Danica Patrick peeved after accident

STAR female driver Danica Patrick was restrained by security officers from confronting Australian Ryan Briscoe after a pit lane collision.

It cost Patrick any chance of becoming the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500.

While Brisbane-born New Zealander Scott Dixon stayed ahead of the trouble to win the race, Patrick was furious that she could not avoid running into Briscoe as he exited his pit stall on lap 171 of 200, ending the race for both of them.

Patrick jumped out of her car and stormed down pit lane in search of Briscoe until security officials stopped her.

"As people pull out of their pit boxes, if you are in the outside lane, then they have to wait to blend in," said Patrick, who last month became the first woman to win an IndyCar series race with her triumph in Japan.

"It looked like it was pretty obvious what happened. You just don't come out of your pit box and swing three lanes out."

The diminutive Patrick has made a point of standing her ground and has had several run-ins with rival drivers, including a well-publicised argument and shoving match with Dan Wheldon after a race in Milwaukee last year.

Asked what would have happened if she had reached Briscoe's pit area, she replied: "It is probably best I didn't get down (there) anyway, isn't it?"

Briscoe, who was credited with 23rd place, one spot behind

Patrick was seventh at the time of the crash. She finished 22nd.

"I don't know if we had enough speed to win the thing," she said outside her garage after cooling off. But, she added, "We were looking at a top five in the Indy 500."

Briscoe maintained his innocence, saying Patrick had room to get around him to the right.

"She's pointing fingers, but that's pretty typical of her," Briscoe said. "I'm not here to get in fights and rumbles. We can sort it out nice and quietly. I'm sure as soon as she sees the replay, she'll understand she's out of line."