![\"Danica's](\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Danica-Patrick-Indy-2011-min.jpg\")
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On May 1, Danica Patrick took her first laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since leaving the Verizon IndyCar Series after the 2011 season. Deciding to end her racing career by competing in the biggest stock car race, NASCAR\u2019s Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 this year, Patrick claims this is the close of her motorsports adventure.<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be difficult to see if she actually keeps to that pledge, because racing is an addiction that truly has no cure. Many have tried to walk away; few have succeeded, but Danica Patrick is an exceptionally driven woman who might just be able to kick this habit.<\/p>\n
She won\u2019t fade away until after this year\u2019s 102nd Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, set for May 27, and participated in Tuesday\u2019s refresher course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as she relearned how to drive an open-wheel racecar, having driven in NASCAR\u2019s premier Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since 2013.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the easiest return for the driver who earned rookie honors in her first year at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, 2005, driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and who clinched a third-place result at IMS in 2009, her third year with Andretti Green Racing (now Andretti Autosport).<\/p>\n
These Indy cars don\u2019t have power steering like the NASCAR Cup cars do, and Patrick admitted her workout preparation for the refresher course wasn\u2019t the right regimen. While she wasn\u2019t sure she could tell the difference, initially, between the cars she drove seven years ago and the one she climbed into Tuesday, \u201cMan, that wheel is so heavy. That was my biggest issue, the weight of the wheel and feeling it,\u201d Patrick explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the wheel is heavy, it feels loose so it\u2019s hard to be aggressive with it. I\u2019m stronger than when I was here before, but it is just such a different feel.\u201d There were three drivers taking refresher tests on May 1: Patrick, Sage Karam and Robert Wickens. Karam, who has the most recent experience racing on the 2.5-mile oval, was the better of the trio at 218.600mph, but despite her discomfort, Patrick was just a tick behind at 218.500.<\/p>\n
Returning to the circuit on Wednesday, and surrounded by many other competitors taking advantage of the test, Patrick felt much more comfortable in her Ed Carpenter Racing No. 13 Go Daddy Chevrolet. \u201cToday I wanted to get on with the job and get comfortable, start to feel the car and work through simple changes,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of working on the little feelings I have, as well as trying things because, quite honestly, it feels pretty planted, so it\u2019s just small little changes and kind of feeling how the tires go over the course of the 20-some laps.”<\/p>\n
While she didn\u2019t get to run in traffic during her second excursion, \u201cAs far as \u2018towing\u2019 goes, all that stuff I remember. If you can see a car it\u2019s helping you. I never saw a car so [my] speed is legitimate. Then again, seeing a car can definitely upset the car and get you much looser or lighter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patrick, a winner at Twin Ring Motegi in 2008, is reuniting with long-time sponsor Go Daddy, and is driving a bright green car once again. During her testing, she was assisted by Matt Barnes, who had been her engineer at Andretti-Green during her most successful, 2009 season. \u201cMy old engineer Matt ran me today,\u201d she said during her press conference after the refresher course. \u201cHe made it easier to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Patrick\u2019s final NASCAR drive at Daytona International Speedway came together late in the going, this effort at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been a while in planning. \u201cThis is a well thought-out, timed, planned, full-fledged effort,\u201d she said. \u201cDaytona came pretty quick and the team did a great job massaging the car; I felt we were competitive in the race.\u201d Yet she was collected in a typical multi-car bang-up. \u201cI feel it was still a good effort, but this is the one that had more time to go through the details and be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n
With more than 33 cars expected fore the 102nd Indy 500, Danica Patrick will have her work cut out to make the grid in an appropriate position. She\u2019s in it to win it, but only 200 laps will tell if her desires can be a reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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