IndyCar
IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon called Danica Patrick ”a menace” on the track and questioned her decisions behind the wheel following the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway.
Danica Patrick is the best-known driver in the IndyCar Series, and she erased any doubt that she belongs when in April she became the first woman in history to win a major open-wheel race.
“She’s lucky that’s all she got man,” Dixon said when asked about what he perceived was a near brush with trouble by Patrick during the race. “She’s a menace man.”
Another driver voiced similar concerns about Andretti Green Racing’s Patrick, one of the biggest names and faces in the sport who won her first Indy Racing League championship in Japan earlier this season.
Ed Carpenter, of Vision Racing, hit the wall in Turn 2 of Lap 39 to create the race’s first yellow flag.
Carpenter left under his own power, but was not able to continue in the race. His wreck was not believed to be directly related to any interaction with Patrick — even though Carpenter expressed strong opinions about Patrick later.
“I just started working with my car, working towards the front but Danica was doing her normal supreme block job,” Carpenter said. “She is the new Scott Sharp of the series as far as I am concerned. That is two races in a row.”
Two weeks ago at the Bombardier Learjet 550 in Fort Worth, Carpenter finished ninth — one spot in front of Patrick.
Her popularity with the fans, however, hasn’t been shared by her fellow drivers of late. After last week’s race in Iowa, Scott Dixon called her “a menace,” and Ed Carpenter referred to her “normal supreme block job” in suggesting that Patrick’s blocking style hampered his finish.
“I don’t really know where those comments came from,” Patrick said Thursday at Richmond International Raceway, the site of Saturday night’s SunTrust 300 IndyCar race.
Patrick’s style was further brought under scrutiny Wednesday when Brian Barnhart, the IndyCar Series’ president of competition and operations, said she needs to continue treating her fellow competitors with respect or risk losing their respect because of her driving style.
Asked to respond to competitors’ objections to her aggressive style and unwillingness to give up track position, she said she’s doing her job.
“All I can say is with the words you used — aggressive and giving up spots — those are things that drivers never do,” she said.
“As a driver, I’m always trying to be aggressive,” Patrick said. “It’s every driver’s responsibility to hang on to as many positions as they can — of course, while not crashing or being penalized.”
Officials found no reason to penalize Patrick at Iowa when Vision Racing complained about her driving. Still, Brian Barnhart, president of IRL competition and operations, said Patrick needs to be more careful in keeping the respect she has earned.
“In an ideal world, I would win over everyone’s heart and be tough on the track and have great finishes,” Patrick said. “But, at the end of the day, there’s nothing I can do about those emotions and there is nothing I can do about negative comments.”
Patrick finished sixth at Iowa, two spots behind Dixon, and said she was particularly perplexed by his remarks since she was only aware of him being behind her on the last restart, “and he flew by me,” she said.
