NASCAR Cup Series

Patrick looking for more good fortune in St. Pete

Published Mar. 26, 2010 9:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

Danica Patrick once had a saying about expectations. She wasn't willing to reveal the exact wording, other than saying it included an off-color sentiment.

Bluntly, she's not a big fan.

Nonetheless, expectations follow Patrick everywhere she goes, the byproduct that comes with being one of the most popular drivers in the world, regardless of gender. And they'll be with her again Sunday at the Honda Grand Prix, when Patrick will try to snap a run of disappointing finishes that have dogged her so far in 2010, starting with NASCAR's Nationwide Series and now in the Indy Racing League.

``Expectations are ... never mind,'' Patrick said Friday. ``Expectations are always a problem. Like you say, everybody wants to go out there and win every time and that's the problem. I think that's why we get disappointed, why drivers aren't happy unless they win, because we're all expecting to win. That's what we want to do out there.''

The results would say she hasn't been close this year.

Patrick, who turned 28 on Thursday, sees things a bit differently.

Patrick didn't finish better than 31st in any of her three Nationwide Series appearances, and when she opened the IndyCar season two weeks ago in Brazil, she was 15th in a 24-car field.

She seems undeterred.

``You know, I think I've just caught unlucky breaks. That's all,'' Patrick said. ``And some of the times, I haven't been fast either. Hopefully we'll change that this weekend and be quick and, you know, catch a break.''

If a break is going to come, it might happen for her in St. Petersburg.

Patrick has recorded three top-10 finishes on the 1.8-mile street circuit, and was well in line for a fourth last year before a wreck ruined both her day and her hopes. She was running ninth when then-rookie Raphael Matos tried to pass as the two cars went into one of the tightest turns on the 14-turn temporary course.

``I felt very comfortable,'' Patrick said.

Not for long, she didn't, thanks to a rookie blunder: They crashed, 31 laps into the 100-lap event. Patrick finished 19th, Matos 20th.

``Everything was going to work out just fine,'' Patrick said. ``It was a bummer.''

In some respects, so were Friday's practice sessions. An issue with a throttle cable kept her off the track for some of the morning, and Patrick said afterward that she felt like she needs to get as many laps as possible to get ready for Sunday. She wasn't among the leaders in the afternoon practice, either.

So there's a certain irony in that Patrick is looking for a jump-start to 2010 on a street course, when she makes no secret of the fact that she prefers ovals.

``I've never beat around the bush on this one: I don't think it's the greatest place for us to display excitement for the fans,'' Patrick said.

Team owner Michael Andretti knows that, but is also quick to point out that despite Patrick's diminutive build, she's shown that she's strong enough to handle the extra demands that come with racing on streets and roads.

``She gets out looking better than some of the guys,'' Andretti said. ``She's amazingly fit and strong for her size.''

Given the pressure she's under, Patrick better be.

She's unquestionably one of the galvanizing names in racing, proven again by the attention that the months of 'will-she-or-won't-she' talk about Patrick jumping to NASCAR generated last year.

Even though this season didn't begin in the manner she would have liked, it hasn't taken any luster off Patrick's shine.

``Just look outside at my hauler or walk with me to the grid,'' Patrick said. ``There are lots of people still excited to see me and I do feel that responsibility to fans, to give them a good show and give them someone who's up front to cheer for. So I still want to do that. My pressure as a driver doesn't come from people watching. It comes from me wanting to perform my best and do what I think I can do.''