Danica Patrick Will Trying To Build On Her Charlotte Results

Patrick started 13th in last Sunday’s race in Charlotte and, after running inside the top-10, took home an 11th place finish. The result marked the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet team’s best finish of 2016.

Fresh off that effort at Charlotte, returning to Kansas Speedway couldn’t have come at a better time for Patrick and the team. Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile track, like Charlotte, and it’s also the site of Patrick’s first Sprint Cup top-10 finish on a 1.5-mile track. She earned that result in May 2014 when she took the checkered flag seventh. It was one of six top-10 finishes Patrick has scored thus far in her Sprint Cup career.

All told, Patrick has competed in eight Sprint Cup races at Kansas. In that time, she has scored one top-10 and three top-20 finishes. In addition, in two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, she finished a career-best 10th in October 2012 and took home a 15th-place result in October 2011.

Patrick has also made six IndyCar Series starts at Kansas. In 2005, she earned the pole award for the IndyCar race at the track. Her best finish was a fifth-place effort in 2009, and she scored a total of three top-10 finishes at the track in that series. Aside from a 19th-place finish due to a mechanical failure in 2008, Patrick didn’t finish outside of the top-11 in IndyCar Series competition at Kansas.

After last week’s solid performance at Charlotte, the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet team hopes a return to Kansas Speedway, where Patrick has run well in three major professional racing series, will result in continued on-track success in the form of a top-10 run Sunday.

“I’ve always liked going to Kansas. It’s a nice facility and I’ve got a lot of experience there compared to some places, even if a lot of it is in IndyCar.”

What is the hardest part of the track to figure out at Kansas?

“Kansas is a fast track and we fight the same problems there that we face at most tracks we go to – you have to get through the center well enough to be comfortable enough to be very aggressive with the throttle at the same time. I think that, for sheer speed, you can’t be too loose, but in the race you can’t be too tight or you’ll fall back.

“These cars are finicky. It’s about focusing on the small things and getting the most out of the car itself instead of trying to throw the kitchen sink at it if you’re a little off. It’s all in the little details. I think that’s the most important thing”

Teammates: 

Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet SS

Tony Stewart– No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 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 Hollywood Casino 400 will mark Danica Patrick’s 149th career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and her ninth at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. She finished a career-best seventh there in May 2014. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there, she finished a career-best 10th in October 2012. Patrick has also made six IndyCar Series starts at Kansas. In 2005, she qualified on the pole for the IndyCar race at Kansas, and she earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes at the track in that series.
• Nature’s Bakery Fantern at Kansas: Logan McKenzie, a NASCAR fan who resides in Clarence, Missouri, will join the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team Sunday at Kansas 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. McKenzie’s 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 to run throughout the 2016 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.
• Patrick Partners with Williams-Sonoma to Benefit No Kid Hungry: Williams-Sonoma recently launched its latest campaign to benefit No Kid Hungry and, as part of the effort, the retailer revealed its “Cook for a Cause” program, which includes a line of limited-edition, celebrity-designed spatulas. Williams-Sonoma will donate 30 percent of the retail price to No Kid Hungry, which can connect a child with 10 healthy meals for just $1. This year’s spatulas feature illustrations contributed by Jimmy Kimmel, Chrissy Teigen, Trisha Yearwood, Giada De Laurentiis, Ina Garten, Michael Voltaggio, Ayesha Curry, American Girl and Patrick. The limited-edition collection is on sale in stores and online:http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/new/new-no-kid-hungry/.
• 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 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!