PIT NOTES: Saturday, September 01, 2012 / Page 2
PATRICK GOES PINK – Danica Patrick announced Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway that she will pilot a special hot pink race car at the Oct. 12 Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. A line of pink racing memorabilia will also be sold, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I’m so lucky to be with someone like GoDaddy, who is prepared to change their paint scheme and give back,” Patrick said. “This isn’t the first time they’ve changed their paint scheme, but this is definitely in my mind the best reason to change it.”
Patrick said she has been touched by cancer in the form of a good friend who tested positive for the breast cancer gene.
“She went ahead and had a double mastectomy, and it was a very long process for her,” Patrick said. “She’s doing great and she’s a very healthy 30-year-old now. So I’m grateful for all the charity work that’s done on behalf of breast cancer to allow for early detection … so we can kick its (butt).”
BETTER HALF DASH PART II – Charlotte Motor Speedway officials announced Saturday that they will again host the Better Half Dash, a Bandolero race featuring the wives and girlfriends of NASCAR drivers, during the October Bank of America 500 weekend.
The 25-lap charity race, which benefits Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) and Speedway Children’s Charities, will be held on the fronstretch quarter-mile. It will feature many of NASCAR’s “better halves,” including defending champion Jacquelyn Butler (fiancé of David Ragan), Angie Skinner (wife of Mike Skinner), Michelle Gilliland (wife of David Gilliland), Patricia Driscoll (girlfriend of Kurt Busch), Ashley Allgaier (wife of Justin Allgaier), Kristen Yeley (wife of JJ Yeley), Kris Buescher (wife of James Buescher), SPEED TV reporter Wendy Venturini, and MRO’s Melanie Self.
“Last year was so much fun, and I think we’ve come up with so many great ideas to shake things up a little bit and try not to have as many cautions,” Butler said. “We’re already trash taking.”
Some of the changes are a competition caution at lap 15, a field inversion, and a pre-race qualifying session. Many of the women are already going for fittings for new seats this year and taking advice from their better halves.
“I never really understood before what Kurt was talking about when he said loose, tight, stuff like that,” said Patricia Driscoll, girlfriend of Kurt Busch. “It’s a lot of fun to get a little idea of what he goes through on a very small scale. I had a great time.”
The winner of the Better Half Dash will also get $10,000 to give to a charity of her choice, as well as an enormous 7-foot-tall trophy.
