Pit road can be a dangerous place during a NASCAR race. Sometimes the danger can be avoidable. Sometimes it can't.

We're not sure where the contact between Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer fits in those categories.

After Kevin Harvick hit the wall and Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski were collected in the aftermath, Patrick and Bowyer both hit pit road. Patrick's team was done pitting her car when she hit the accelerator hard enough for the tires to smoke and the rear of the car to shimmy to the left.

Bowyer, pitted two stalls ahead of Patrick, was still in his stall. As Patrick straightened out her car, she was headed right toward's the right rear of Bowyer's. She mashed the brakes, but not in time to prevent hitting Bowyer's car. A possible reason? Patrick only had fourth gear.

Lap 455: @DanicaPatrick pits for 4 tires & fuel. Only has 4th gear. P18. #godaddyracing — Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) March 17, 2014

Thankfully, all things considered, it could have been much worse, as Patrick had slowed before impact and Bowyer's crew was on the left side of his car.

While the incident hindered each driver's chances, it didn't ruin them. Bowyer finished 15th while Patrick was 18th and a lap down after starting 36th.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg