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Patrick, Briscoe Point Fingers After Pit Road Contact

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 26, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS - Danica Patrick is waiting for an apology. Ryan Briscoe says there's none coming.

There was a clear disagreement between the two drivers after Sunday's Indianapolis 500 about who caused the pit road contact that took both out of the race.

Both were in contention for a top-five finish when they pitted with the other leaders under caution on Lap 171 of 200. Patrick left her stall first, and as she was leaving pit lane, Briscoe took a wide path out of his pit box and drove into her, damaging both cars.

Patrick, who ran in the top 10 most of the day but never had the speed to run up front, finished 22nd. Briscoe, who had rallied from being a lap down, finished 23rd.

"It was quite obvious what happened," Patrick said near her team's garage. "You don't pull out from your pit box three lanes out. That's why they have a get-up-to-speed lane, which is the inside lane."

Briscoe, who replaced Sam Hornish Jr. at Team Penske, wouldn't take the blame.

"I just saw the replay, and it sort of confirmed my thoughts," he said. "We're both trying to win the Indy 500, and when it's time to go, we got to go. But from what I could see, there was still plenty of room on the right side for her to get around. ... We both have a brake pedal in our cars."

Briscoe added that Patrick "is pointing fingers, but that's' pretty typical of her."

Patrick did more than point fingers. After learning her left rear suspension was broken, she slammed her fists on her steering wheel, climbed out and marched aggressively toward Briscoe's pit stall.

As she got close, IRL security director Charles Burns approached and directed her over the pit wall.

"I took my gloves off," Patrick said. "I was ready to take it all off: my helmet, everything, because it's hard to talk through the helmet. But it's probably a better idea I didn't make it all the way down there, because well, as you guys know, I'm a little emotional."

Patrick got upset with St. Petersburg's Dan Wheldon last year at Milwaukee and grabbed his arm after the race.

Patrick called Briscoe an idiot after he took her out in a crash at Sonoma in 2005.

Asked whether she plans to talk to Briscoe, she said she'll be waiting to hear from him.

"I'm hoping that he comes and finds me first," she said. "I want to do it right, and I want him to be able to come to me. But if he doesn't come to me within a certain amount of time, rest assured I'll talk to him about it."

Briscoe, who has had numerous crashes in his IRL career, said he doesn't owe Patrick an apology.

"I'm not here to get in fights and rumbles," he said. "We can sort it out nice and quietly. But I'm sure as soon as she sees the replay, she'll understand she was out of line."

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