Just one week after becoming the first woman to lead the Daytona 500, Danica Patrick had to drop out of Sunday's Phoenix NASCAR race after a hard encounter with the wall.
Struggling in the mid-pack all through the race, Patrick eventually blew a tire on lap 185 (out of 316) and smashed into wall, damaging its No.10 Chevrolet SS car almost beyond recognition.
Fortunately, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver got off without any injuries, but had to settle without any points Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway.
"Thank God for safer barriers. I'm glad I didn't drive in the days without them, because they're very important," Patrick said. "Anytime you have a tire blow, you're at full speed when it happens. You don't anticipate, you don't slide very much, there's no way to slow the car down. They always feel pretty big, and whenever they go in head-first, they feel even bigger."
The race was eventually won by Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing, who completed the event in three hours at an average speed of 105 MPH.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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