Patrick savoring return to Indy

Charlotte Observer

indianapolis

Her appreciation for Indianapolis Motor Speedway hasn’t changed.

Neither has her desire to win at the iconic track.

The only thing that has changed for Danica Patrick this weekend is her ride.

Even that doesn’t concern the only woman to lead laps in the Indianapolis 500.

“I don’t care what I drive around this track, I just love being here,” said Patrick, who will start her first race today at IMS since leaving the IndyCar Series at the conclusion of last season.

This weekend’s race was somewhat of a surprise as well.

It wasn’t until late last season that NASCAR announced its Nationwide Series would run on the 2.5-mile speedway this year instead of its usual stop at the short track in nearby Clermont, Ind.

Instead of waiting for her debut in the Sprint Cup Series, Patrick got an unexpected early visit to Indianapolis.

“I think the best thing about coming back, and I got in [Wednesday] night, is that it feels familiar and it feels comfortable,” Patrick said.

“I just feel like I’ve had a lot of different experiences here that can help me, and again, it’s a special place, where I feel like from the beginning I’ve always really believed that you have to show this track respect and it will hopefully show you the respect back.”

Patrick was 13th fastest in Thursday’s practice session in preparation for today’s inaugural Indiana 250. Nationwide teams will qualify this morning just hours before their race in the afternoon.

Patrick is in her first fulltime season in NASCAR, where she’s currently ninth in the Nationwide Series, and her transition to a stock car racing career has at times been a bumpy one.

Her relatively short NASCAR resume includes a pole at this year’s season opener at Daytona and a career-best fourth-place finish at Las Vegas in 2011 — the highest finish by a woman in NASCAR’s three national series.