"It's not Danica's fault": When Marco Andretti defended Danica Patrick after she ran over pit crew member

Danica Patrick is a well-known figure in the motorsports world after she became the first female ever to win a race in IndyCar. However, one incident after her sole win in the series, a few weeks later in 2008, she knocked down a rival pit crew member during a practice session for the Indy 500. This led some members in the paddock to lament her for the action, but her teammate, Marco Andretti, stepped in to claim that it was not Patrick's fault in the whole ordeal.

Patrick had already made her name in the IndyCar sphere after leading a few laps of the Indy 500 in her rookie outing at the circuit in 2005 and finishing a lofty fourth. Her substantial results made her a strong competitor in the driver market, as she was signed by Andretti in 2007.

While this partnership flourished with a win at Motegi in 2008, a few weeks later, a torrid incident took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During the practice for the elusive race, the female driver had drawn into the pits and accidentally run over a Dale Coyne Racing pit crew member, Charles Buckman.

This subsequently left him with a concussion and face and scalp lacerations. The severe injuries to Buckman brought some people to blame Danica Patrick, but Michael Andretti's son, Marco, shared how, despite the incident being an unfortunate one, it was not Patrick's fault. He said (via SI):

"It's really, really unfortunate what happened today. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Hopefully he can get back to the track soon and do what he loves. It's a dangerous situation; a crowded pit lane, a lot going on. You don't like to see that kind of thing but it's not Danica's fault. Stuff happens. Racing is dangerous. We're very concerned and hopefully it will turn out good."

Moreover, this incident seemingly carried bad luck with it, as she was struck by Ryan Briscoe in the pit lane during the 2008 Indy 500, ending her race then and there.

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What did Danica Patrick have to say after knocking down the pit crew member?

Danica Patrick at the qualifying for the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Source: Getty

The injuries endured by Charles Buckman reportedly left Danica Patrick and the Andretti camp taken aback. However, the incident happened in a crowded pit lane meant that it was hard for her to judge how the mechanic would react.

In the aftermath of her encounter with the DCR pit crew member, Patrick admitted that it was an unfortunate incident and hoped for Buckman to get back on track. She said (via Associated Press):

"It's really, really unfortunate what happened today. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Hopefully he can get back to the track soon and do what he loves." (0:22 onwards)

Meanwhile, Danica Patrick retired from racing in 2018 and has taken up motorsport expert gigs since then.