Danica Patrick finished 27th in the standings last year (there are usually 43 cars running in each Sprint Cup) during her first season of full time Cup racing. So it’s fitting that she started 27th at the Daytona 500. She got caught up in a wreck that was not her fault (GIF here) and it led to a 37th place finish. She also wreck during Speedweeks, so not totaling two cars at Phoenix would be a step in the right direction.
Not crashing one car in an upgrade in itself.
Danica Patrick owns a home in Scottsdale, Ariz., so this race in Phoenix will be her “homecoming” and it’s also home to Patrick’s longtime sponsor, GoDaddy.
The other “Homecoming” race for Danica Patrick is Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. As she’s from Rosco, Illinois. Of course, given this winter I understand why she’s got a second home in Arizona. That’s the only thing the state has going for it right now, the weather. Arizona is backward politically….well, they have weather to redeem themselves. Which matters even more as the polar vortex keeps it’s grip over our great nation and just won’t go away.
This season will be really huge for Danica Patrick. Not a lot was expected last year. She did race part time in cup the year before, but this past season was her first full-time, and it went poorly.
This new season though will be huge, with the big and powerful people backing Danica Patrick, she has to perform at a much higher level.
Danica Patrick thoughts heading into Phoenix:
“We ran well there in the November 2012, my first race with (Tony) Gibson (as crew chief). Unfortunately, we haven’t left there without a torn-up racecar. We got caught up in accidents in November 2012 and then again in November 2013.”
Danica Patrick on Daytona Speedweeks:
“Obviously, it wasn’t what we were hoping it would be. We tore up two really good cars in accidents that we didn’t start. But that’s the nature of plate racing. A lot of times you’re caught up in things that you had nothing to do with. It was a tough couple of weeks and we didn’t get the results we wanted.”
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)