Danica Patrick – 2016 Bristol II Race Advance

At just .533 miles with progressive banking, Bristol has produced some intense racing action and is known as the “Last Great Colosseum.”

In eight Sprint Cup starts at Bristol, Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has experienced limited success at the short track.

She finished 29th there in just her fourth career Sprint Cup race in August 2012, but that was hampered by an accident not of her making. She started 43rd after qualifying was rained out, then calmly moved her way through the field. She was in the top-20 and on the lead lap with 66 laps remaining when her car was hit by another and contacted the inside frontstretch SAFER Barrier.

Patrick finished 28th in March 2013 and then 26th that August. In 2014, she finished 18th in April and ended up 27th in August.

When Patrick and the No. 10 team visited Bristol in April 2015, she started 26th and overcame a number of hurdles during the race to score a ninth-place finish. That effort marked the sixth top-10 of her career and set the record for the most top-10 finishes by a female in Sprint Cup competition.

In last August’s event at the track, Patrick was hampered by a pit road speeding penalty and a loose wheel, which relegated her to a 27th-place finish.

Earlier this year, Patrick and the No. 10 team were plagued by handling issues and ended up 27th in the Food City 500.

In three Xfinity Series starts at Bristol, Patrick’s best result was a ninth-place finish earned in August 2012.

While Patrick has a number of races under her belt at Bristol, the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet team enters Saturday night’s race facing a bit of an unknown as the racing surface underwent a number of changes in recent weeks. According to track officials, the bottom groove of the track was “polished,” a substance was applied to the track and a tire machine was run over the surface all in an effort to improve the lower groove of the racing surface. The total impact of the changes will not be fully realized until cars get on track for practice on Friday.

Despite the recent track changes, Patrick and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet team enter Saturday night’s race looking for a solid result at Bristol to improve upon their recent efforts at the track.

DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Do you like racing at Bristol?

“I do. I like Bristol. Obviously, it can be a little bit hard to pass, but that’s why the bottom becomes important in case you get stuck, or even if you start on the bottom on a restart.  If your car is turning, you can make that work, I think, for a little while. I think qualifying is going to be really important, but I’ve liked Bristol since the first time I raced there.”

How aggressive do you have to be?

“Every single one of us is going to go as absolutely hard as possible. There’s never a plan to back off or go easy or anything like that, other than if you are saving fuel out there on a strategy at the end of the race. You always go as fast as you can, all the time.”

How grueling is 500 laps at Bristol?

“It’s fine. I think it is a little daunting to say 500 laps, but there are a lot of times that we do 500 laps, or 500 miles, and this is just one of them. I feel like no matter what happens – whether it’s a 400-mile race or a 500-lap race – you find your rhythm. Time goes by fast sometimes, and then sometimes it’s slow. All I hope is that the car has a good balance because, when it doesn’t, that’s when the laps seem wrong. If we can just get into a rhythm, find ourselves in a good spot and have a consistent car throughout the race, then the time does go pretty quickly, usually.”

Fans come to Bristol and typically expect a lot of beating and banging. Do you like that kind of racing?

“Yes, I enjoy it. I mean, I don’t mind some beating and banging out there. I don’t mind pushing your way around a little bit. It just happens. It’s just the nature of short tracks when you’re running really close to one another. You put 40 cars out on a track the size of Bristol and you’re filling up a lot of the track. The short tracks are conducive for close racing since aerodynamics don’t come into play quite as much.”

What are your overall thoughts heading into Bristol?

“I’ve liked Bristol since I went there the first time. I remember when I set foot onto that track, it was the day before, it was load-in day and I looked out there and you’re standing on the straightaway, but it sure seems like a corner. It’s a very cool track and a spectacle for the fans. I feel like that is always the one that everyone says, ‘I want to come see a Bristol race.’ It’s always entertaining there for the fans and, hopefully, we can put on another good show for them this week.”

DANICA PATRICK’S BRISTOL PERFORMANCE PROFILE

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish

= Qualifying canceled due to weather, starting position set via practice speed