A quick walk through the Pagoda Plaza on Carb Day found that at least some fans are still not thrilled with Danica Patrick over her “it’s not my fault” explanation of her poor qualifying effort last Saturday.
There is an undercurrent of resentment for IndyCar’s most popular star following her tough public comments.
Patrick admitted to being surprised by the reaction when her comments boomed over the track's PA system about 10 minutes after she spoke last Saturday. In five previous appearances, she had never qualified outside the top 10.
She spent much of Thursday's media day taking the blame for what she said.
"It makes me feel bad but I understand why," she said. "I kind of broke a cardinal rule in sports and blamed someone. I understand. What I said came across really aggressive, and I know that."
Morton, Ill. resident Phil Fort was at Pole and Carb Days to hear it all.
“Probably like everybody else I was sitting with, I was kind of shocked that she said that about her team,” Fort said. “I know she’s pretty outspoken. I’ve met her a couple of times and she’s always been nice to me. She probably put her foot in her mouth and didn’t realize what she was saying.
“Don’t put your team down, especially when she’s on the big video screen like she was, because everybody booed her.”
Indeed, when Patrick was shown on the Pagoda video board as she prepared to face off against Helio Castroneves in the pit stop competition, she received a fair share of criticism from fans.
Indianapolis resident Jeremy Jackson said that if she really cared about IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, she wouldn’t have said what she said — and wouldn’t be competing part-time in NASCAR.
“I mean, she says she’s all about the Indianapolis 500 and the month of May,” Jackson said. “She’s the heart of the sport ... I don’t resent [her going to NASCAR]. Absolutely not. Because she’s making the money. But with what she says she does, she should stick to open-wheel racing.”
But the IndyCar Series star is undeterred by the criticism.
"I might get booed if I win, too, but that's OK," Patrick said. "Winning will solve everything for me. That's the be-all, end-all cure for me. I don't know if it'll cure everything from the fans' perspectives, but I can't force them to feel a certain way."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
