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“Knocked the Breath Out of Me” – Danica Patrick Talks About Her Near Death Experience

Published 08/05/2022, 2:45 PM EDT

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Having a wreck now and then is pretty normal for NASCAR drivers. But sometimes it gets a little out of hand, and drivers meet with a near-death experience. The same happened to Danica Patrick in the 2016 Cup Series Race at Talladega Superspeedway.

In fact, Patrick calls it the worst crash of her career.

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Michael McDowell clipped Danica’s #10 in the front right, which eventually caused Matt Kenseth to go airborne on impact and rollover. However, Patrick hit the wall really hard. Surprisingly, she walked away from the crash safely.

After the accident, she was in conversation with WZZM where she gave the details about the “worst” crash of her career.

“I’m pretty sure I got hit, and the car spun toward the inside wall,” Patrick said.

“It hit really hard. Everything — the steering wheel — is way out of place. I hit my foot. Hit my arm. There was fire inside the car. It kind of knocked the breath out of me a little bit.”

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On top of that, this was the first time Patrick had fire inside the car.

“I haven’t had fire on the inside before,” she said. “It got to the glove a little bit. Honestly, I was thinking about my hair. I have a lot of hair, and I don’t want to lose it.

“That was the worst one (wreck) so far.” 

But how was Danica after the wreck?

What Happened To Danica Patrick’s Health After The Wreck?

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The crash left Patrick quite shocked, which was only natural considering she hit the wall at 200 mph. She reported chest pain every time she breathes. Moreover, she had bruises on her arm and foot.

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Fortunately, the X-Ray revealed no fractures or serious injuries.

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In the end, it’s always scary to see drivers look at death right in the eyes in the middle of a race like that. Luckily, the safety features in NASCAR Stock Cars protected Patrick immensely.

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Written by:

Hetul Katyal

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Hetul Katyal is an F1-NASCAR web stories creator at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his degree in Journalism from the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, he is an avid supporter of Carlos Sainz and Scuderia Ferrari. Hetul always looks forward to the paddock going to Baku, but the part of F1 that excites him the most, is seeing the drivers tackle the 'Raidillon' at Spa.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh