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Tag: Nascar

  • Verizon and NASCAR Partner to Deliver 5G and WiFi to Racetracks

    Verizon and NASCAR Partner to Deliver 5G and WiFi to Racetracks

    Verizon and NASCAR have partnered to bring improved WiFi and 5G connectivity to 12 NASCAR-owned racetracks around the country.

    The two companies’ goal is to modernize the 12 racetracks, providing improved connectivity to drivers, teams and fans, starting with improved WiFi. The partnership sees Verizon become the Official Wireless Telecommunications and 5G Mobility Partner of NASCAR. The company will also be the Official At-Track Wi-Fi Partner of the 12 racetracks.

    “The thousands of fans attending NASCAR events across the country need reliable connectivity to share and send photos and videos of races in real-time, stay up-to-date on their favorite drivers, and connect with fellow fans inside and outside the track,” said George Fischer, Senior Vice President, 5G Ecosystems and Alliances for Verizon Business Group. “As the official wireless provider for NASCAR, we are looking forward to enhancing the fan experience today and working together to revolutionize the future of the racing experience for drivers and fans.”

    The news comes on the heals of Verizon investing $80 million to improve their 5G network in Miami in preparation for the Super Bowl. With these moves, its obvious Verizon is focusing on high-concentration areas and venues with their 5G rollout.

  • Danica Patrick Pretends To Be A Lyft Driver For A Day, Surprises Fans

    Danica Patrick Pretends To Be A Lyft Driver For A Day, Surprises Fans

    NASCAR star Danica Patrick became an ordinary Lyft car driver for a day and surprised her riders with her mad driving sills.

    Wearing a grey knitted cap, black leather jacket and a pair of shades, Danica Patrick was able to conceal her real identity. Those passengers she picked up in Charlotte, North Carolina experienced an exciting ride with the pro racer.

    Danica Patrick entertained her passengers with a few moves on the street and even tried to get other drivers to race her, but of course she was still very careful considering she was driving on the streets of North Carolina and not on the circuit.

    “I try and get in, like, 500 miles on Sundays, and I try and do it in, like, under four hours,” Patrick said to one unsuspecting passenger when she tried to give clues as to her real identity. In the video, she repeatedly said she loved making “left turns.”

    However, her passengers were totally unaware that they got a ride from a NASCAR star. One guy described Danica Patrick as “awesome” when the she asked of his opinion about “the girl who races.” Another rider said his favorite race car driver was Danica Patrick and he had no idea he was with the very person.

    When she revealed her identity, the passengers were all surprised. They all took selfies with the star before parting. Everybody seemed to have enjoyed their once-in-lifetime joy ride.

    Watch Danica Patrick Take These Unsuspecting Passengers for a Joy Ride

    On Sunday, Danica Patrick will be driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, her new team, with new crew chief, Billy Scott and sponsor, Nature’s Bakery. The racer is keeping her hopes up that the changes will bring her first Sprint Cup victory in five years on the track this year.

    Lyft had previously enlisted Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and NFL star Jerry Rice as Lyft drivers.

  • Danica Patrick Fined $50k For Deliberate Crash On David Gilliland

    Things got heated up on Martinsville Speedway on Sunday when driver Danica Patrick intentionally crashed into David Gilliland’s No. 38 car during a Sprint Cup race.

    The collision is reported to have stemmed from an earlier scuffle between the two drivers, in which Gilliland pushed Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet up against the outer wall.

    This isn’t the first time that Patrick and Gilliland have bumped heads – or cars – on the track. Ever since the former 2005 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year transitioned to NASCAR in 2010, she and Gilliland frequently shared the same spot in the races.

    During a Kansas Speedway race in 2013, Patrick warned, “He tries to take me out every time. Tell his spotter that I’m coming after him if he does it again. In fact, I might just do it right now.”

    Gilliland responded to the “threat” with a brief “Shut up and race.”

    As a result of the offense, Patrick was given a $50,000 fine and took off 25 series championship driver points. She is also banned from participating in any of the NASCAR races until the end of the year. It is worth noting that the damage on Patrick’s car was far greater than that of Gilliland’s

    Aside from Patrick, Matt Kenseth also got penalties when he also deliberately wrecked Joey Logano’s No. 22 car on the same race.

    In a previous race on the Kansas Speedway, Logano had hit Kenseth, causing the latter to spin out of the lead. Kenseth claims that the contact was intentional, which prompted him to retaliate.

    NASCAR gave Kenseth a two-race suspension as well as a six-month probation period.

  • Danica Patrick Lets Temper Take Over, Gets $50,000 Reprimand From NASCAR

    Danica Patrick has let her temper fly before on the track, but on Sunday she finally pushed the boundaries a bit too far when she reportedly deliberately slammed into another driver as retribution, earning her an official Behavioral Penalty from NASCAR officials.

    Patrick allegedly wanted revenge after she and fellow driver David Gilliland got tangled up on the track on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, slamming into his car twice before heading back to the garage. While it’s unclear whether Gilliland hit her on purpose, things got heated between them over the radio before Danica slammed him up against the wall and then hit him from behind. She has since been fined $50,000, docked 25 points from the Sprint Cup Series numbers, and is on probation until December.

    Danica Patrick made headlines earlier this year when she and longtime friend Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an altercation on the track at Kentucky Speedway; after Earnhardt reportedly had trouble with his brakes and accidentally tapped the back of her car, Patrick became agitated and slammed into him in retaliation. Later, Dale said he didn’t understand why she thought he would hit her on purpose.

    “The brakes got worse and worse and worse and I probably shouldn’t have been racing as hard as I was when we ran into the back of Danica. But I went into that corner and mashed the brakes to the floor. I pumped it three times all the way to the floor and then ran into her. There wasn’t anything I could do. It sucks. I don’t like running into Danica because it gets a little too much attention, but I’m sorry for that,” Earnhardt said. “I mean, as hard as I hit her, what the hell did she think I was doing? Trying to wreck her?. We ain’t got no problem. It’s not like we were having a problem out on the racetrack with her. It’s not like I just drew her name out of a hat and decided she was the one I was going to run into tonight.”

  • Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Feuding After Kentucky Crash?

    Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been longtime friends, but the NASCAR drivers had a bit of bad blood between them on Saturday at Kentucky Speedway, and now fans are wondering whether they’ll make up in time to take the track in New Hampshire this weekend.

    The trouble began when Earnhardt Jr. crashed into the back of Patrick’s car on accident after having issues with his brakes. The incident angered Patrick and she reportedly cursed at him over the radio and then hit him back as the two of them were leaving the track. After the race, reporters say, she stalked off and wouldn’t speak to reporters, but Dale talked a bit about what happened afterward and seemed confused as to why she was so upset.

    “The brakes got worse and worse and worse and I probably shouldn’t have been racing as hard as I was when we ran into the back of Danica. But I went into that corner and mashed the brakes to the floor. I pumped it three times all the way to the floor and then ran into her. There wasn’t anything I could do. It sucks. I don’t like running into Danica because it gets a little too much attention, but I’m sorry for that,” Earnhardt said. “I mean, as hard as I hit her, what the hell did she think I was doing? Trying to wreck her?. We ain’t got no problem. It’s not like we were having a problem out on the racetrack with her. It’s not like I just drew her name out of a hat and decided she was the one I was going to run into tonight.”

    Earnhardt still ended up finishing ahead of Patrick, which may have had something to do with her frustration; as one of the few female drivers on the NASCAR circuit, Danica Patrick has received quite a bit of attention from the media and from her fellow drivers, and not all of it is positive. Racing legend Richard Petty had a few choice words to say about her, telling reporters that she’s not a race car driver.

    “She can go fast, and I’ve seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast…she’s not a race car driver. There’s a difference,” Petty said.

  • Danica Patrick Takes Fastest Time In Practice After Wreck Shakes Drivers Up

    Danica Patrick took the highest time in Friday’s practice run ahead of the Coke Zero 400 after a wreck led some drivers to sit out.

    Patrick topped 198 mph during the practice, leading Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne to round out the top five. A huge wreck at the beginning of the hour-long run involved 11 cars and shook up some of the drivers, who either opted out of the last practice before Sunday’s race or chose to do single-car runs.

    Patrick has had a good season after being on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from fellow drivers, including veteran Richard Petty, who has spoken out more than once about Danica. Petty said last year that Patrick gets attention because she’s good at marketing herself, but at the end of the day, she’s not a race car driver.

    “That’s where I have a problem. Where fans have bought into the hype of the marketing, to think she’s a race car driver. She can go fast, and I’ve seen her go fast. She drives the wheels off it when she goes fast…she’s not a race car driver. There’s a difference. The King always had that stupid saying, but it’s true, ‘Lots of drivers can drive fast, but very few drivers can race.’ Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs. She can go fast, but she can’t race,” Petty said.

    Friday was the final practice before Sunday’s race, but Danica Patrick will join her fellow drivers on Saturday for qualifying.

  • Taya Kyle: Chris Kyle’s Widow Receives Stonewall Jackson Award from NASCAR

    Taya Kyle, the widow of Chris Kyle, upon whom the film American Sniper , starring Bradley Cooper, is based, was honored by NASCAR before the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Sunday. She became the first woman ever to receive the Stonewall Jackson Award.

    According to a report from People magazine, the Stonewall Jackson Award is given to “those individuals who demonstrate the highest standards of patriotism.”

    Prior to Sunday’s race, Taya Kyle talked about Chris Kyle’s love of NASCAR and how it came to be.

    Kyle claimed her late husband initially wasn’t a fan, saying he “never got into it.”

    It was after attending a NASCAR military appreciation event that Chris Kyle became hooked.

    “He got to go behind the scenes and he saw the pit crew, and he thought they were such bad-asses because one of the guys broke his finger during the change and didn’t even stop and just kept going,” Taya Kyle said. “Everything was so precise, and then he got to see the strategy behind the race and all that, and he was in love with NASCAR from then on. He was just like a ridiculous fan after that.”

    Chris Kyle got to meet Dale Earnhardt, Jr. once, and that sealed the deal for him.

    “Meeting Dale Jr. was really cool to him because there were some high-ranking officials who were in the tent, and he remembered Dale saying, ‘You know, what? They can wait. I’m talking to these guys; these are guys on the ground,’” Taya Kyle said. “And he spent some time laughing with them and talking with them, and that really endeared him to Chris.”

    How nice that NASCAR awarded Taya Kyle with the Stonewall Jackson Award. In addition to the honor of being the first female recipient of the award, she no doubt feels her husband’s eternal pride.

  • Patricia Driscoll Denies Accusations of Being a Trained Assassin by Her Ex, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch

    Patricia Driscoll, former girlfriend of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and president of the Armed Forces Foundation, denies accusations by the driver known as “The Outlaw” of being a trained assassin.

    In a court appearance Tuesday, Busch said he believes his ex-girlfriend is a trained killer who has completed numerous covert missions around the world. He also said she once returned home in a blood-splattered gown.

    “Everybody on the outside can tell me I’m crazy, but I lived on the inside and saw it firsthand,” Busch said in testimony.

    Driscoll, an author, philanthropist and executive producer of the military documentary The Which I Love Destroys Me, called Busch’s accusation “ludicrous,” adding that she believes he came up with the idea “straight from a fictional movie script” she has been working on for the past eight years.

    The former couple have continuously exchanged accusations with the intention of discrediting the other in court proceedings over a no-contact order requested by Driscoll.

    Busch contends she is a scorned woman out to destroy his career following a breakup, and she asserts that he assaulted her, slamming her head three times against a bedroom wall of his motorhome at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26

    In court, Busch never faltered in his assertion that she was an assassin, claiming that she had missions in Central and South America and Africa. He said she showed him pictures of bodies with gunshot wounds that she said was her doing and claimed that a female character in Zero Dark Thirty was based, in part, on her.

    Last month, a personal assistant to Busch and Driscoll, Michael Doncheff, also claimed that Driscoll told him that she was a trained assassin for the U.S. government, reportedly telling him, “I take down foreign governments. I own Washington.”

    Driscoll told The Associated Press late Tuesday that Busch’s accusations are ridiculous.

    “These statements made about being a trained assassin, hired killer, are ludicrous and without basis and are an attempt to destroy my credibility,” Driscoll said. “Not even Rusty Hardin believes this.”

    “I find it interesting that some of the outlandish claims come straight from a fictional movie script I’ve been working on for eight years,” she added.

  • Sprint’s NASCAR Sponsorship to End After 2016

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be no more after the 2016 season.

    Well, at least not under the name “Sprint”.

    Sprint has announced it has told NASCAR that it will not extend its sponsorship past 2016, citing a desire to focus on its “core business priorities”.

    “We are proud of our association with NASCAR’s top series but have made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. “As we look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless. Sprint has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports. Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable investment for us and will be for our successor.”

    NASCAR’s most prestigious endeavor has been known as the Sprint Cup Series since 2008. Nextel actually signed an agreement with NASCAR in 2004, and until 2008 it was called the Nextel Cup Series. Sprint and Nextel merged in 2008.

    Last year, Sprint and NASCAR extended the contract through 2016 – so NASCAR has a little bit of time to find another sponsor.

    “The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an outstanding new partner,” NASCAR chief communications officer Brett Jewkes said in a statement. “In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint’s partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons.”

    Image via NASCAR, Facebook

  • Danica Patrick Continues to Drive Pink Car For Breast Cancer Awareness

    Danica Patrick will once again race in a pink Chevrolet SS as she heads to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia this weekend for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 race. Patrick also drove the pink version of her number 10 GoDaddy car at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway the past two weekends.

    The car is painted pink to raise awareness for breast cancer. October is breast cancer awareness month and the paint job is part of GoDaddy’s “Put the Brakes on Breast Cancer” program.

    This week a new twist on the paint job will be seen in Martinsville. As part of the GoDaddy program fans were encouraged to donate at least $10 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Fans who did so were able to place their name or a loved one’s name on the car. The car now has hundreds of names of people affected by breast cancer featured on it, including some that Patrick herself donated for.

    “GoDaddy has done a lot to raise awareness about breast cancer,” said Patrick. “For this week we have a lot of names on the car of people that are affected by breast cancer. I know I put a few on there, including Holly Cain. I know the Gibson’s donated and put some names on there as did others from SHR (Stewart Haas Racing), GoDaddy, and of course the fans. It’s just a good way to raise awareness and remember the people affected by this terrible disease.”

    Holly Cain is a NASCAR.com reporter who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

    As for the race itself, Patrick has only had three starts at the short Martinsville track. She finished 32nd during her last outing at Martinsville this past March. Despite that recent history Patrick this week stated that she and crew chief Tony Gibson are hoping to “put together a good run” for the names featured on the side of the car.

  • Danica Patrick Discusses Relationship With Stenhouse

    Danica Patrick revealed a softer side in a piece for the Derek Jeter-founded sports website, The Player’s Tribune.

    Patrick revealed what it is like to make a not-so-normal workplace relationship work and what keeps two aggressive race car drivers in love and why that can sometimes be a difficult task.

    “The sports media prefers simple narratives: Good vs. Evil. Teammates vs. Enemies. NASCAR can be a lot more complicated. The truth is that there are more misunderstandings than understandings between Ricky and I, because our only mentality is to go flat-out. Hard, hard, hard.”

    Danica Patrick added, “I want to take care of him out there just like I would a teammate, but at the same time, I want to beat him because I respect him so damn much as a driver. Right now, only 13 points separate us in the standings, so beating him means beating someone who is really good, which is my job.”

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    Happy birthday @stenhousejr!!! I love you!

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    Patrick is obviously very much in love with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. So much so that the couple sleeps side-by-side on many nights and have a dog together, which, interestingly, has its own Twitter account.

    But, aside from all of the special circumstances that surround Danica Patrick and her love, and the added attention one garners being a female race car driver, their relationship seems to be running along quite smoothly. By their standards, anyway.

    Danica Patrick says of Stenhouse, Jr.,

    “Look, if it’s crazy to want to go to sleep next to the person who ran your car off the road going 200 miles per hour earlier that day, then I’m certifiable. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a balls-to-the wall, go-hard-or-go-home, lift-only-when-you-see-God-twice kind of NASCAR driver. He’s Ford. I’m Chevy. It’s the Montagues and the Capulets. He’s grits. I’m granola. We’re the opposite in almost every way.”

    Patrick added, “He’s also extremely cuddly, which really helps his cause, because sometimes I’m not very happy with him.”

    That could be said of many good relationships, right?

  • Danica Patrick Opens Up About Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Relationship On Derek Jeter’s New Players’ Tribune

    Super-star athletes are turning into editors, and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick just joined their ranks. Patrick wrote an editorial about her love life titled “Relationship Status: Normal-ish” for the Players’ Tribune. At the bottom, the piece read “Danica Patrick / Senior Editor”.

    “Look, if it’s crazy to want to go to sleep next to the person who ran your car off the road going 200 miles per hour earlier that day, then I’m certifiable. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a balls-to-the wall, go-hard-or-go-home, lift-only-when-you-see-God-twice kind of NASCAR driver. He’s Ford. I’m Chevy. It’s the Montagues and the Capulets. He’s grits. I’m granola. We’re the opposite in almost every way,” she wrote.

    What’s the secret of the relationship then? “He’s also extremely cuddly,” she wrote. But then, the piece begins to get more serious as Patrick begins to discuss more than just her relationship, and goes into a statement about the sports world at large. “The sports media prefers simple narratives: Good vs. Evil. Teammates vs. Enemies. NASCAR can be a lot more complicated.”

    Who is responsible for giving athletes a voice beyond a soundbite at ESPN? Derek Jeter. Although he is no longer a Yankee, Jeter has partnered with Legendary Entertainment to launch the Players’ Tribune, according to the Hollywood reporter.

    “I am working with other athletes, with editors and with producers to create a platform that gives us a chance to say what’s on our minds. It’s called The Players’ Tribune. Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing a strong core of athlete editors and contributors who will shape the site into an online community filled with first-person stories and behind-the-scenes content,” he wrote, “My goal is for the site to ultimately transform how athletes and newsmakers share information, bringing fans closer than ever to the games they love.”

    What can we expect next from this website? “The Players’ Tribune is a platform for athletes to tell their unfiltered stories,” editorial director Gary Hoenig told the Hollywood Reporter, “They can discuss whatever they want. The common denominator is content will always be fresh and direct from the source.” According to the Wrap, the next editor-athlete for the Players’ Tribune is set to be announced on October 16th.

  • Knight Rider Now Played By Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Funny or Die strikes comedy gold again. This time by putting NASCAR racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the place of David Hasselhoff. And by turning KITT into a whiny, critical, female, who doesn’t like to drive fast or take chances.

    Knight Rider was a television hit for NBC from 1982 to 1986. KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) was an artificially intelligent car that could drive itself, shoot weapons, and do anything to help Michael Knight (Hasselhoff) fight crime.

    Fast forward almost 30 years, and now it’s Earnhardt Jr. spoofing the 80s sci-fi drama. The two obvious changes are that KITT went from Trans Am to Camaro (which is what Earnhardt Jr. drives), and the voice of the car, performed by Funny or Die mainstay Angela Trimbur, went from male to female.

    As the video unfolds, we see that KITT is like an over-attentive mother to Earnhardt Jr. She makes disparaging remarks about his junk food diet, she impedes on his dating life, and she doesn’t want him to drive over the speed limit.

    Here’s a look at the video:

    In real life, 39-year-old Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most winning NASCAR drivers competing today. He’s won the Daytona 500 twice in 2004 and 2014 and has 19 career victories. He’s also been selected by race fans as the winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award 11 times in a row.

    What did you think of the video? Funny or Die?

  • Danica Patrick Out Of Chase For Sprint Cup

    Danica Patrick is no longer in the running for the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year, as she failed to finish in Victory Lane at Richmond, but she certainly has proven herself a worthy member of the Stewart-Haas Racing team with her performance this season.

    Although she missed out on the top 15 and needed another “Lucky Dog” to remain on the lead lap, it was still a career-best result at the track.

    “It was a good day. Everyone on the GoDaddy team worked hard; we had good night. I’m proud of where we have been the last two weeks, and tonight was by far our best run at Richmond. It was a good job by the team,” said Patrick about the night after the race. “If we could have got one more caution, it would have been nice. But it didn’t happen. Still, I’m proud of these guys and for GoDaddy. It’s our best run here by far. We’ve been testing a lot, so hopefully everyone can wind down on Sunday before we get ready for Chicago.”

    Patrick, who started racing with go-karts at 10, was the first woman to win a Sprint Cup pole after qualifying first for the Daytona 500 in February 2013.

    Patrick made history again by coming home sixth in the Oral-B USA 500 in Atlanta earlier this month, which was the best ever for a woman at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. She took the record from Janet Guthrie who finished 10th in March 1978.  This is not only Patrick’s best result of the season but also the best finish of her Sprint Cup career.

    Along with her career-best sixth in Atlanta, the 32-year-old racer has had nine top-20 finishes this year, just one short of tying her mark from last season. Patrick finished 28th in the Sprint Cup standings, with Richmond marking the end of the regular season.

    The ten-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins in Chicago, with 16 drivers. Patrick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are in the hunt.

  • Danica Patrick Closes Out the Season at Richmond

    Following an impressive showing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway over Labor Day weekend, Danica Patrick finished up the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup regular season in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday. Patrick finished in 16th place during the Federated Auto Parts 400 held at the Richmond International Raceway.

    “It was a good day,” said Patrick. “Everyone on the GoDaddy team worked hard; we had good night. I’m proud of where we have been the last two weeks, and tonight was by far our best run at Richmond. It was a good job by the team.”

    Patrick started the race in 13th and ran between 10th and 20th during the entire race. On lap 330 Patrick was in 16th and one lap down when the caution flag was raised due to a fan that had scaled a retaining fence on the track. The caution allowed Patrick to gain a lap via the beneficiary rule (also known as the “lucky dog” rule), though she remained in 16th for the rest of the race.

    “If we could have got one more caution, it would have been nice,” said Patrick. “But it didn’t happen. Still, I’m proud of these guys and for GoDaddy. It’s our best run here by far. We’ve been testing a lot, so hopefully everyone can wind down on Sunday before we get ready for Chicago.”

    Saturday’s race was the final race of this year’s Sprint Cup regular season. Next weekend will begin the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Sixteen drivers will compete in ten races to determine the series winner. The drivers were selected to compete in the Chase based on their wins and point totals during the regular season.

    Patrick is not part of the Chase, but the sixth seed going into the series is Patrick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick. Harvick won two races during the regular season and finished fifth at Richmond this past weekend.

    The first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the MyAFibStory.com 400, will take place on September 14 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

  • Danica Patrick Sets Record At Atlanta Motor Speedway

    Seemingly coming from nowhere, Danica Patrick of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) finished in sixth place at the Oral-B USA 500 leg of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series over the Labor Day Weekend. The race was held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Patrick now holds the record for a woman at the track, since Janet Guthrie had finished 10th on it in 1978.

    The race has been Patrick’s best finish for the season as well as a career-best, toppling her seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway earlier this year. This finish also comes after six consecutive races for Patrick where she couldn’t break into the top 15, making her an unexpected force to be reckoned with on the track.

    Patrick started the race in 27th place out of 43, but methodically made her way closer to the front, fighting her way back up twice from a lap down. She credited her progress to key adjustments that SHR crew chief Tony Gibson made that improved her car’s performance and made her more comfortable in the driver’s seat. “The car was really good. I had one lap where I felt like I was playing a video game out there. I was just driving around the top side of everybody. It was a little more human-like after that. Gibson and everybody did a good job,” she said.

    What gave her the final edge was a great last pit stop that set her up on the preferred line at the track for restarts, seventh on the inside. “Obviously the pit stop at the end that was 11 seconds was so good. There were a couple of rough ones in the beginning but that one made up for it because it put us seventh on that restart, and we had a good line on the inside and didn’t get caught up on the outside,” said Patrick.

    Although she wasn’t able to hold her lead in the last two laps, Patrick is still high on the result of the race, as she’d only been hoping to get into the top 15. “I am just so happy for the team,” she said.

    Despite it not being her favorite track, she is reportedly ready and looking forward to racing in the regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway on September 6.

  • Danica Patrick Gears Up For the Oral-B USA 500

    Hot off of her 27th-place finish in the Irwin Tools Night Race last weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Danica Patrick is now preparing for a big Labor Day weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Instead of one last 2014 cookout, Patrick will be entertaining NASCAR fans at this year’s Oral-B USA 500.

    The 325-lap event on the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile track is the 25th race in this year’s Sprint Cup Series. Patrick considers the oval track one of the fastest in the series – and one of the most challenging.

    “The first time I raced there was in 2012 and I did both Nationwide and (Sprint) Cup,” said Patrick. “That seems like a long time ago and that was only my fifth Cup start, so I feel a little more confident and knowledgeable than I did then. It’s a fast place. The tires definitely go off with the surface and the line moves around a lot. It’s a big weekend with a lot going on for GoDaddy, Coke Zero, and Chevrolet, so there’s a lot off the track, as well. But I’m looking forward to it.”

    Patrick drives the number 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet car for the Stewart-Haas Racing team.

    According to Patrick, she will be leaning heavily on her crew chief, Tony Gibson, during this weekend’s race. Gibson logged two wins at the Atlanta Motor Speedway during the three years he was crew chief for Jeff Gordon.

    Patrick finished 21st in last year’s AdvoCare 500 race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Though disappointing, Patrick considers that race a “good” one and an overall improvement for her crew.

    “I remember that we weren’t good in the first practice,” said Patrick. “Tony Gibson and the guys worked really hard and we qualified well and then continued to get better throughout the weekend. It was a good race for us. It was a little tight at the end but, overall, we improved. The pit crew was really good and they were quick on each stop.”

  • Danica Patrick Shares Her Experience At Bristol

    Danica Patrick worked hard to get herself and her car ready for Bristol and said that it is one of her favorite tracks and a race she looks forward to every season.

    Patrick drives the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing and has raced five times at Bristol in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    Patrick recently talked about Bristol and how she felt about the track and the race in general.

    “I’ve liked Bristol since I went there the first time. I remember when I set foot onto that track, it was the day before, it was load-in day and I looked out there and you’re standing on the straightaway, but it sure seems like a corner. It’s a very cool track and a spectacle for the fans. I feel like it’s always the one that everyone says, ‘I want to come see a Bristol race.’ It’s always entertaining there for the fans and, hopefully, we can put on another good show for them this week.”


    Patrick spent a lot of time testing the car to see how it would handle the recent rule changes and said that she was excited to try it out and see how it did during an actual race.

    “I think there are two ends of the spectrum that work. There is the speedway style of racing flat out and there it is easy to drive, and we are bunched up. But I don’t think it’s fair to have all of our racing like that. I know it’s entertaining when we do go to speedways, but I think you need tracks that are all about getting your car really fast. The other end of it is when your car really slides around and moves around a lot, and tracks like Atlanta and Homestead, when you slide around, it creates opportunities for passing. We need to figure out how to get the cars to transition from the beginning to the end of the run because that is what is going to create passing. Making it easier to drive is going to make it like a speedway.”

    Patrick had been gradually improving at Bristol. She finished 28th in March 2013 and then 26th last August. This past March, she finished 18th. She had hoped to continue to improve and place even closer to the top, but wasn’t able to make it happen.

    The car wasn’t easy for Patrick to handle and while her crew attempted to fix the problems, the car continued to be inconsistent on corners. On lap 263, Patrick was tagged from behind by a fellow competitor and spun out in turn two to bring out the caution flag. Her car was not damaged, but it caused her to drop back to 35th place and she ended up finishing the race in 27th place.

    “It was just a rough night,” Patrick said. “Our GoDaddy car just wasn’t that good from the beginning, and that kind of put us behind. The guys kept working on it with their adjustments, and they got it headed in the right direction, but it was just too late by that point. I think we all just did the best we could to hang in there, make the car better and try to make a good night out of it. It wasn’t the finish that we wanted, but we didn’t give up.”

    She hopes to do better next Spring.

  • Tony Stewart Grieving Death Of Kevin Ward, Investigation Continues

    Race car driver Tony Stewart is reportedly grieving for the death of fellow racer Kevin Ward Jr., the young man he hit with his sprint car as Ward walked onto the track after a wreck. The accident happened on August 9 at a sprint-car race event in Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York.

    Since the accident, Stewart has missed three NASCAR races, with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) giving the statement that his grief over Ward’s death is proving too much for him to race. Although the Ontario County (New York) Sheriff’s Department, which is investigating the case, stated earlier that no facts have surfaced that could give probable cause for criminal charges, the investigation has yet to conclude whether Stewart was at fault or it was an accident.

    Meanwhile, Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition at SHR, is overseeing the team for Stewart’s No. 14 entry at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with SHR’s No. 4 of Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 of Danica Patrick and the No. 41 of Kurt Busch. Zipadelli is holding the team together and not sure when Stewart will be back behind the wheel.

    “We do the best we can with what we’ve got right now. We’ll keep praying, keep our fingers crossed that we get the boss back sooner rather than later,” Zipadelli said.

    Driver Jeff Burton filled in for Stewart in the first two races after the accident, and Regan Smith drove during the race at Watkins Glen over the last weekend. According to Zipadelli, Burton has been a big help to the team as they’ve been dealing with the consequences of Stewart’s accident in the last few weeks.

    “This team needed that, somebody that would be there for them and work through these tough times,” said Zipadelli of Burton.

  • Sherry Pollex, Girlfriend of NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr., Has Ovarian Cancer

    Sherry Pollex, the girlfriend of NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr., announced on Twitter Wednesday that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

    “Sherry and Martin would like to thank the NASCAR community for all the well wishes,” said a statement released Wednesday. “They have requested that everyone respect the family’s privacy as Sherry begins her treatment and recovery.”

    Following the news, Truex Jr. made the decision to skip Friday’s practice and qualifying session to be with his longtime love as she undergoes surgery.

    By giving up his spot in Friday’s event, Truex Jr. will be replaced by Matt Crafton, the reigning Camping World Truck Series champion. Truex Jr. plans on competing in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race with his Furniture Row Racing team.

    “Everyone at Furniture Row Racing extends their thoughts and prayers to Sherry during her treatment and recovery period,” said Joe Garone, FRR general manager, in a team release. “She is a devoted supporter of our race team and we can’t wait for her return to the track.”

    The irony of Pollex’s diagnosis is her advocacy for cancer research. Even before her diagnosis, she used her voice to seek support for childhood cancer in particular. Since 2007, she and Truex Jr. have hosted Catwalk for a Cause in Charlotte, North Carolina, to benefit children with pediatric cancer. She also manages the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, to help children suffering from illness, poverty and neglect.

    Even with her new personal battle with cancer, she continues to advocate for kids with cancer.

    “Sherry’s passion is helping children, and specifically those fighting pediatric cancer,” read a statement on the foundation’s website. “Her involvement is well known, as she is the creator of the Foundation’s annual Catwalk for a Cause. If you would like to honor Sherry, please consider making a donation towards Pediatric Cancer Research.”

    Image via Sherry Pollex, Twitter

  • Kevin Ward Sr. Questions Tony Stewart Over Crash

    Just days after NASCAR driver Tony Stewart struck and killed 20-year-old driver Kevin Ward Jr. during a sprint car race, Ward Jr.’s father speaks out. Kevin Ward Sr. took Stewart to task in his comments regarding his son’s death and questions Stewart for causing the crash that led to his son exiting his car and walking up the dirt track.

    On Saturday night, Tony Stewart participated in a 25-mile Empire Super Sprints race at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York. Approximately halfway through the race, Kevin Ward Jr.’s car was pushed up against the wall by Stewart’s car. After the crash, Ward Jr. stepped out of his car and began walking up the track and was soon clipped by Stewart. Ward Jr. was announced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

    Four days after the accident, Kevin Ward Sr. has decided to speak out and says Stewart took things too far. “Tony Stewart was the best damn driver by far on the track that night,” Ward Sr. said. “Why he had to go up as high as he did and hog my son, there’s no reason for it.”

    Many fans have wondered why Ward Jr. decided to exit his car and walk up the track, and his father says that it has everything to do with the person that caused the wreck. “I think the reason he probably got out of that car is who put him into the wall. He was definitely put into the wall,” Ward Sr. said.

    A video of the incident can be viewed below. Warning: the video is graphic; view it at your own discretion.

    Quite a few racing fans have questioned whether Tony Stewart intentionally hit Kevin Ward Jr., and the young man’s father wonders why Stewart couldn’t avoid hitting his son. “Apparently, Tony Stewart was the only one driving out there who didn’t see him,” Ward Sr. said.

    Further, Ward Sr. wants to know if Stewart is going to go public with his account of the events. “The one person that knows what happened that night is possibly facing 10 years in prison,” Ward Sr. said. “Is he going to say what he done?” No charges are expected to be brought against Stewart so far, but the investigation is ongoing.

    Stewart was supposed to race in the NASCAR Cheez-It 355 on Sunday, but made a statement saying that he decided not to participate and extended prayers to Ward Jr.’s family:

    Image via YouTube