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Food City 500 Race Report

04.18.16

Food City 500 Race Report

Date: April 17, 2016
Event: Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 33rd/27th (Running, completed 498 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 25th (131 points)
Winner: Carl Edwards of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

 

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 27th in Sunday’s Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

“We really just missed it all weekend with our Nature’s Bakery Chevy,” Patrick said. “We just never hit on anything that seemed to work. We were either tight or loose. We did hit on something there at the end where the car would turn, but still not the finish we wanted.”

Handling issues plagued the No. 10 team for much of the race weekend and resulted in a 33rd-place starting spot. Patrick took a measured approach to the start of the 500-lap race, noting early that the car’s handling had trended toward the tight side.

Starting toward the rear of the field at Bristol puts a driver at risk for going a lap down early, and such was the case for Patrick as the race leaders continued to knock down laps, catching the No. 10 Chevy by lap 35. Because her car was handling on the tight side, the only lane that worked to the benefit of Patrick was the top line – the same lane preferred by the race leaders. Patrick fended off the advances of the race leaders for nearly 20 laps and finally scored a reprieve when the first caution was displayed on lap 53.

The team used the caution to make chassis and air pressure adjustments, change four tires and add fuel. Quick pit work placed Patrick in 27th-place for the restart. The tight-handling issue persisted, however, and Patrick finally succumbed to the race leaders, going a circuit behind on lap 107.

As the race progressed the team continued to massage the handling on the No. 10 Chevy. Patrick noted the car’s handling had finally become a little free, and the team used the improved state to gamble a bit by taking the wave-around to the lead lap during the fifth caution on lap 188. The risk was rewarded when the sixth caution was displayed less than 30 laps later with Patrick comfortably on the lead lap.

To pick up some track position, the team elected to stay out during the seventh caution on lap 260, placing Patrick in fourth place for the restart. The Nature’s Bakery driver held her own for several circuits around the halfmile track, but ill-handling became too much to overcome as the laps wound down to 100 to go. She slowly lost position on the leaders and found herself once again in the lap-down category on lap 403.

While the team continued to take big swings at the chassis in an attempt to improve the handling, Patrick was never able to get in position to get back on the lead lap and ultimately finished the day two laps down in 27th.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet SS, led the way for SHR by finishing third. It was Busch’s ninth top-five and 16th top-10 in 31 career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol. It was also his 118th top-five and 228th top-10 in 548 career Sprint Cup starts.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 ditech Home Loans Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished seventh. It was Harvick’s 14th top-10 in 31 career Sprint Cup starts at Bristol. It was also his 264th top-10 in 546 career Sprint Cup starts.

Ty Dillon, interim driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS for SHR as he subs for the injured Tony Stewart, started 34th and finished 25th.

Carl Edwards won the Food City 500 to score his 26th career Sprint Cup victory, his first this season and his fourth at Bristol.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished .766 of a second behind Edwards, while Busch, Chase Elliott and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top-five. Matt DiBenedetto, Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were 15 caution periods for 102 laps with four drivers failing to finish the 500-lap race around the .533-mile oval.

With round eight of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is the new points leader with 287 points, one point ahead of second-place Edwards. Busch is seventh with 247 points, 40 points out of first. Patrick is 25th with 131 points, 156 out of first.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Richmond 400 on Sunday, April 24, at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.