Danica Patrick set a demanding standard for women entering NASCAR, and no special leeway for women not only made the sport fairer but also sharpened the edge required to reach the sport’s highest tier. Her path showed that accountability applied evenly, regardless of gender. That reality surfaced again during her penultimate NASCAR Cup Series season in 2016, when she became part of a high-profile incident at the Auto Club 400 on March 20.
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On lap 121 along the frontstretch, Kasey Kahne drifted down as Patrick came up the track. The contact threw Patrick’s Chevrolet on the top end of the asphalt, sending it into a spin before it slammed into the outside wall. The damage ended her afternoon immediately, while Jimmie Johnson went on to claim the victory. Patrick escaped without injury but did not mince words after being cleared at the infield medical center.
She explained that she felt terrible that Kahne had to resort to such a desperate move, noting that he was a lap down and had side-drafted a lead-lap car on the straight. Patrick emphasized the danger of making contact in that part of the track, pointing out that the incident could have sent her airborne.
Kahne accepted responsibility and expressed relief at her condition. “Man, I felt bad. I’m glad she got out and is all right,” he said. When NASCAR officials later spoke with him and his team, Kahne explained that the discussion focused on ensuring there were no previous issues.
He said officials “just wanted to make sure everything was OK from my perspective and there were no hard feelings prior to the wreck or anything like that. I was like, ‘Man, not at all. I’ve never had an issue with Danica at all.'”
He described the crash as an avoidable mistake in the middle of the straightaway, insisting the contact stemmed solely from an effort to protect the position he had just earned, not from any prior tension. The effects, however, did not end with the wrecked car.
March 20th, 2016, the Auto Club 400. On lap 121 on the frontstretch, Kasey Kahne would come down into turn Danica Patrick, while she was coming up. This would cause Patrick to spin out and hit the outside wall hard. Jimmie Johnson would go on to win the race.#nascar #autoclub… pic.twitter.com/0HV55bTQ4I
— Random Nascar Crashes (@Rdnascarcrashes) December 24, 2025
After climbing out of the damaged Chevrolet, the #10 SHR driver walked along the apron and gestured toward Kahne as he passed under caution. Although Patrick remained below the uppermost white line separating the racing surface from the apron, her path veered enough to draw the attention of competition officials before she headed toward the waiting ambulance for the mandatory ride to the infield care center.
Officials ruled that her movement toward the racing surface violated safety protocols. NASCAR fined Patrick $20,000 for her actions following the crash and placed her on probation for the following four events.
