Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin wreck in Daytona 500 practice run

Danica Patrick and Denny Hamlin wrecked during Daytona 500 practice Wednesday.

Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet sustained enough damage that she was forced to switch to a backup car and will have to start at the back of the field in the second of two qualifying races today. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota was repairable.

Patrick and Hamlin started the pileup by making contact coming out of turn two. Casey Mears, Michael Annett and Jeb Burton also were involved.

Patrick called it “the nature of pack racing,” while Hamlin said, “You always have to give a little bit extra room in practice.” Neither driver took full blame.

NASCAR tweaks its qualifying practices

Just days after Daytona 500 pole qualifying turned into a debacle, NASCAR tweaked qualifying procedures for its lower series at Daytona International Speedway.

The Xfinity Series and the Camping World Trucks fields will be divided into four groups instead of two for the first round and will last 2 1/2 minutes instead of 5.

That should force cars to leave pit road instead of playing cat-and-mouse games with other competitors.

NASCAR also will stage cars on pit road in a single file before the clock starts. When the cars pull out of line, they must leave pit road.

On Sunday, the Daytona 500 qualifying session was done in knockout rounds for the first time in 57 years. Drivers jockeyed for position on pit road, leading to a traffic jam.