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Bank of America 500 Pre-Report

10.05.16

Bank of America 500 Pre-Report

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be racing close to home this weekend as the series return to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Bank of America 500. Since most of the race teams and NASCAR industry personnel are based in the Charlotte area, races at the track allow many team members the opportunity to spend extra time with their families and friends after many weeks on the road traveling the circuit.

 

With the organization’s race shop located just 8 miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway, Saturday night’s race is very much a “home game” for Danica Patrick’s No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) team.

 

As Patrick hits the track this weekend, her No. 10 Chevrolet SS will feature the signature blue-and-white colors of Aspen Dental. Saturday night’s race marks the fourth and final event during which Aspen Dental will serve as the primary sponsor on Patrick’s racecar this season. In addition, her car will feature a patriotic scheme, complete with stars and stripes, as a nod to Aspen Dental’s support of U.S. military veterans.

 

Aspen Dental will be honoring more than 1,000 veterans and guests Saturday with a special VIP experience at the Bank of America 500 in a celebration of service and support of access to dental care as a part of its Smile 4 Your Service military veteran recognition program. The experience will include premium grandstand seats, plus access to pit road and the prerace concert by triple-platinum rock band 3 Doors Down. Some of the veterans and guests will also have the opportunity to join NASCAR driver Tony Stewart for an exclusive question-and-answer session moderated by his SHR teammate Patrick. This recognition program is a continuation of Aspen Dental’s support of veterans and a part of the company’s quest to help improve and raise awareness about the oral health needs of veterans.

 

Additionally, Patrick’s No. 10 Aspen Dental team will have a special honorary crew member for Saturday’s race. Last month, she surprised U.S. Army veteran Daryl Pratt on “The Rachael Ray Show” with free comprehensive dental care courtesy of Aspen Dental and invited the native of St. Augustine, Florida to join her team at Charlotte.

 

Saturday’s race will mark Patrick’s ninth Sprint Cup start at the 1.5-mile track. She scored her career-best finish there last October when the No. 10 team earned a 19th-place result. In May, the team finished 21st in the Coca-Cola 600.

 

In addition to her Sprint Cup experience at Charlotte, Patrick has also competed in three NASCAR Xfinity Series races there. Her highest finish was an 11th-place result earned in October 2012.

 

As they aim to score a solid finish in Saturday night’s race at Charlotte, Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet team hope to be all smiles after taking the checkered flag in front of their family and friends. 

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

Your No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS features a special patriotic paint scheme this weekend as Aspen Dental honors more than 1,000 veterans and guests at Saturday’s race. Talk about that.

“I’ve gotten to see first-hand all that Aspen Dental does to support our nation’s veterans. It’s an honor to have such a large contingent of men and women who’ve served our country at Saturday’s race, cheering on the No. 10 Aspen Dental Chevrolet team. Our country’s veterans have given up so much for our freedom and I am proud to have a partner like Aspen Dental that does so much to honor their service and support their access to quality dental care.”

 

What are your overall thoughts about racing at Charlotte?

“I like Charlotte. It’s really nice for the crews because it’s a home race for them. They get to sleep in their own bed and a lot of their family and friends are there. So you want to give them a good performance. It’s fun for me at Charlotte because a lot of the crews have young kids, so it’s fun to meet them and see them around the hauler during the race weekend. It’s just a bit of a different experience than a lot of the tracks we go to.”