Danica Patrick Is Looking To Accomplish Stronger On Track Marks At PIR

Entering Sunday’s race, Patrick brings experience from competing in three different series at Phoenix: the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IndyCar Series. In her lone IndyCar start at the mile oval in 2005, Patrick finished 15th. She has competed in five Xfinity Series races at Phoenix and earned a 10th-place result in November 2012. Patrick has made nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track and scored her best finish there – a 16th-place effort – after overcoming a pit-road penalty in November 2015.

As the No. 10 team enters the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, it is looking to accomplish stronger on-track marks. Sunday’s race at Phoenix will be the second of four events during which TaxAct will serve as the primary sponsor on Patrick’s No. 10 Ford and the official tax preparation software partner of SHR, and Patrick is looking for good results from the team, as well.

The leading provider of clear, transparent and affordably priced tax preparation software for DIY filers, TaxAct once again begins this weekend offering race fans the chance to file their 2016 federal and state tax returns using TaxAct Online 2016 Premium Edition at a highly discounted price. If Patrick or any member of the SHR team grabs a top-10 finish in Sunday’s race, or any race beforeApril 18, NASCAR fans can file their tax returns using TaxAct Online Premium Bundle for only $10 – currently priced at $70. This gives filers access to the federal and state forms needed to complete their return no matter how complex their situation, all in, for $10 – offer and pricing subject to change. In the event none of the SHR drivers finish in the top-10 in those races, NASCAR fans can take advantage of a $10 discount off their federal return when they use TaxAct Online Plus or Premium Editions.

Tax filers can get a “Premium Finish” with the running of the Camping World 500k, with applicable discounted pricing available through the following Saturday – offer and pricing subject to change. TaxAct will offer additional opportunities for NASCAR fans to file returns with “Premium Finish” pricing for the NASCAR Cup Series races up to the tax filing deadline on April 18. Fans can lock in their “Premium Finish” price online by visiting TaxAct.com/Ten. With TaxAct’s Price Lock Guarantee, filers are guaranteed to pay the price offered for its online products at the time they register, no matter when they choose to file.

Heading into this weekend at Phoenix, the TaxAct Ford team is looking to improve upon its results thus far with great hopes that a return to the “Valley of the Sun” will bring a “Premium Finish” and, in turn, help fans get a great deal on their taxes.

“I stay out on the West Coast. I lived in Phoenix full-time for 10 years. My house is there, so I base in Phoenix and it’s perfect. Those are long trips, back-and-forth, from the West Coast. Those are four- and five-hour plane rides each way, so it definitely functions logistically a lot easier to just base myself on the West Coast and I think more and more people are doing that. I think it’s smart.”

Are there any other areas on the West Coast that you make a point to visit when you’re out there or that you want to visit when you go out there?

“Not really. When I’m on the West Coast, Phoenix is my base and that’s where I lived for so long. I’ve got a lot of friends there, I’ve got a house and I’ve got all of the creature comforts. It’s not even home away from home, it is home.”

What are your thoughts on racing at Phoenix this weekend?

“We had a solid race at Phoenix last spring but struggled a bit in the fall. We’re looking to do a lot 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 a smooth run and do well.”

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.”

Coming out of Daytona, we hit a stretch of the season that includes Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana. How important is that slate of races?

“The first five races of the year are super-critical for the points championship but, in particular, they’re a good indicator of how the rest of the year is going to go from a performance standpoint. With those tracks, you’re covering all the bases with a short track, being Phoenix, a mile-and-a-half with Atlanta, a mile-and-a-half with Vegas – with Vegas being high-grip and Atlanta being low-grip – and then you go to Fontana, which is a 2-mile, flat, wide oval, so you’ve got a lot of different challenges. If we can perform well as a team at all of those tracks and have the mechanical handling that we need, and good understanding as to what we need there to balance out the aerodynamics – which, hopefully, aero-wise, we’re in good shape – then we’ll have a great start to the year.”

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.”

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

• The Camping World 500k will mark Danica Patrick’s 158th career start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and her 10th at Phoenix International Raceway. Patrick’s top NASCAR Cup Series finish at the track is a 16th-place effort she earned in November 2015. She has three top-20 finishes at Phoenix.
• In addition to her Cup-level experience at the track, 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.
• TaxAct on the No. 10 at Phoenix: With the 2017 tax filing season underway, TaxAct, the leading provider of clear, transparent and affordably priced tax preparation software for DIY filers, will serve as primary sponsor of Patrick’s No. 10 Ford Fusion in Sunday’sCamping World 500k. The race marks the second of four events in which TaxAct, the official tax preparation software partner of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and Patrick, will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 10 Ford Fusion this year.
• Celebrate a “Premium Finish” with TaxAct: TaxAct is once again offering its “Premium Finish” promotion this tax season, starting with Sunday’s Camping World 500k. If Patrick or any member of the SHR team secures a top-10 finish in Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway, NASCAR fans can file their 2016 federal and state tax returns using the TaxAct Online Premium Bundle for only $10 (currently priced at $70). This gives filers access to the federal and state forms needed to complete their TaxAct Online return no matter how complex their tax situation, all in, for $10 (offer and pricing subject to change). If an SHR driver does not finish in the top-10, NASCAR fans can take advantage of a $10 discount off of their federal return when they use TaxAct Online Plus or Premium Editions. Filers can lock in their “Premium Finish” price online by visiting TaxAct.com/Ten and the applicable discounted pricing offer is available through the following Saturday. With TaxAct’s Price Lock Guarantee, filers are guaranteed to pay the price offered for its online products at the time they register, no matter when they choose to file. TaxAct will offer additional opportunities for NASCAR fans to file returns with “Premium Finish” pricing for the NASCAR Cup Series races up to the tax filing deadline on April 18, 2017.
• 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 NASCAR Cup Series 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 (Cup, Xfinity, Truck).
  • Competed in every NASCAR Cup Series race in 2013, becoming the first female driver to complete an entire season in the series.
  • Became the first female to compete in the non-points NASCAR All-Star race (2013) and Sprint Unlimited (2014).
  • Have the most starts of any female in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
  • With six top-10 finishes, holds the record for the most top-10 finishes of any female in NASCAR 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!