Danica Patrick
No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
Daytona International Speedway – DRIVE4COPD 300
February 23, 2013
Hitting The High Banks…The 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season opens at Daytona International Speedway this Saturday, February 23. Danica Patrick, who embarks on her first full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season this year, will be behind the wheel of the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports in the NNS season opener. The race will mark Patrick’s first event for TSM, and will be her 59th career start in the Nationwide Series. Veteran crew chief Mike Greci will be calling the shots from atop the pit box.
Leading The Way…Patrick made history last Sunday when she laid down the fastest lap (45.817 seconds, 196.434 mph) in NSCS Daytona 500 qualifying, making her the first woman to win a pole in NASCAR’s top series. This will not be the first time Patrick has started from the top spot at Daytona International Speedway; she earned the NNS pole in the February race last season.
DIS Stats…Patrick, who made her NASCAR debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2010, has five previous NNS starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Patrick has one top-10 finish, which she earned in July of 2011, and one pole, which she earned in February of 2012. In her five events at the Daytona Beach, Fla. track, Patrick has started in the top five three times and has never taken the green from outside the top 15, tallying an average start of 6.0.
This Week’s Camaro…Patrick and the No. 34 team will unload chassis TSM-336 for this weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway. TSM-336 is a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro, which will be making its on-track debut on Saturday afternoon.
Watch and Listen…The DRIVE4COPD 300 can be seen live on Saturday, February 23 on ESPN. Race coverage will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio, as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90.
Danica Patrick on driving at Daytona International Speedway
“Daytona has been a great track for me in terms of qualifying. I’ve always had really good starts, but with the racing at Daytona being what it is, I haven’t always had the finishes to reflect how well we ran. Every time I come to one of these superspeedway tracks, I learn a little more; it really comes down to patience and being in the right place at the right time. I’m looking forward to making my first start with Turner Scott Motorsports, I’ve got three talented teammates to work with and all the power we need under the hood with those Hendrick engines, so I’m hoping that everything will come together and I can help Turner Scott Motorsports win this race for the second year in a row.”
