When Danica Patrick opened up on her “worst ever Cup race”

Every race driver experiences rough patches, and Danica Patrick had her fair share during her racing career. The 42-year-old once opened up about what she considers the worst race of her Cup Series career.

The Wisconsin-born racer had a career spanning eight years in stock car racing, competing for several teams including Stewart-Haas Racing. While Patrick had her fair share of highs racing for the outfit, she once dubbed a race from the 2016 season as the worst of her career.

The former IndyCar driver highlighted the 2016 Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway as the worst of her NASCAR Cup Series entries. Sharing her thoughts on the NBC podcast in 2016, she stated:

“It might have been my worst ever Cup race. I felt so, so, so slow. The car would not turn. … I just get so sad now.”

Danica Patrick qualified in 16th for the race and could only manage a 29th-place finish, ending the race four laps down from the eventual winner after completing 320 of the available 324 laps. Her outing at the Arizona event could largely be seen as a representation of her 2016 season. Despite participating in all 36 races in the NASCAR Cup Series, she finished 24th in the final drivers’ standings and failed to record a single top-10 finish throughout the season.

Danica Patrick, however, despite her struggles during the 2016 season, still had her share of highs in NASCAR, including a record she still holds — as the only female driver to clinch pole position at a Cup Series event, a feat she achieved at the Daytona 500.

When Danica Patrick named a race she would like to relive

Danica Patrick previously recounted a race she would love to run again from her flurry of races during her active racing career. The former driver detailed that she would love to redo her Indy 500 debut race.

The 43-year-old, who debuted in the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ with Andretti Autosport, finished the event in fourth position—albeit with a subtle sour taste of regret. Patrick had led the race for several laps but had to relinquish her lead due to the need to save fuel for the final laps.

Sharing her thoughts on the event that unfolded during an interview with USA Today in 2016, Danica Patrick stated:

“My first Indy 500 comes to mind a little bit, just because I don’t race Indy cars anymore, and I don’t have any more chances. That was a tough one. There were some things about that first Indy 500 that could have been different—a little more fuel left than I thought.

“I probably would have just led no matter what, even if it meant running out of fuel, as opposed to just finishing. I mean, I still finished fourth.”

Patrick may have failed to win the racing showpiece on her debut, but it was nothing short of a historic outing for her. Not only was she named the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, but she also became the first female driver to lead an Indy 500 race in the event’s history. Danica Patrick would go on to finish on the podium during the 2009 edition of the race.