IRL notebook
Patrick nearly hits Dixon’s crew in mishap
WATKINS GLEN — “Danica-mania” took on a whole new meaning Sunday during the Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen. It had nothing to do with swimsuits or historic victories. Just ask Scott Dixon’s pit crew.
Danica Patrick was involved in a spectacular pit road accident on lap 41 when she accelerated coming out of her pit stall and flew into the inside pit wall and into the stall of Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi team, nearly striking some of Dixon’s crew who had just serviced Dixon’s car a few seconds earlier.
Following the incident, Patrick immediately threw her hands up in the air and was very apologetic and upset at herself, expressing so on the in-car radio as she sat in the car on pit road.
“Unfortunately during my final pit stop of the day, I hit a tire leaving the pit and the car locked up which caused me to hit the No. 9 pit,” said Patrick. “Fortunately I made no contact with anyone.”
Her Andretti/Green Racing crew replaced the front nose and Patrick returned to finish the event in 14th place. After the race, she went to Dixon’s crew to apologize.
Patrick also was given a drive-thru penalty by IndyCar officials for striking pit road equipment.
Patrick came into the race Sunday fifth in points, 131 behind the leader Dixon but dropped to seventh in the standings, 134 behind Dixon, as the series heads to Nashville next Saturday.
Patrick, who became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series event this past April in Japan, qualified a dismal 14th for Sunday’s race and was never a threat before her pit road jingle.
As she was leaving her pit area after the race on a golf cart Sunday, an adoring small army of fans in the pit grandstands encouraged her.
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Panther Racing features IndyCar Series driver Vitor Meira and is sponsored by the National Guard. Sunday, Meira circled the 3.37-mile road course here with two insignia patches of the 1/108th Aviation Brigade placed in his cockpit.
Following Sunday’s race, the patches will be returned to the brigade in Iraq with a certificate. Meira crashed on lap 40 after being cut off the track in Turn 8 by E. J. Viso. Meira placed 22nd.
Ron Catt, the team manager for Panther Racing had to jump over the wall Sunday and change the inside front tires during pit stops because Paul Sheehan, the team’s usual tire changer did not make the trip to The Glen this weekend due to a stomach illness.
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Justin Wilson, who started second but finished a disappointing 25th in the 26-car field, is scheduled to visit Niagara Falls before heading to Saturday’s race in Nashville.
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There was one lady who came up with a podium finish this weekend here even if it wasn’t Patrick. Ana Beatriz of San Paulo, Brazil, finished third in the second Firestone Indy Lights Corning Duels run here Saturday.
It was the third time she has finished third in this her rookie season with the Firestone Indy Lights Series. She also placed third earlier this year at St. Petersburg, Fla, and Richmond.
Beatriz, who drives for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, placed a solid fourth in the first Corning Duel race run earlier in the day Saturday.
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For the third consecutive year, Hamish Somerville, of West Vancouver British Columbia, took the checkered flag Sunday in the Penn Grade 1 Historic Grand Prix. He drove the 1979 Williams FW07 car, once driven on the Formula 1 circuit many years ago by Alan Jones.
