Patrick's day was a dull drive to the front at first. She dealt with slowly wearing her car into tip-top shape and picking off drivers one by one through the first three quarters of the race, and in the end moved into the teens in the later goings. That only led to more Indy 500 thwarting for the series' most renowned driver.
Patrick's team adventured on a fuel-conservation strategy by roughness on Lap 159 and hoping for two things: enough green flag racing for Patrick's car to retrieve the form that had her running strong late, and a caution to give Patrick a chance to fill up before the finish. She got the former, and led 10 laps after taking the lead with 20 laps to go. But Patrick couldn't stop in front of Bertrand Baguette as her fuel drained, and in the end had to pit.
That last stop left her racing to make the top 10 - which she did, at 10th, giving her six top-10 finishes at the Indy 500 in seven starts. But for Patrick, who appeared to be in every other commercial during the race, consistency isn't a problem; she's long proven that she can contend on the IndyCar circuit when her cars are strong.
The issue is that the big breakthrough victory at the race she dreamed of capturing as a child continues to circumvent her. And while her public arguments about staying in IndyCar while learning NASCAR-style stock car racing are all well and good, continued fights to stand out in open-wheel racing will only fuel more discussion about whether she's not long for it.
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