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11.08.15
AAA Texas 500 Post-Report
Date: Nov. 8, 2015
Event: AAA Texas 500 (Round 34 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 11th/16th (Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing: 26th (668 points)
Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Danica Patrick and the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) rallied in the late stages of the AAA Texas 500 to score a 16th-place finish after being scored a lap down to the leader with less than 100 laps to go in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Patrick started the event from the 11th position but dropped as far back as 29th in the early portion of the race as she battled an ill-handling car. Crew chief Daniel Knost called for air pressure and chassis adjustments on each trip to pit road to help improve the car’s handling.
In the midst of a long, green-flag run, Patrick went a lap down to the leader at lap 255. She was able to work her way back into the top-20 before the caution flag waved for the final time at lap 311. Knost called for Patrick to stay out and take the wave-around, which put her back on the lead lap when the leaders pitted.
In the closing laps Patrick was able to race the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet up to the 16th position before taking the checkered flag.
“We struggled a bit with the handling on the GoDaddy Chevy for most of the race, but my team never gave up and we were able to take home a solid finish,” Patrick said.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday by finishing third. He led twice for 11 laps en route to his 21st top-five this season and his sixth top-five in 26 career Sprint Cup starts at Texas.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished seventh. It was his 19th top-10 this season and his 14th top-10 in 26 career Sprint Cup starts at Texas.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 42nd after an accident ended his race after only 52 laps.
Jimmie Johnson won the AAA Texas 500 to score his 75th career Sprint Cup victory, his fifth of the season and his sixth at Texas.
After leading 312 laps, Brad Keselowski finished 1.082 seconds behind Johnson in the runner-up spot. Harvick, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were nine caution periods for 47 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval.
As the eighth race in the 10-race Chase, Texas served as the second race in the Eliminator Round. The original, 16-driver Chase field was whittled down to 12 following the Oct. 4 race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway for the Contender Round. The second cutoff race came Oct. 25 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, whereupon the Chase field shrank to eight for the Eliminator Round. The next cutoff race comes Nov. 15 at Phoenix International Raceway, where only four drivers will advance to the final, winner-take-all Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch and Harvick continue to represent SHR in the Chase. Harvick leaves Texas third in points with a 10-point cushion over the cutoff spot. Busch leaves Texas in seventh, 28 points outside of the top-four.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Nov. 15 Phoenix 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. The penultimate race of the 2015 Sprint Cup season starts at 2:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC.