Indy 500: IndyCar cannot afford a Danica Patrick victory
By Asher Fair
Danica Patrick returning vs. Danica Patrick winning
The fact that Danica Patrick is returning to the Indianapolis 500 for the final race of her professional career is great news for IndyCar on many levels, as her amazing popularity and the fans that she has that come with that amazing popularity provide a huge boost to the sport as a whole.
This popularity boost was seen clearly throughout all seven seasons of her full-time career in IndyCar and throughout her time as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for one season in the and the NASCAR Cup Series for five seasons.
However, Patrick actually winning this year’s Indy 500 would do damage to the sport. Here’s why.
Patrick was moderately successful in IndyCar, so it would not be shocking to see her do well in the race even after seven years away. In 115 career IndyCar starts, she won one race and finished on the podium seven times.
In seven career seasons, she finished in the top 10 in the championship standings six times, and in seven career Indy 500 starts, she also finished in the top 10 six times. She never finished outside of the top 10 when she actually finished the race. Her career-high finish in the standings was 5th place in 2009, and her career-high Indy 500 finish was 3rd in 2009.
However, as referenced above, she hasn’t driven in IndyCar in seven years. In her 191 career Cup Series starts, which all took place since she left IndyCar, she finished no higher than 6th place in a single race, and she recorded just seven top 10 finishes. Her best finishes in the championship standings were 24th place finishes in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.