Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008

IndyCar notes: Patrick not apologetic about confrontation

Also items on Marco Andretti and Edmonton's street circuit

By Mike Harris
Associated Press

 EDMONTON, Alberta -- A week after a confrontation with fellow driver Milka Duno that quickly became a popular YouTube video, Danica Patrick said her only regret is not thinking about how public it would be.

The incident took place in the pits at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after last Saturday's morning practice, when Patrick walked to the wall behind Duno's pit to talk to the Venezuelan driver about getting in her way on the track.

Duno didn't want to talk with Patrick and kept telling her to "go away," even tossing a towel in her direction once and then in her face before Patrick finally walked away. The incident, which lasted about one minute, was caught by an amateur photographer on video.

Thursday at Edmonton, where she will race in Sunday's IndyCar Series event, Patrick said she should have known her efforts to talk with Duno on pit lane would become public fodder.

"I don't think that's something that happens every weekend," Patrick said. "All I can do is pay attention to the situation and realize that people are watching. A time and a place for everything.

"I just need to watch it, be careful, you know, not do anything that does anything that draws attention that's not always the most positive. I want kids to be fans of me, and parents to be excited about watching, too."

She added, "As a driver, I am not afraid to have conversations with other drivers. I think, in my life, I'm definitely under a close eye. There are always cameras and TV and things around. I just have to watch what I'm doing and where I'm doing it.

"That's probably the lesson I've learned over the last few years is that people are always watching. What can I say? It's a double-edged sword: People are always watching, but people are always watching. So you do good things and that's fantastic and then you do other things that are good or bad or just indifferent, or can be something that people just draw their own opinions about. Those are the fine lines that you walk. I just have to be aware of that."

It isn't the first time that Patrick has had public confrontations with other drivers. Last year at Milwaukee, it was Dan Wheldon. And, in May at Indianapolis, she exchanged words with Ryan Briscoe.

Patrick said it's simply a matter of personality.

"I respect my competition," she said. "But I think my personality is definitely a passionate personality and I think probably many people could tell you that. I'm very focused and very into what I'm doing.

"There are drivers out there that are more calm and then there are drivers that get more excited, and that goes across the board for all kinds of things, for sports and business in general."

There will be no further confrontations between Patrick and Duno this week, on track or off, since Duno, driving a partial schedule this season, is skipping Edmonton.

TAKING A SPIN: If the first practice Thursday on Edmonton's temporary street circuit at City Centre Airport was any indication, it's going to be a tough few days for the IndyCars.

Among the drivers who made off-course excursions during the one-hour session were E.J. Viso, Buddy Rice, Townsend Bell, Mario Moraes, Hideki Mutoh, Enrique Bernoldi, Dan Wheldon and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Viso hit the wall in his incident and was checked at the infield medical center before being cleared to get back in the cockpit.

"There just wasn't much grip on the track," the rookie from Venezuela said. "It's very tough out there."

MOVIE TIME: The joke going around the IndyCar paddock Thursday morning was that people can hardly wait to see Marco Andretti's new driving uniform for the race next month at Infinion Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Earlier this season, Andretti showed up at the track with an Indiana Jones-themed uniform while his Andretti Green Racing car was used as a moving billboard for the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Now, AGR, Blockbuster Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. are collaborating for the second time on a special livery on the No. 26 Dallara that will feature "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," an animated film and a new weekly TV series of the same name that will premier this fall on Cartoon Network.

"I had a lot of fun with the Indiana Jones car at the Indy 500 and I'm hoping my upcoming battle at Infinion will be as exciting as anything in a Star Wars movie," Andretti said.
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