Danica Patrick has one more NASCAR race before a four-month hiatus
to return to the IndyCar Series, and she's admittedly going to miss
being away from her new team.
"I was telling the boys today I was kind of sad, this is the
last weekend for awhile," she said Friday at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway. "I really enjoy all of them and I like driving the cars."
Patrick is running a 13-race Nationwide Series schedule for
JR Motorsports, and has enjoyed the crash course in stock cars
despite her disappointing results.
Patrick made her Nationwide debut at Daytona, where she was
collected in a mid-race accident and finished 35th. She struggled
last week at California to a 31st-place finish.
Next up is Saturday's race at Las Vegas, then she's back to
IndyCar and, after a four-month break, back to NASCAR with the
Nationwide race at New Hampshire in June.
She was pleased with her practice sessions Friday at Las
Vegas, as well as with the communication with crew chief Tony Eury
Jr. As the team continues to get to know her, it's easier for
Patrick at the track. She was 23rd fastest in the first practice
session, and 25th in the final session.
"I think Tony Jr. is beginning to learn my style and the
things that I need when I arrive at a track for the very first
time," she said. "I think what I learned last weekend with not
having goals, I think that's a problem. Just thinking I want to go
as fast as I can and run up front - that's probably not going to
happen in the beginning, there are too many good drivers here.
"There's too much to learn. After last weekend, we finished
up and said 'We need to finish in the top 25.' When I finished the
practice sessions, we were in the top 25, so there you go."
Patrick has had a busy week, going from California to Alabama
for the first IndyCar test of the season. Then it was on to Las
Vegas and back to a stock car. She called any difficulties in the
back-and-forth transition "circumstantial."
"Getting into the IndyCar again, getting comfortable with how
fast they are and the acceleration and the downforce," she said.
"Unfortunately, I didn't have a very good car, so I didn't feel
very comfortable and that's why I didn't like it. There were times
we made it better and I was able to feel comfortable again, but
that didn't last maybe one run.
"I come back here and we lower the steering wheel and bring
it toward me and we're trying to make it look more like how all the
other drivers have it. Then I went out there and I was freaking
out. It was like I was driving on top of the car. I was so
uncomfortable, so we came back in and made some changes. I think
it's a little circumstantial. I'm sure there will be that first
couple of laps where I say, 'What do I got here?' and I need to
settle in. It will hopefully be more and more like riding a
bicycle."
