Danica Is Looking To Out-Perform Her Texas Results This Week At Phoenix

As Patrick arrives at Phoenix, she will be looking to outperform her effort at the track last fall. In November 2015, Patrick started 21st and earned a 16th-place finish in the rain-shortened event. In eight starts at Phoenix, that effort marked her career-best result at the mile oval. She has scored a total of three top-20 finishes at Phoenix.

In addition to Patrick’s Sprint Cup results at Phoenix, Patrick has competed in five NASCAR Xfinity Series events at the track, earning a top finish of 10th in November 2012.

Patrick has also made one IndyCar Series start at Phoenix, which resulted in a 15th-place finish in 2005.

Entering Sunday’s race, Patrick and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team’s journey through the 2016 season has resulted in 13 top-20 finishes and 30 laps led. This weekend, Patrick and the team will be looking to improve on those results and score a top-10 finish at Phoenix.

Talk about returning to Phoenix for this weekend’s race.

“The Phoenix area just has amazing amenities, like great grocery stores, great restaurants and great shopping. When it comes to the track itself, the fans are such a big part of everything. They get in early to camp out and it’s like they have their own little city. They even have a grocery store at the track. There’s always a really big crowd at Phoenix and it’s great to see how much this area supports our sport.”

What are your thoughts on racing at Phoenix this weekend?

“We had a solid race at Phoenix last fall and hopefully we can do even better when we return to the track this weekend. I like Phoenix and think it’s a great track, so I hope we can have another smooth run and do well.”

We’re closing in on the end of the season. How do you approach these final races?

“I feel like the 10 races of the Chase for us on the No. 10 team have been an effort to try and figure out where we want to start next year from certain technical specifications – car-wise, what-not – and setups. We’re trying to get a direction so that next year, when we start out, we start out bigger, better, stronger and faster. It’s always a challenge when you work together with a crew chief for the first time. Sometimes it works right away and sometimes it takes time. I think we’re coming around. There’s no way you can really put a timeline on how long it takes for you to finally really click and get things going, but we’re getting there. We’ve got a couple of races to go this year and I like them all.”

Do you have a lot of friends coming out for this race?

“I always have a lot of friends who come out for the races in Phoenix. It’s a nice track for everyone to come out to and, hopefully, everyone has a good time.”

Teammates: 

Kevin Harvick – No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS

Tony Stewart – No. 14 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 Can-Am 500k will mark Danica Patrick’s 153rd career start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and her ninth at Phoenix International Raceway. Patrick’s top Sprint Cup finish at the track is a 16th-place effort she earned last fall. In addition, Patrick has competed in five NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Phoenix, earning a top finish of 10th in November 2012. She also made one IndyCar Series start at the mile oval, which resulted in a 15th-place finish in 2005.
• Returning Home: Sunday’s race at Phoenix will be a homecoming for Todd Drakulich, the front tire carrier for the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS team. Drakulich hails from Tucson, Arizona, located nearly 140 miles southeast of the track.
• Nature’s Bakery Fantern at Phoenix: Kami Sutton, a NASCAR fan who resides in Bothell, Washington, will join the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team Sunday at Phoenix as the final Nature’s Bakery Fantern of the 2016 season. 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. Sutton’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 ran throughout the 2016 season and Fanterns have shared 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 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 at Shop.DanicaPatrick.com. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will benefit animal charities.
• 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/.
• 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!