Sun May 30, 2010 8:03 pm EDT
A decent day gets a little less decent for Danica Patrick

By Jay Busbee


WTF.......I don't know why they don't like me ? Guess it's because
I'm so beautiful, and everyone is jealous : ) Congrat's `Brittany on your MOTM Win : ) Love `Danica : )
It wasn't the best of weeks at Indy for Danica Patrick, who is always a lightning rod for controversy. This week marked the first time she was actively booed following comments in which she appeared to criticize her team for her car's poor performance.
At Sunday's Indy 500, Danica was running solidly just outside the top 10 when everyone started gambling with fuel mileage. The late caution, thanks to a dramatic wreck, robbed the race of any finish-line drama it may have had, but it also caused a bit of confusion in placement.
After video review, IndyCar officials determined that three cars, including Patrick, illegally passed Marco Andretti after the caution flag flew on lap 199. So they brought Andretti up to third and bumped Alex Lloyd, Scott Dixon and Danica down one spot apiece.
The decision came more than two hours after the race concluded. Alex Lloyd's team said they had no plans to protest the reworked finishing order; no word yet from the other teams.
[Photos: View a slideshow of Danica Patrick in action.]
Still, though it may turn the stomachs of hardcore race fans, most eyes that turn to Indy turn to Danica. And she learned from her earlier comments, laying all praise at the feet of her crew:
"I’m very happy with the result, and the reason we got it were that our pit stops rocked and we had a perfect strategy," Patrick said. "I focused on making sure I lifted [off the gas] and got a tow from other cars to save fuel as the laps were winding down. I’m really glad the yellow came out at the end, because we were cutting it real close on fuel. That’s the roll of the dice and the team did a perfect job."
No, Danica didn't win. But she didn't embarrass herself or her team, either.
Related posts:
Mike Conway's dramatic last-lap Indy 500 flip
Both Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd are fast
Recalling some of the finest moments of Indy 500s past

 

 

Slideshow: Indianapolis 500

 

nice post space

 

aww! nice on the win brit! but i like you danika patrick!!! =]

 

I think Danica might be a little jealous of Brittney's win, but she seems to be handling it as a good sport! Maybe a better sport then SpimEm_90 has been with Danica's success?!?

I thought it was nutty to see Danica bumped to 6th. I read this article previously, but it is the best and only explanation I've read. Nobody cares to describe what was illegal about this pass. I think it sucks because 6th sounds a lot worse then 5th to me...

 

Damn that's so flippin' HOT!!!