Danica Is Leaning On Experience For Richmond

SHR co-owner Tony Stewart scored his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at the .75-mile oval in September 1999 and has three career wins at the track.

Kevin Harvick first found his way to victory lane at Richmond in the September 2006 Sprint Cup race and has since earned two additional wins there.

Kurt Busch scored his first Sprint Cup Series win at Richmond in September 2005. Last spring, he dominated the field en route to his second victory at the track.

While Stewart, Harvick and Busch have made their mark in the Sprint Cup Series, Danica Patrick’s success at Richmond thus far has come in the open-wheel ranks.

The IndyCar Series competed at Richmond from 2001 to 2009 and Patrick competed in five of those events. She finished sixth in 2007 and 2008, and then scored a fifth-place result in 2009.

Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for SHR, will make her seventh trip to Richmond in the Sprint Cup Series for Sunday’s Richmond 400. In the September 2014 Sprint Cup race at the .75-mile oval, she started 13th and scored her best-ever finish at the track – a 16th-place effort.

After back-to-back finishes of 21st at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and 27th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Patrick enters Richmond looking to turn things around and get back to scoring top-20 results. While she knows her IndyCar experience at Richmond won’t assist her this weekend, Patrick and her No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS team will be leaning on the knowledge of their SHR teammates in an effort to find Sprint Cup success there.

“I tend to like short tracks. I think they make for good passing and I’ve always enjoyed going to Richmond. I had fun racing Indy cars there. I liked driving the Xfinity car there, as well. We didn’t have the greatest results, but it was still fun.”

What makes the racing so good at Richmond?

“When you have a good car, it creates opportunities to pass. Turns one and two are kind of tight, and three and four are more of a long corner, so it’s a challenge to set the car up. We slip and slide there a bunch, anyway. We typically race at Richmond at night, so there’s usually more grip. It’ll be interesting to see how much we’re all sliding around this weekend since it’s going to be a day race.”

With the new aero package and racing during the day versus racing at night at Richmond, what are your expectations for Sunday’s race?

“We are definitely going to be moving around a lot more at Richmond this weekend. I kind of think we’re going to be miserable some of the time. I mean, there are times where the tires fall off and you’re like, ‘Shoot me out here, it’s terrible.’ And I have a feeling we’re going to have a few ‘shoot me’ moments this weekend where it’s just going to be moving all around and it’s going to be a lot of work. But as long as we have the opportunity to pass, I mean, even if you’re slip-sliding around and it feels like crap and you’re passing somebody, it’s still fun.”

Teammates: 

Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Busch Light Chevrolet SS

Brian Vickers – No. 14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet SS

Kurt Busch – No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS

At-Track PR Contact: Annette Randall, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 805, Annette.Randall@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

• The Richmond 400 will mark Danica Patrick’s 127th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and her seventh at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. She finished a career-best 16th there in September 2014. In three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, she finished a career-best 18th in September 2011. Patrick also competed in five IndyCar Series events at Richmond. She earned a fifth-place finish at the track in June 2009 and scored a total of four top-10s.
• Nature’s Bakery Fantern at Richmond: Nicole Natchus, a NASCAR fan who resides in Williamsburg, Virginia, will join the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team Sunday at Richmond as the latest Nature’s Bakery Fantern. The Fantern program was launched in January to energize fans with an opportunity to participate in a unique, at-track journey with Patrick and the No. 10 team. Natchus’ race-day experience will include spending time with the Nature’s Bakery pit crew, a tour of the Sprint Cup garage and pit area, meeting Patrick and watching the race from pit road. The fan internship program is slated for 26 race weekends this season. U.S. residents can visit www.NaturesBakery.com/Fantern to apply to be a part of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team. Fans have two options to submit their applications for the role: submit a one-minute video, or several photos accompanied by a 500-word essay detailing why the fan should be selected as the next Nature’s Bakery Fantern. Each Nature’s Bakery Fantern will get to bring a guest to the track to share in the special at-track journey with the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team. Fanterns will share social media content from their at-track adventure utilizing the #Fantern hashtag.
• Dallas Dogs Available: A plush version of Dallas Stenhouse, the 2-year-old miniature Siberian Husky that belongs to Patrick and her boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr., is now available for sale. Race fans can purchase their own Dallas plush dog at the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team store in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the SHR online store and atShop.DanicaPatrick.com. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will benefit animal charities.
• For the History Books: Since Patrick began competing in NASCAR on a part-time basis in 2010, she has made plenty of history. Here is a recap of how she has altered the record books through the years:
  • ​Became the first woman to win a Sprint Cup pole when she set the fastest time in qualifying for the 2013 Daytona 500.
  • Led laps 90 to 91 of the 2013 Daytona 500, becoming the first female to lead NASCAR’s most prestigious race. She also led laps 127 to 129.
  • Became the first woman to lead a NASCAR race under green (Daytona 2013). Janet Guthrie led five laps under yellow in 1977 at Ontario (Calif.) Motor Speedway.
  • Finished 2013 Daytona 500 in eighth place, the highest finishing position ever for a woman in the “Great American Race.”
  • Finished 10th in 2012 Xfinity Series points, the highest points finish by a woman in the history of NASCAR’s top three series (Sprint Cup, Xfinity, Truck).
  • Competed in every Sprint Cup race in 2013, becoming the first female driver to complete an entire season in the series.
  • Became the first female to compete in the nonpoints Sprint All-Star race (2013) and Sprint Unlimited (2014).
  • Have the most starts of any female in Sprint Cup Series competition.
  • With six top-10 finishes, holds the record for the most top-10 finishes of any female in Sprint Cup Series competition.
• History Maker in IndyCar: Patrick became the first woman to win a major-league open-wheel race in a North American series in April 2008 by winning the IndyCar Series Japan Indy 300 at the Twin Ring Motegi oval in Japan.
• Big Stage: In seven Indianapolis 500 starts, Patrick finished in the top-10 six times, including a third-place result in 2009, the best finish ever for a woman in the historic race.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!