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04.10.16
Duck Commander 500 Race Report
Date: April 9, 2016
Event: Duck Commander 500 (Round 7 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 26th/21st (Running, completed 332 of 334 laps)
Point Standing: 24th (117 points)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) scored a 21st-place finish in Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
After the start of the race was delayed nearly two hours by rain, Patrick lined up in the 26th position for the green flag. She was able to pick up several spots at the start of the event but remained just outside of the top-20 for much of the first half of the race. The rain-cooled air made track conditions for the race drastically different from practice, so the team made a number of wedge and air pressure adjustments throughout the event to help improve the car’s handling.
Patrick worked her way up to 19th at lap 180 and remained in the top-20 until several cars elected to take the wave-around following a lap-211 caution. Crew chief Billy Scott attempted to utilize pit strategy to put the team in position to gain ground on the final two runs of the race, but the caution flag waved at lap 278, just three laps after Patrick had pitted for what the team planned to be their final stop of the race. She was able to take the wave-around and restart from the 25th position at lap 284.
In the final 50 laps of the race, Patrick picked up several positions to score a 21st-place finish.
“That’s not the finish we wanted tonight,” Patrick said. “We struggled a bit early in the race, but Billy and the guys did a great job of making changes that definitely helped make the car better in the second half.”
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Saturday night at Texas with a ninth-place finish. Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 10th. Brian Vickers, interim driver of the No. 14 TaxAct Military Files Free Chevrolet SS for SHR as he subs for the injured Tony Stewart, finished 37th after being collected in an accident on lap 290 of tonight’s 334-lap race.
Kyle Busch won the Duck Commander 500 for his 36th career Sprint Cup win, his second in a row, and his second win and sixth top-10 finish of the season. It was also his 11th top-10 finish and second career win at Texas.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 3.904 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson and rookie Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Harvick comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were seven caution periods for 41 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race.
With round seven of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is third with 252 points, seven behind new leader Kyle Busch. Kurt Busch is seventh with 208 points, 51 out of first. Patrick is 24th with 117 points, 142 out of first. Vickers is 31st with 86 points, 173 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 17, at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.