Danica Patrick crashes out of Indy 500, her final professional race

Michelle Martinelli | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Danica Patrick crashes in her final race Danica Patrick crashes in her final Indy 500.

INDIANAPOLIS — The last race of Danica Patrick’s 14-year career behind the wheel ended with a crash, leaving her devastated at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

She had a fast car that she qualified seventh of 33 last weekend, along with high hopes and a real chance to better her career-high third-place finish from 2009. Or even win one of the biggest races in the world.

But in heartbreaking fashion for the 36-year-old driver, her car got loose as she drove through Turn 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on lap 68. She spun out and slammed into the wall as pieces of her bright green No. 13 GoDaddy Chevrolet flew through the air. It was one of several crashes Sunday.

"I'm not sure really what happened," Patrick said to TV reporters after being checked and released from the infield medical center. "It just seemd to come around. I mean, today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race. I'm grateful for all of it. I wish I could have finished stronger.

"I've had a lot of good fortune here and still had some this month. It didn't come on race day, but we had some good moments."

Patrick said she didn’t exactly know how the car got loose in the turn but was having issues with it early in the race.

“Definitely not a great ending,” Patrick said later during her press conference, noticeably choking up as she spoke into the microphone.

“But I kind of said before I came here that I feel like if it’s a complete disaster — complete, as in not in the ballpark at all and look silly — then people may remember that. And if I win, people will remember that. But probably anything in between. (That) might just be a little part of a big story.

“So I kind of feel like that’s how it is. I am appreciative for the fans, for GoDaddy, for Ed Carpenter Racing for giving me a good car.”

This was Patrick’s first race in IndyCar since the 2011 season, after which she made the jump to racing in NASCAR full time. But after a few days of practice, she had a strong qualifying performance and seemed to catch back on quickly.

Despite ending her career with a crash, she made history in IndyCar and in the 500. She was the first woman to win an IndyCar race — the 2008 Indy Japan 300 — and in her first Indy 500 in 2005, she became the first woman to lead laps at the iconic event with 19 out front. She was named Rookie of the Year for that race with her fourth-place finish, and eventually bettered it in 2009 by coming in third.

Not finishing the last race of her career is tough to swallow, but Patrick maintained her composure and walked out of her final press conference with one final quip.

“For sure, I’m very grateful for everybody and for being able to finish it up like I wanted to,” Patrick said about the Danica Double races. “It still was a lot of great moments this month, lot of great moments this year. …

“Thank you, guys. Thank you for everything. I’ll miss you, most of the time. Maybe you’ll miss me just a little bit.”