Memorial Day weekend may be full of traveling and vacations, but for some, it’s all about the popular Indy 500 race. This year was Danica Patrick’s final Indy 500 race before retirement. Patrick was in 17th place when she crashed. Yahoo! Sports reports Danica Patrick later said she was not sure what happened and was disappointed in the end result. Patrick initially left her mark in 2005, when she became the first women to lead laps at this race. She ended up leading 19 total laps and ended up in fourth place.
Danica Patrick's success has been a roller coaster ride
Prior to this year’s race, Patrick had secured six top-10 finishes in her previous seven Indy 500 starts. This year, she ended up outside the top 10 for most of the race. She was struggling with the handling of her car. At the end of the 2017 NASCAR season, Patrick ended her partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick said her final races would be the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500.
Danica Patrick's #Indy500 career ends with this crash on Lap 68. pic.twitter.com/5hvWMtfHLj
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 27, 2018
During the Daytona 500, Patrick ended up crashing just past the halfway mark. Patrick also struggled at the 2017 finale at Homestead, where she also ended up crashing, leaving her car on fire.
That crash was Patrick’s 10th race-ending crash of the season.
Danica Patrick cements herself in the history books
Despite her struggles, Patrick’s success with IndyCar means she’s definitely one of the greatest female drivers in American motorsports. Danica ended up in the top 10 in only seven of her nearly 200 Cup Series starts.
Patrick’s father T.J. said having her final race be at Indianapolis was appropriate because it was where she started out as a rookie. Danica Patrick told CBS News that her best memory was her first Indy 500 race in 2005. Danica has become one of the most polarizing racers in recent years after moving from IndyCar to NASCAR.
Danica Patrick failed to reach the top. Fans surrounded her looking for autographs as her career was nearing the end. Patrick’s crew believes that the soaring temperatures and her car’s new body made the car more difficult to drive. As she finished the race, Patrick has said she has no regrets and doesn’t believe she will make a surprise return in the future. She wants to spend time with her family and growing business empire. She said that while the results were a disaster, she knew no matter the result people, would always remember her, and everything in between would be part of her big story in auto racing.