NASCAR Misery Index: 5 saddest drivers after the Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 18: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, has an on track incident with Kasey Kahne, driver of the #95 Procore Chevrolet, and Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy Chevrolet, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 18: The car of Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy Chevrolet, is towed into the garage after an on track incident during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 60th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /

3. Danica Patrick

The most successful female driver in NASCAR Cup Series history had been almost zen-like in her belief that she would be able to say goodbye to the sport on her own terms, and the pieces fell in place almost perfectly. She got a ride. GoDaddy returned to sponsor her and bombard us with more commercials. New-ish beau Aaron Rodgers was on hand for support, as Fox Sports couldn’t wait to remind us.

Unfortunately, Danica ended her race not with a whimper but a bang, the kind that occurs when sheet metal is crunched up. Turns out running mid-pack lap after lap at Daytona is not a great place to be, and sure enough, calamity found her bright green car. No one expected her to win, but finishing all the laps would have been a nice sendoff.

For a little bonus misery, Aric Almirola very nearly drove Patrick’s old No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to victory in his first race after replacing her, though he eventually ended up in no position to console her.

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