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Danica Patrick's NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule Unveiled

 
7,623 views Nov 4, 2011

Courtesy of Go Daddy

Courtesy of Go Daddy

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Following her announcement in late summer of 2011 that she'd be leaving the IZOD IndyCar Series for NASCAR's Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and beyond, Danica Patrick has finalized her Sprint Cup schedule with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) for the coming season.

The Go Daddy girl's limited schedule in 2012 will be in a bright green No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala, using the number she wore in American karting before moving to Europe where she competed in Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall, both series considered stepping-stones to Formula 1.

"The No. 10 is what I started with, and to have that number back with me as I start my Sprint Cup career shows how everything has come full circle.  There's definitely going to be a lot of pride when I step into my No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevy at Daytona," Patrick declared.

Anne Proffit photo

Anne Proffit photo

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"Our goal with Danica's schedule is to try and maximize her 10 races with us so that she's as prepared as she can be for a full-time Sprint Cup schedule in 2013," said Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, the largest machine tool manufacturer in the western world.

"In the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, she'll handle the short tracks, intermediate 1.5-mile ovals and some unique tracks like Darlington and Phoenix.  The point is to expose her to as many challenges as possible so that she'll know what to expect in 2013," Stewart said.

In addition to her full-season schedule in NASCAR's Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports, also in a GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, Danica Patrick makes her Sprint Cup debut at the start of the 2012 campaign in the 54th annual Daytona 500 on February 26th at Daytona International Speedway.

The balance of her Sprint Cup schedule includes Darlington on May 12th, Bristol Motor Speedway August 25th, Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 2nd, Chicagoland Speedway on September 16th, Dover International Speedway September 30th, Texas Motor Speedway November 4th and the penultimate race of 2012 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11th.

"Between our schedule and her full Nationwide Series schedule for JR Motorsports, Danica will gain a lot of experience quickly.  At the same time, we'll monitor her progress, and if we feel there's a particular venue or style of track where more seat time would be beneficial," Stewart noted, "we have two races where we can call an audible and enter her in those events."

Patrick feels comfortable working with the SHR group.  "There were a lot of reasons why Stewart-Haas Racing made sense for me, but probably the biggest reason was Tony Stewart," she said.  "He's already done what I'm trying to do - make the transition from open wheel cars to stock cars.  If there's anyone who knows what I need to do and what I need to look for, it's him."

Before joining the NASCAR trail, Stewart earned four USAC championships (including three in one season) and the 1997 IndyCar title.  He is a two-time Sprint Cup champion with 42 career victories, most recently taking the checkered flags at Martinsville Speedway last weekend.

© 2011 Anne Proffit



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