Harsh early end to Danica Patrick's final Indy 500

By: Mark Glendenning May 27, 2018 11:55 AM Danica Patrick’s swansong race came to an early end in Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Turn 2 barrier on Sunday.Patrick had been battling with the No. 13 Ed Carpenter Racing car’s handling for much of the opening phase of the race, and was running 16th when the rear of her car stepped out and put her into the wall on Lap 68.“Turn 2 did seem a little bit more edgy than some of the other corners, but I can’t say that at that time I felt like I was on the edge,” she said. “It just swung around when I recommitted to the throttle after a bit of understeer. It was totally unexpected.”Patrick made a brief, emotional and somewhat reluctant appearance before the media after being released from the medical center, where she tried to put the day into context.“Definitely not a great ending, but I said before I came here that I feel like if it’s a complete disaster – complete, like not even in the ballpark at all and I look silly – then people may remember that,” she said. “And if I win, people will remember that. But probably anything in between might just be a little part of a big story. And that’s how it is.“I’m appreciative for all the fans, for GoDaddy, for Ed Carpenter Racing for giving me a good car. Today was a tough day. A little bit of it was OK; a lot of it was tough to drive.“I am very grateful for everybody and for being able to finish up like I wanted do. There were still a lot of great moments this month; a lot of great moments this year.”