Could the Indianapolis 500 be the cure for what has ailed Danica Patrick during the early stages of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series championship?
The series’ biggest star is hoping that will be the case on May 30. Patrick finds herself 16th in the standings after gaining just one top-10 finish in the season’s first five events (seventh at St. Petersburg, Fla.), but now heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a place that has treated her well. Last year’s running of the ‘500’ saw her claim third place behind Dan Wheldon and winner Helio Castroneves, and during her Indy career, she’s claimed two top-5 and four top-10 finishes.
However, her quiet start to the season may be raising questions about whether or not her part-time obligations in the NASCAR Nationwide Series is having a negative effect on her IndyCar efforts. In a media teleconference yesterday, she tried to shoot down that argument.
“I think that’s just a really easy thing to look at, an easy thing to point to and an easy excuse,” said Patrick. “I don’t think there’s anything to it. I keep going back to in the old days, race car drivers drove all kinds of race cars and nobody thought it took anything away. In fact, it should be adding. It’s just an unfortunate situation and there’s no other answer.”
Poor qualifying has been a common thread, with Patrick enduring four straight starts outside the top-10 in the quartet of road/street races that began the year. But according to her, bad luck has also played a part.
At the season-opening race in Sao Paulo, she was caught out on track as a massive downpour hit the circuit and subsequently spun out on the slick surface. At Barber and Long Beach, she was unable to make solid progress due to the lack of caution periods. And at Kansas two weeks ago, her car only came to life after she had fallen a lap behind.
“There’s been a series of things that have gone wrong,” she said. “I can’t put my finger exactly on one thing. But, like I said, we’re working through it. We’re just continuing to work really hard. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
The good news for her is that the Andretti Autosport team she’s on is much more competitive than they have been in recent years. A victory from Ryan Hunter-Reay at Long Beach and a podium finish for Tony Kanaan two weeks ago in Kansas has the group riding a nice wave of momentum. But as always, the “Big Two” squads of Target Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske will be their major obstacles at the end of the month.
Kanaan was racey in the Heartland and had one of several game efforts from the AA driver corps. But none of them were able to match the pace of the Ganassi duo of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Patrick conceded that if TCGR can replicate their ability to produce consistent speed lap after lap at Indy, they’ll have an advantage. But she also made sure to note that many, many breaks have to go a driver’s way, too.
“It’s 500 miles of road to cover, pit stops and all kinds of things to cover,” she said. “[The Ganassi team was] strong last year. I think there were maybe some pit stop issues or something. So anything is possible.
“But Ganassi did look pretty strong at Kansas, so we just haven’t had as many ovals to really kind of see how everybody is doing, get a real feel for it. But just like normal, I’m sure them and Penske will be strong.”
Still, she will be a strong contender as well. While she and her team may not quite have the overall speed of their rivals in the “Big Two,” they know that maintaining an even keel throughout race day can help them be in position to win as the final laps wind down.
“I guess all I can say is I think it’s important to be patient,” said Patrick about how to attack Indy. “I think it’s important to be fast and be on a good team. I think it’s important to really stay level-headed. It’s the longest race of the year. You’ve got to limit your mistakes and be there at the end.”
