HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Danica Patrick made an abbreviated appearance on media day at Homestead-Miami Speedway Feb. 26, didn’t turn a lap on the first day of an IndyCar Series Open Test Feb. 27, then came out feeling less than 100 percent on Feb. 28, but still set the pace on the final day of testing.
Despite feeling ill, Patrick was the quickest of 16 drivers on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval, recording a best lap of 213.182 miles per hour.
“I was sicker than I’ve ever been before on a day when I had to do something,” said Patrick. “I was dizzy and my head was full of pressure. I didn’t feel balanced — on top of other things. For me, it would have been silly to try and push it and go out there and try and feel the edge at a place like Homestead where the grip and the intensity level is pretty high compared to the rest of the mile-and-a-halfs.
“Today was a good day. It’s kind of nice to go out there, skip a day, go out and be quickest. We were definitely struggling with the race car. Until the very end of the day we were really pushing to figure it out. We definitely didn’t have it down. At the end of the day, we’re all walking away pretty happy. The team did a good job of working in the offseason.”
Team Penske newcomer Ryan Briscoe was second-fastest with a best lap of 213.056 mph, while Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dan Wheldon, who has won the past three 300-mile races at the track, was third-fastest with a lap of 212.980 mph.
Wheldon, who led the first night of testing with a lap at 213.312 mph, will look for his fourth-consecutive victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway when the IndyCar Series opens the 2008 season on March 29.
Overall, drivers completed 3,463 laps through the course of two evenings under the lights.