For rising NASCAR rookie star Danica Patrick, what was a spectacular beginning during one of the biggest races of the year ran into a speedbump on the eve of the Daytona 500 race Sunday.
Patrick, who has generated huge media buzz this week during the race, has apparently been knocked out of Saturday's Nationwide Drive4COPD 300 race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., after an engine failure that she experienced during the race.
While in Turn 3 of the 20-lap race, Patrick's No. 34 Chevrolet racecar suddenly shut off with 17 laps to go.
Patrick pulled the car into the garage and let her crew diagnose the problem, which the engineers theorized could have been a glitch in the ignition system of the car, according to USA Today.
There was a moment, however, when the car was re-fired three times and appeared to have suddenly turned on just fine. Patrick, who was knocked out of the Nationwide race, admitted that she was upset at possibly pulling her car out of the race too early when her pit crew could have fixed it.
"I was pissed," Patrick told ESPN. "I was mad because I thought all I needed to do was switch to ignition switch B, but just before I walked over they said it's something maybe a little bit more with the whole ignition system. It ran on the B switch, but they say that it probably wouldn't have really run like it needed to anyway. So that was me feeling like that car was still able to be out there, so I felt pretty bad."
Otherwise, it looks like barring an unforeseen disaster, Patrick should be ready to go on Sunday for the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's biggest races. Patrick made history last Sunday by becoming the first woman to ever win a pole, and the popular model/racecar driver has been generating speculation that she could be the first woman to actually win the Daytona 500.
Patrick has also come into the spotlight for her romance with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who will also be competing in the Daytona 500.
Despite the problems that she encountered in her car, Patrick said that Saturday's race served as a good barometer for what to expect when she races for history on Sunday.
"There's a lot of Cup guys out there running around, and hopefully it showed my ability to work through traffic and my ability to get to the front. Hopefully that'll help for tomorrow," she said.
Start Time, Date, TV Schedule
The Daytona 500 starts at 1 p.m. EST, Sunday, Feb. 24 on Fox.
Live Stream
For live stream action of the Daytona 500, go to NASCAR's official Raceview page via this link. (Paid Subscription Required)