Danica Patrick finished 24th place after starting 39th today at the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Danica Patrick moved up to 34th after the green flag dropped, but on lap 37 she made contact with the car of David Stremme from behind and cut a tire. The green-flag stop dropped Danica Patrick three laps off the pace.
“It was one of those Martinsville-like deals, where we got all bunched up and I had no option but to keep the steering wheel straight or else we both would’ve gotten taken out,” Danica Patrick said over the radio.
“I definitely didn’t make our day start off right by getting into the 30 in (turns) three and four and getting a cut tire,” Danica Patrick said. “We were only 30 or so laps into the run, so we really were three laps down from the get-go. It made for a long day, but it didn’t mean that the GoDaddy team gave up. We still salvaged points, of course. That’s what we have to keep doing – learning and finishing all of these races so I can get better.”
Patrick’s SHR teammate Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, took the lead for the first time on lap 398 of the 400-lap race and led the final three laps en route to his 48th career victory and first this season. It was his third victory, 11th top-five finish and 16th top-10 in 29 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover. It was also his third top-10 this season.
The victory also extended Stewart’s streak of winning at least one race per season since joining the Sprint Cup Series in 1999.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. (“Quasi-endorsed” by Philadelphia Eagles Coach Chip Kelly) He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker
Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook