Daytona 500 2015: Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin wreck in practice

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick will have to move to a backup car following a wreck in Sprint Cup Wednesday, putting further into question whether she’ll qualify for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Just moments into the first of two practices, Patrick was running in a pack of cars down the backstretch when she clipped the nose of Denny Hamlin. The contact sent Patrick spinning into Michael Annett, who also sustained significant damage.

“I was just riding along and it turned,” Patrick said. “That’s the nature of pack racing and that’s what makes it challenging, too. Sometimes there’s not much you can do about it. That’s the gamble that we all face. That’s what makes it exciting and very frustrating.”

Hamlin took responsibility for the accident. Other drivers involved include Casey Mears, Greg Biffle and Jeb Burton.

“People say in practice that you can’t make aggressive moves, but we also have to put ourselves in decent positions where we’re going to have to figure out what our car is doing,” Hamlin said. “Just closed as soon as I had already got inside of (Patrick) and the lane closed. It knocked me into (Mears) and we had some attrition after that.”

Patrick, Annett and Burton will move to backup cars for Thursday’s Budweiser Duels and start at the rear of the field in their respective qualifying races. Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team will make repairs to the No. 11 Toyota.

Because Patrick, the 2013 Daytona 500 pole-sitter, posted the 30th-fastest time in qualifying and finished 28th in the standings last season, she enters Thursday’s qualifying races in a precarious position. To guarantee herself a spot in Daytona 500, Patrick will have to finish 15th or better.

“It’s unfortunate,” Patrick said. “I know it was a good car. We knew we were going to have to race hard through the Duels anyway.”