Although video of her accident is somewhat startling, NASCAR officials are not surprised and not overly concerned that Danica Patrick’s steering column jerked violently upward in her crash Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.
They had seen the same thing before, including in Eric McClure’s car in April when McClure suffered a concussion and internal bruising in a hard crash at Talladega.
NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said Saturday the steering columns “absolutely” absorbed the impact and moved the way they are designed during Patrick’s crash in Friday night’s Nationwide Series race.