Thanks to NASCAR fans across the country, Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Mobil 1/Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
For the second time in her Sprint Cup career, Patrick won the Sprint Fan Vote to earn a spot in the field for Saturday night’s event. According to NASCAR, the margin of victory for the fan vote was the closest in the vote’s history. Patrick also became the first repeat winner of the Sprint Fan Vote after previously winning in 2013.
“I’m extremely fortunate to have some great fans. They’re very active all across all the social media platforms and just in general cheering for me out loud at the racetrack,” Patrick said. “I’m just extremely fortunate. I don’t take them for granted for a second. That’s why I want to do well, because I want to do well for all those people that wear my shirt and wave my flag and wear my hat. I see them wear it, and I want them to see me on the track and be proud and have an exciting weekend.”
The voting results were announced after the completion of Friday night’s Sprint Showdown in which Patrick finished ninth and scored her third top-10 finish in the event.
Patrick started the race from the eighth position and fell back to 10th before the conclusion of the first of two 20-lap segments. She radioed to the team that the car was unpredictable on corner entry and got tight in traffic and that the front end was bouncing. When the field hit pit road for the mandatory pit stop between segments, crew chief Daniel Knost called for a four-tire stop and made air pressure and chassis adjustments in an effort to improve the car’s handling.
Patrick lined up in the 10th position for the second segment. She dropped back to 14th at lap 23 but was able to race her way back up to ninth in the closing laps.
Patrick and her SHR teammates will race for a shot at the $1 million winner’s check in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Coverage of the non-points-paying event begins at 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX Sports 1.
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