside the top 10 on a finish or qualifying, so, it’s not my fault. The car is not good.”
In this case I do believe the fans were in the wrong because Patrick wasn’t calling out her team, she was stating facts about her car. Danica definitely needs to get some thicker skin so she doesn’t let fan reaction get to her too much. In several interviews I’ve heard from her she cares way too much about public perception. She needs to disregard what people say and just concentrate on what she does.
Sources:
Danica hears boos after poor qualifying at Indy [AP/FOX Sports]
Danica Patrick Booed, Struggles in Qualifiying at Indianapolis [FanHouse]
