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Go Bowling 400 Pre-Report

05.09.17

Go Bowling 400 Pre-Report

When Danica Patrick gets to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City for this weekend’s Go Bowling 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event, she will be looking to celebrate another wonderful race at the 1.5-mile track.   

Entering the weekend, Patrick is looking to score results similar to her May 2014 performance at Kansas, when she started ninth and finished seventh. The effort was one of two times in her career she has started and finished in the top-10, with the other being the 2013 Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, where she started on the pole and finished eighth. Patrick ran well throughout the night at Kansas in 2014 and was scored as high as third late in the race before finishing seventh.

After a top-10 run at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Sunday was derailed by a late-race accident, the timing couldn’t be better for Patrick to return to Kansas. Aside from her seventh-place finish in May 2014, Patrick has earned a total of four top-20 results at the track in NASCAR Cup Series competition. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there, she finished a career-best 10th in October 2012.

Patrick has also made six IndyCar Series starts at Kansas. She qualified on the pole in 2005, and earned one top-five finish and three top-10s at the track in that series.

For Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway, Patrick’s No. 10 Ford Fusion will sport a special paint scheme featuring “Wonder Woman.” The iconic “Wonder Woman” logo appears on the hood and TV panel while “Wonder Woman” herself graces the hood and both door panels. In theaters June 2, Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure “Wonder Woman,” directed by Patty Jenkins.

 

In addition, Patrick’s No. 10 Ford will feature the One Cure initiative through a collaboration with Code 3 Associates. One Cure is a project led by the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center, where innovative cancer treatments for pets are being evaluated in clinical trials to benefit people. The center sees more than 1,500 new animal cancer patients every year, with approximately 400 patients enrolling in carefully monitored clinical trials specific to their cancer type. The canine and feline patients are helping pioneer cancer research, moving cutting-edge treatments out of the laboratory and into clinical practice, ultimately providing hope to the next generation of animal and human cancer patients.

Channeling “Wonder Woman” herself, Patrick and her No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford Fusion team will be looking to have a wonderful weekend at Kansas Speedway.

 

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 "Wonder Woman"/One Cure Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

Your No. 10 Ford Fusion will feature a “Wonder Woman”/One Cure paint scheme this weekend. What do you think of the paint scheme?

“Funny enough, I think the Wonder Woman image on the hood kind of looks like me. Consider (the gauntlets) my front bumper blocking all of the bad stuff or pushing stuff out of the way. And it’s great to have One Cure on the car this weekend, as well. I love dogs and I’m glad we can bring more awareness to all of the work the team at the Flint Animal Cancer Center is doing. Our pets are members of our families and, when they aren’t well, we want to do everything we can to help. Cancer has touched so many of us. Knowing we can use what we learn from keeping our animals healthy to potentially helping save human lives is a cause I’m honored to support.”

 

What are your overall thoughts on going back to Kansas this spring?

“I’ve always liked going to Kansas. It’s a nice facility and I’ve got a lot of experience there compared to some places, even if a lot of it was in IndyCar.”

 

What is the hardest part of the track to figure out at Kansas?

“It’s a fast track. I think it’s the same problem we face at most tracks we go to – you have to get through the center well enough to be comfortable enough to be very aggressive with the throttle at the same time. I think, for sheer speed, you can’t be too loose, but in the race you can’t be too tight or you’ll fall back. These cars are finicky. It’s about focusing on the small things and getting the most out of the car itself instead of trying to throw the kitchen sink at it if you’re a little off. It’s all in the little details. I think that’s the most important thing”

 

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. What has your mother meant to you?

“She’s just a great, great person. She’s kind and she’s always been someone I go to when I need to be comforted. I feel like that’s the role of moms, and my mom definitely does a great job with that. I wish my mom and dad could be at the race every weekend, but they make it to as many as possible. I’m very grateful to have such great parents.”

Go Bowling 400 Notes of Interest: 

The Go Bowling 400 will mark Danica Patrick’s 165th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and her 10th at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. She finished a career-best seventh there in May 2014. In two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there, she finished a career-best 10th in October 2012.
Patrick has also made six IndyCar Series starts at Kansas. In 2005, she qualified on the pole, and she earned one top-five finish and three top-10s at the track in that series.

Wonderful New Paint Scheme for Patrick: For this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway and the Monster Energy Open at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 20, Patrick’s No. 10 Ford Fusion will sport a special paint scheme featuring “Wonder Woman.” In theaters June 2, Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure “Wonder Woman,” directed by Patty Jenkins. In addition, Patrick’s No. 10 Ford will feature the One Cure initiative through a collaboration with Code 3 Associates.

Wonder Woman: Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on its shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers – and her true destiny.

One Cure: Cancer is cancer. The One Cure program is founded on the principle that cancer affects all creatures and that treatment breakthroughs come through collaboration between scientists and doctors who are working with both people and pets. This approach is known as comparative oncology. It is the core of One Cure and serves as the guiding concept for the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University. The center works to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pets and, by working with the human medical field, translates research findings and knowledge to help people with cancer. For more information, visit onecure.com.

Dallas Dogs Available: A plush version of Dallas Stenhouse, the 3-year-old miniature Siberian Husky that belongs to Patrick and her boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr., is now available for sale. Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will donation a portion of the proceeds from sales of the Dallas dogs throughout the month of May at the SHR retail store and online shop to One Cure. In addition, Patrick will match the team’s donation to One Cure.

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.