European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 10, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 40 stars and stripes june 2007 Patrick More focused than Ever third year indy car Driver confident As she pursues first win n j inc via Trio the by Mike Harris the associated press when Danica Patrick gets fire in her look last sunday at the Milwaukee she had ruins with Dan Wheldon on the track and the indy racing league called the on track incident in which the two bumped sending Patrick on a wild ride through the nothing More than a Rac ing and handed out no in the heated Patrick said she thought she had made the while Wheldon said he was still in front and had the right of the third year indy car series and the 2005 indy 500 Winner and series had another very pub Lic meeting after the she caught up to Wheldon on pit Road in front of a roaring crowd that appeared heavily in her grabbed the English Man around the did most of the talking when she didst get the answer from him she de gave Wheldon a Light push and walked Wheldon suggested Patrick is feeling the pressure of not having won yet and Shes Messing with the wrong person if she wants to get in a lot tougher than she is on its True that the woman who inspired a National Danic Amania by becoming the first female to Lead the indy 500 and then setting a record for her gender by finishing in the has yet to win a some Are already trying to equate the attractive who made Waves several years ago by posing for a mens Magazine in a scanty with Tennis player Anna who gained notoriety for her Good looks and marketability but never won a major worry some Are trying to equate Danica Patrick above with Tennis player Anna who gained notoriety for her Good looks but never won a major but Patrick is showing Shes More than another pretty but Patrick is showing on the track Shes far More than just an other pretty two weeks in her third indy she finished before the race was Cut Short by rain and her shot at a Victory ended by a fuel strategy that left her in the wrong place at the wrong Patrick was running competitively with the big i thought she was very impress said Andretti Green racing teammate Dario who won at she had a fast race car and she was sticking her nose in there and racing with every theres no question in my mind that she can do the its just a question of everything com ing together for at Patrick had a bad Day in qualifying and started 17th in an 18car but she was battling Wheldon and fran Chitti for fourth on the 88th of 225 laps when she and Wheldon Collid Patrick made a great reminiscent of the one Tony another agr made at after she lost a Lap while her team replaced a broken sus pension Patrick got Back on the Lead Lap and finished Wheldon and Patrick buried the Hatchet thursday at Texas motor after meeting privately with indy racing league president Brian barn they hugged and said every thing was of Between it was and really the most important thing in All of this is we dont go out on the track and take it out on each Patrick said Friday night after qualifying sixth for the Bombar Dier Learjet i wanted to make sure the air was Clear be tween the two of Patrick goes into saturday nights race tied with Vitor Meira for ninth in the series Points and feeling More theres just a Little bit of Brav Ery that maybe i lacked a Little in the beginning Patrick its just having the Confidence that youre going to go into the Corner and make it out and beat she pointed to a moment Dur ing this years indy 500 when she Felt there was a pass she had to make in a difficult i was second and chasing Tony Kanaan and i was passing a lapped car Between one and i think it was buddy Patrick i thought to this is for the if you dont keep making these passes and keep up with youre not going to so i tried making the pass on Lazier in the Short be tween one and it was a Brave Man Euver and it didst pay off be cause i got passed by a couple of cars after but that some of the mentality that you need to have to come out on top at the end of the and i think indy was some of the Best driving Ive done in my who joined agr this year after two seasons with Rahal Letterman noted that circumstances often dictate How Well a Driver in the first i had a fast car but i didst have a ton of experience and i want that Good in she in the second i had a car that was slow and i had More experience and i was driving smart real i had no Chance of win this in with a new team and i Only had two test Days before the year an Engi Neer cant read my mind and translate that into a perfect efficient Chance every so this stuff just takes time and certain things just have to be i think the fact that i almost won my first couple of races in in Tycar says a lot about Circum Patrick Why could that happen i had a fast car things Are falling into place its just a matter of getting it another talented teenager headed for Lascar by Mike Harris the associated press Nastars youth movement grew this when Roush Fen Way racing announced it has signed 18year old Colin Braun to its Driver development Braun will compete in select arca races this season and full time in this is an incredible Opp Ortu he i look Forward to learning As much As i and growing As a Driver and a Braun is just the latest precocious youngster signed by a Lascar among Joe Gibbs racing racing notes is already running two Joey Logano and Marc in the Busch East be and 19yearold Brad Cole Man drives Par time in Dale Earnhardt is running the intimidator 17yearold Jeffrey in Busch Braun began racing at age six in Quarter midgets in his Home state of by he was Rac ing in the National Auto sport associations franaml600 prose where he won eight of 11 races and a the following year Braun won eight races in a Row and a second title in the 2000 formula to in he advanced to the Grandam where he currently drives for Krohn racing and is third in the Points stand at he became the Young est Ever rolex prototype the following year he took Home his first Grandam win at the Day Tona you these kids have so much Talent that its unbelief said longtime Lascar Star Mark who discovered Logano and is mentoring his 15yearold son the thing they already have 10 years of experience by the time they hit the elder Martin and its Good expert driving Good equipment in Tough confident Junior coming off a 22ndplace finish monday at where he had two Flat Dale Earnhardt remains confident his team is on track for a spot in the 12man Chase for the Sextel cup entering sundays earn who plans to leave Dale Earnhardt at the end of the is Only 31 Points be Hind let place Mark forget the 22ndplace Earnhardt that car was among the top five cars from the Start of practice on Friday until the race if the rain haunt washed All the rubber off the con i think we would have been right there battling Martin Truex for the win and not wearing our tires Down to the we cant worry about the bad Luck that in the despite everything that happened All the bad Breaks and the Flat tires and being penalized 100 Points were Only a few Points out of 12th Start of the week Mark Martin is Lith in the cup standings de spite sitting out three of 13 races this season As part of his limited Martin has made the most of his seat time wit ii four top fives and six top