Danica Patrick Gives “Mad Props” to Jimmie Johnson for Competing in Indy 500

Jimmie Johnson competed in his first Indianapolis 500, and the NASCAR world was excited. In the buildup to the iconic race, former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick spoke about him. She hoped that he would perform well in his maiden appearance at the iconic race.

Patrick said, “First off, I give him mad props for doing it. I look at him like, ‘Dude! You already did it! You won, you didn’t just win, you won seven championships’. Could sail off into the sunset and no one would think twice that you were done. But he keeps going and he ultimately stepped in a whole other formula which I think in some ways, is harder. It’s one thing to do something that’s less reactive, like going from IndyCar to stock car. But going from stock car [from] that much time to IndyCar where the thing is snappy, drives different, accelerates so much faster. There’s just so many things about it that are more challenging.”

How did Jimmie Johnson perform in the Indy 500?

Unfortunately, Johnson endured a rough day in the office, when his late crash brought out the red flag. He started the race in 12th place, but soon began tumbling down the order. During the pit stop phases, the 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion yo-yoed up and down the order. At one point, late in the race, he even managed to lead a lap; unfortunately, that lasted until he pulled into the pit lane for his final scheduled stop.

WATCH STORY: War Breaks Out on Social Media After NASCAR Fan Makes Ugly Jimmie Johnson Suggestion

With six laps to go, Jimmie Johnson lost the rear end of his car at Turn 2 and crashed heavily. That particular corner had already caught out a lot of drivers and his crash brought out a red flag. Finally, when the green flag waved, it was for a two-lap shootout, which ex-F1 driver Marcus Ericsson eventually won.

READ MORE: WATCH: Jimmie Johnson’s Classy Response to Former US President Barack Obama’s “Tickets” Question