Daytona 500 2012: Last-Lap Wreck Won't Bode Well for Danica Patrick on Sunday

Of all the ways Danica Patrick could have imagined she'd ride her debut as a full-time NASCAR driver, this had to be right near the bottom of her wish list.

A bump from Aric Almirola's No. 43 car to the side of her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, followed by a vicious collision with the SAFER barrier in the middle of Daytona International Speedway on the final lap of the Gatorade Duel.

Her primary ride wrecked and, along with it, her hopes for a good starting spot in her first career run at the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Patrick had been running as high as sixth during Thursday's action, but dropped to 16th as a result of her wreck.

Now, she'll start at the back of the 43-car field at The Great American Race by virtue of running in her backup car. Said Patrick of the disappointing finish:

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“We were just looking to finish, to be honest. Unfortunately that was not the case. And, I don’t know, it felt pretty big. I don’t know what it looked like.

“Maybe the backup car will be faster.”

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Patrick will certainly have to hope that's the case. After all, she'll be a relative novice running behind a pack of seasoned veterans, many of whom (i.e. Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart) will be hungry for their own first trips to Victory Lane at this most prestigious of season openers.

That being said, Patrick's fairly fortunate to still be in the field at all. Under normal circumstances, her ugly crash would've eliminated her from the 500 entirely.

But, thanks to the generosity of Tommy Baldwin Racing, which donated its own points to secure Patrick's spot on Sunday, Thursday's result will have no bearing on whether or not she's in the driver's seat when the flags go up.

Though there will still be consequences brought to bear on her starting position—not to mention her psyche—as Patrick kicks off her first year completely excised from IndyCar.

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