NASCAR: Five reasons Danica Patrick leaving Stewart-Haas Racing is the right decision

Wrecks and overall danger

Everyone knows that racing is one of the riskiest sports if not the riskiest sport on the planet. Danica Patrick has had more than her fair share of accidents, and scary ones at that.

While she has had her share of wrecks, she admits that she has been fortunate enough to have not sustained any major injuries in any of those wrecks through 180 career races. But she also accepts the fact that there is a chance that she may not be as fortunate in the future.

Here is the scary wreck just over four months ago in May that took place at Kansas Speedway that caused her to bring this up. Her car was destroyed, in the wreck (see slide images), but she was able to walk away with no major injuries.

However, Aric Almirola, who was one of the other two drivers involved in the wreck, was not as fortunate, as he suffered a compression fracture to his T5 vertebra, an injury that sidelined him for seven races this season.

Wrecks can and do happen to anyone and everyone. But as of now, Patrick’s DNF total is tied for the second-highest among all full-time drivers this season with seven. That total is good enough for her highest career total ever. In fact, her wreck at Michigan earlier this season in just the 15th race of the season caused her sixth DNF of the season, which surpassed her previous career-high DNF total of five in 2013.

Patrick isn’t exactly reckless driver that takes herself out of these races by any means. But seeing as how most if not all injuries in racing come as a result of wrecks, it really doesn’t matter who is causing the wrecks that drivers are in. At the end of the day, a wreck is a wreck, and those involved may or may not be injured regardless of whether or not they started the wreck. There will always be danger in racing, even for the best drivers.