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05.31.17

AAA 400 Drive for Autism Pre-Report

After weeks of poor finishes, Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) travel to Dover (Del.) International Speedway hoping to have luck on their side for Sunday’s AAA 400 Drive for Autism race.

The track, completed in 1969, is a mile in length and features 24 degrees of banking in the corners and 9 degrees of banking on the straightaways. Known for being tough on both drivers and equipment, Dover was nicknamed the “Monster Mile” in the mid-1970s. And in 1995, Dover was resurfaced with concrete, making it one of just two completely concrete tracks on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit, with Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway being the other.

Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford team enter the weekend at Dover on the heels of a string of poor finishes that have been out of their control. In the April event at Bristol, Patrick was sidelined after contact from another driver sent her car into the outside wall two-thirds of the way through the race and left her with a 36th-place finish. Two weeks later, Patrick was collected in an 18-car accident at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway that put her 38th in the final results. The following week, the No. 10 Ford was involved in a fiery accident at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City as a part failure on the No. 22 car resulted in contact with Patrick that sent her spinning into the wall. She went home with a 36th-place finish. Then, last weekend at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Patrick ended up 25th after running over debris early in the race and suffering two cut, right-front tires in the later stages of the event.

After surviving all of that bad luck, Patrick heads to Dover, a track where she has nine NASCAR Cup Series starts under her belt. In that time, she’s earned two top-20 finishes, including a 13th-place result the team scored last May. That effort marked Patrick’s career-best finish at Dover.

In addition to her NASCAR Cup Series experience at Dover, Patrick has made three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, finishing a career-best 16th in the September 2012 race. Patrick also earned a sixth-place result in the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover.

With a solid performance last spring, Patrick and the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford team will be looking to turn their luck around in hopes of scoring yet another good result Sunday at the “Monster Mile.” 

 

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

How tough is Dover to drive?

“It can be a real challenge. It’s quite quick and, when you come off turns two and four, it drops you down like a roller coaster. You just have to have a good setup and make sure everything is working right or it can be a long day. It’s actually a pretty long race, so you have to be prepared. But it’s a fun track and I’m looking forward to it.”

What are your thoughts about Dover?

“I always like going to Dover. The track is pretty fun. I remember everyone telling me how unique and challenging Dover was prior to my first race. At the time, I didn’t have a whole lot to compare that track to. They said it was like a larger version of Bristol, but I hadn’t raced at Bristol yet, either. Dover is fun. It’s fast and it can make for a really long day of racing. I think that’s part of the appeal of it – how demanding it can be. We definitely want to stay out of trouble, which is easier said than done at these types of tracks."

AAA 400 Drive for Autism Notes of Interest: 

The AAA 400 Drive for Autism will mark Danica Patrick’s 167th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and her 10th at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. She finished a career-best 13th there in the May 2016 event at the track. In three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, she finished a career-best 16th in September 2012. Patrick also earned a sixth-place result in the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover.

Get Started with Aspen Dental: As the Official Dentist of NASCAR, the dentists and teams at Aspen Dental practices are making it easier for NASCAR to “Get Started”on their way to a healthier mouth. In March, Aspen Dental, one of the largest and fastest-growing networks of independent dental care providers in the United States, announced a new health initiative with NASCAR and Patrick, called Get Started. Together, they hope to get as many of the 150 million Americans who do not visit the dentist each year to get started or restarted on the road to a healthier mouth. Get Started makes it easier for fans to go to the dentist, no matter what’s holding them back. Fans can visit AspenDental.com/GetStarted to schedule appointments. Get Started is all about making it easier for NASCAR fans and the rest of the public to improve their oral health. There are 600 Aspen Dental practices around the country to choose from. And, from the moment fans make an appointment, to helping them with paperwork and insurance, to the compassionate dentists and hygienists, Aspen Dental practices make it easier to Get Started – easier on patients’ time, wallets, and mouths.

Aspen Dental: With more than 600 offices in 36 states, Aspen Dental-branded practices offer patients a safe, welcoming and judgment-free environment to get the full range of dental care they need along with the convenience and speed of onsite denture labs. That’s why the Aspen Dental network of independent dental care providers is one of the largest and fastest growing in the U.S. and saw more than 1.5 million patients in 2016. To find out more about how Aspen Dental practices make it simply easier for each of their patients to get the healthy mouth they deserve, visit AspenDental.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 more information on One Cure, visit OneCure.com.
 

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.