Martinsville Speedway was not the site of Danica Patrick’s best finish of the season. That, of course, was the season opening Daytona 500. The spring race at Martinsville, however, was the site of her most impressive performance.
When Patrick sat on the pole at Daytona, her critics instantly began saying “Well anybody can qualify at Daytona”. After she stayed near the front for most of the day and finished a very respectable eighth, the critics continued, “Well, it’s Daytona, anyone can run well at restrictor plate tracks”.
The flat half-mile paperclip, has been referred to by many drivers all week as the toughest track on the schedule. In the STP Gas Booster 500 earlier this season, Patrick qualified a dismal 32nd. Qualifying has not been her strong suit. She followed that up with a very impressive run in the race, however.
Patrick fought her way through the field into the top-15. She then got involved in a spin and had to restart at the near the rear of the field. She started the process again, fighting her way back to the front and into the top-10, accomplishing the feat not only once, but twice.
She appeared well on her way to a top-10 finish until some late race beating and banging with Brian Vickers bumped her just outside the top-10 finishing 12th. Funny, we didn’t hear the critics praising her for her good performance.
Patrick’s run at Martinsville was very impressive, especially for a rookie. That is one thing we all seem to forget in regards to her – she is a rookie. Many of the top drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series had less than stellar years in their rookie season. Patrick’s is no different.
She has also torn up several racecars this season, but, so did four-time series champion, Jeff Gordon. Also, let’s not forget the rookie year for Tim Richmond, he hit everything but the pace car! Let’s at least give her the opportunity to learn before we rule her out as someone who will never make it in this series.
While Patrick may not contend for the win in Sunday’s Goody’s 500, she may very well find herself in the top-10. When all the drivers a person races against every week, point out how tough a track is, hopefully, they will respect the results a driver get at that track. If Patrick repeats her success this weekend, it will be interesting to see if the critics step-up and give her credit for a job well done.
Brake, screech, spin, bam = Backup Car.