Danica Patrick says another hard crash would cause her to retire

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. dealt with his third concussion in four years last season, it wasn’t lost on those he raced against what NASCAR’s most popular driver was experiencing. And it wasn’t just Earnhardt dealing with an injury that threatened to sideline his career, but how upfront he was about the diagnosis, Danica Patrick said Wednesday at Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway.

“It makes you think, for sure,” Danica Patrick said. “You have to pay attention to yourself. There is nothing better than someone like Dale Jr. getting out of the car for as long as he did and saying, ‘Hey, I have a problem’ because it makes it more available for everyone else.

“Now, I don’t think anyone else has as much luxury, sponsorship-wise, as Dale Jr. probably does to get just get out of the car like that, but it is also coming from a big-name driver that is setting a standard for well-being and it’s admirable.”

Earnhardt sustained a concussion when he crashed during the June 12 race at Michigan International Speedway. Initially, he didn’t feel any ill-effects and when he did began experiencing symptoms he thought it was related to a sinus infection. But as the symptoms persisted, he sought medical consultation. Following the July 9 race at Kentucky Speedway, Earnhardt, on the advice of doctors, removed himself as driver of the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports car.

That decision is not one every driver would’ve elected, but one his contemporaries lauded, Patrick said. Such a choice goes against NASCAR’s fabric where drivers have long possessed a mentality of racing hurt, and if need be, hide an injury lest officials not allow them to compete. But the 34-year-old Stewart-Haas Racing driver said being healthy and able to pursue interests beyond racing is the overriding factor.

“I think we like to sweep it all under the rug as drivers like we feel fine and nothing is wrong, but it’s our life,” Patrick said. “If there was someone that told me — or I would hope any other driver — if you have another wreck you could have a serious problem, they would [choose to] be out. I would be out because I love what I do, but I love lots of other things and I also love life and I’m too young to have it be over, so it’s a good lesson for a lot of people and a good education.”

Patrick said racing isn’t comparable to football where players are repeatedly slamming into one another, but when a driver does crash at 200 mph the impact is substantial. She estimates in a career entering its 26th year, the last five as a full-time NASCAR driver, she’s had a dozen concussions.

“Every time you crash you have a concussion on a varying degree, I’m sure,” Patrick said. “It is a little bit thought-provoking is what I would say, for sure, because while we’re not football players, we don’t get the repeated hits like in succession over a short amount of time, but it’s rough in the car and the hits are probably singularly bigger maybe. I don’t actually know.”