Danica Patrick Crashes Out of 2018 Indy 500 in Her Final Race

Danica Patrick crashed on the 68th lap of the 2018 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in what was her final professional race.

Patrick lost control of her car coming around a turn and slammed into the wall, which ended her day early:

Patrick was running in 16th place before hitting the wall. She exited the car under her own power before heading to get checked out by medical personnel. The IndyCar Series announced Patrick was cleared and released from the on-track facility without any major injuries.

The Indianapolis Star's Clark Wade showed Patrick's damaged No. 13 car as it was being taken back to the garage:

According to NBC Sports' Marty Snider, Patrick hadn't experienced any major issues prior to her crash:

"Little bit of understeer and [the car] just swung," Patrick said in an interview with ABC, per the Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer. "Today was really disappointing for what we were hoping for and what you want for your last race, but I'm grateful for all of it. Wish I could've finished stronger."

Meghan McKeown of WISH-TV in Indianapolis shared Patrick's further thoughts with reporters following her wreck:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired from NASCAR last year, reflected on Patrick's career:

Patrick announced in November she planned on retiring from competitive racing after running in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. A wreck also brought her final Daytona 500 to a hasty conclusion.

Patrick retires having raced in the Indianapolis 500 on eight occasions. She finished in the top 10 six times, with her best result coming in 2009, when she placed third. That remains the best finish ever by a female driver in the Indy 500.

This was the first time she entered into the Indy 500 since 2011, which was her last season on the IndyCar Series.