Drivers complaining about the setup of their race cars is nothing new. In fact, we bet that the first Indy 500 was full of guys who blamed poor performance on their crew’s inability to get the car right. Danica Patrick brought the verbal thunder last Saturday after a bad qualifying run. Fans have let her know what they think of her comments. 

After posting an effort only good enough for 23rd on the grid, Patrick climbed from the car and told the crowd, “It’s not my fault, The car is not good.” She continued, “This is the worst crowd I’ve ever had.” The response from those in the stands was swift. They booed the crap out of her. After the comments were published, the cat calls took on some real steam and have elevated themselves into a chorus, echoed around the interwebs.

This is a weird situation when it comes right down to it. We’re sure that her comments were not far off from the truth. She’s proven her ability to run fast at Indy, and being a dangerous place, it’s understandable that she’d be way pissed if the car she was moving more than 200 mph in was so bad that her safety was at risk.

That being said, no one likes to see a racer push all blame off of themselves and on to their crew. An ounce of humility in the moment would have bought her a lot of good PR, instead she furthered her image as a petulant competitor who has a mouth that can run at the front of the pack and driving ability that can’t.

She has backpedaled and supposedly apologized to her crew, but we’re thinking those guys didn’t join in a group hug after hearing it.

So what’s the right way to approach this? Praise her for being honest when so often we jump on drivers who issue canned responses or jump on her for throwing a bunch of guys who spent all their waking hours preparing the car she drove?

Source — USAToday.com — Dancia Patrick faces up to the boos