Danica Patrick triggered a three-car wreck in Sunday’s NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and one of the drivers involved was her boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
NASCAR New Hampshire 2013: Danica Patrick starts wreck, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. involved
Danica Patrick and boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were involved in an accident during Sunday’s NASCAR at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Jared C. Tilton
On Lap 237 of the Camping World RV Sales 301, Patrick was behind Stenhouse as the two charged into Turn 1 when Patrick appeared to lock up her brakes. She then turned left into the rear of Stenhouse, causing him to slide into the path of Travis Kvapil.
“It felt like I either I misjudged the braking or everyone jammed up a little bit,” Patrick said. “I got sideways trying to slow down so that I didn’t drive up into the back of anyone. I just got sideways and there is nothing you can do.
“The worst part is that you know obviously I didn’t want to take anybody with me. I feel bad, what can I say. We were having a reasonable race and I just didn’t mean to do it.”
All three drivers sustained significant damage. Stenhouse returned to the track and placed 34th. Patrick and Kvapil were unable to make repairs and finished 37th and 38th, respectively.
Patrick and Stenhouse announced in January they were dating and both are in their first full season in Sprint Cup. The two have maintained that their relationship would not affect how they raced one another and when on the track each views the other as a competitor.
But New Hampshire marks the second time this season the two have had a run-in on the track. The first incident was during the Coca-Cola 600 in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In that race, Stenhouse squeezed Patrick going through a corner, forcing her into Brad Keselowski, where she wrecked.
Patrick expressed her frustration and said her boyfriend could have been more patient as he was a lap down at the time. The following week at Dover she would acknowledge that the couple exchanged few words on the car ride home.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s incident, Stenhouse did not place sole blame on Patrick.
“I haven’t seen a replay of what happened,” Stenhouse said. “I thought it was the 93 (Kvapil). It’s not the first time you get crashed on accident. I have crashed people on accident as well. It is part of it.”
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