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Tales of Turtles 400 Pre-Report

09.13.17

Tales of Turtles 400 Pre-Report

Judy Garland’s character, Dorothy Gale, stated “there’s no place like home” in the 1939 movie classic “Wizard of Oz.” That sentiment rings true for Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), as she competes in Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

Patrick grew up in Roscoe, Illinois, which is 115 miles northwest of the racetrack and 90 miles northwest of Chicago. As a result, she will have a number of friends and family members in attendance. And when racing near home in front of family and friends, a driver wants to be successful.

In addition, as Patrick returns to Chicagoland, she will continue to help promote Aspen Dental’s “Get Started” initiative. 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, they receive help with paperwork and insurance and, with its compassionate dentists and hygienists, Aspen Dental practices make it easier to Get Started – easier on patients’ time, wallets, and mouths.

When Patrick takes to the track at Chicagoland in her No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion this weekend, not only will she be returning to her “home” track and helping Aspen Dental further the “Get Started” effort, she will also be returning to a facility where she has experienced a measure of success. In five NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track, she finished a career-best 19th there in September 2014 and has two top-20 finishes to her credit. In four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, she finished a career-best 10th in June 2011 and has earned three top-15 finishes. Patrick also competed in six IndyCar Series events at Chicagoland, earning a pole award in September 2005, two top-10 race finishes and six top-15s.

This weekend “there’s no place like home” for Patrick as she looks to score another good run for the Aspen Dental team.

 

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

What are your overall thoughts on Chicago?

“I enjoy any reason to get to Chicago. I just love the city. It’s a great place. There’s so much to do – the restaurants, the shopping – it’s just a world-class city. I’ve been going there ever since I got my driver’s license. I would drive downtown and park by the Water Tower and my girlfriend and I would put on our rollerblades and tear it up on Lake Shore (Drive).”

 

You grew up in Roscoe, Illinois, about 115 miles northwest of Chicagoland Speedway. Will you have a lot of family and friends at the race this weekend?

“There are going to be a few out at the track. I normally don’t have a lot because I don’t exactly volunteer tickets because it’s a lot of work and there’s a lot going on during the weekend. For people who come out to the track, you want them to have a good time and, if you don’t feel like you can help them have a good time, then there’s not much point. But it will be nice to have family and friends out. It’s a little different because I rarely have people at the races with me. It’s nice to see everyone and have their support and hopefully we put on a good show for them."

 

Tales of the Turtles 400 Notes of Interest: 

The Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, will mark Danica Patrick’s 181st career start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. In five previous starts at the 1.5 -mile oval, Patrick’s best NASCAR Cup Series finish is a 19th-place effort she earned in September 2014. In four Xfinity Series starts at the track, Patrick’s top result was an 10th-place finish she scored in June 2011. Patrick also competed in six IndyCar Series events at Chicagoland, earning a pole award in September 2005 and two top-10 finishes.

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 fans 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, they receive help with paperwork and insurance, and with its 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.
Heading Home: As the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford team travels to Joliet this weekend, Sunday’s race will be a home state event for not only Patrick, who hails from Roscoe, but also for engine tuner Evan Cupples who is a Hudson, Illinois native.

Raising Awareness: In honor of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Patrick will utilize a special teal-and-gold-accented steering wheel made by Max Papis Innovations in the No. 10 Ford Fusion for on-track activities throughout the month of September. Patrick is one of several NASCAR drivers helping to support The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation’s second annual “Drive for Teal & Gold” steering wheel campaign. The effort is focused on raising awareness and funding for those two causes. At the end of the month, the steering wheel will be signed by Patrick and donated to The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation to be auctioned off via the NASCAR Foundation’s charitable auction site.

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 seven 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.