Hot 20 over the past 10 – Danica will race at Bristol, but can she compete?

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March 13, 2013

DanicaPatrick_Yeazell — Photo Credit: David Yeazell

Danica, Danica, Danica. Sounds a bit like a Brady Bunch classic, but as much as the public relation boys and girls try, the thunder from Daytona is fading into the distance. The good news is that in 2013 points, Danica Patrick is running one spot better than team-mate Ryan Newman. The bad news is that after disastrous runs in Phoenix and Las Vegas he sits 32nd.

One thing that is not up for debate in whether she is a race car driver or not. She definitely is, though throughout her career in IndyCar, Nationwide, and thus far in Cup, she has not been great and some may even argue if she is all that good. Yet. In the open wheel series, she won once in 115 starts, with seven top three results where she was seen as a talented novelty. She has competed in 59 Nationwide races to date, has a top five and seven top tens. In 13 Cup races, she has that top ten to her credit in the Daytona 500. She can compete, but the soon-to-be 31 year old remains a highly publicized, very marketable journeyman …er… woman. Hot, she is not, at least when it comes to making this list anytime in the foreseeable future. Still, more will be watching to see how she does than they will Aric Almirola, Paul Menard, or Jeff Burton. A nice run at Bristol could go a long way in changing our perception of the rookie.

The biggest mover of the week was Matt Kenseth, thanks to his birthday celebrations in Las Vegas. He joins Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson ahead of the pack, with Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, and Clint Bowyer remaining among our main contenders. Jeff Gordon took a six position slide after a 25th place finish last weekend and would need a top two tally at Bristol just to maintain.

Name	Points	POS	LW	w	t5	t10
Brad Keselowski	382	1	1	0	4	8
Jimmie Johnson	352	2	2	3	5	7
Matt Kenseth	347	3	8	3	4	5
Kyle Busch	335	4	5	0	7	7
Greg Biffle	334	5	4	0	2	7
Clint Bowyer	333	6	3	1	3	6
Kasey Kahne	312	7	9	0	4	5
Denny Hamlin	305	8	7	0	3	3
Aric Almirola	295	9	11	0	2	2
Kevin Harvick	293	10	12	1	1	4
Carl Edwards	292	11	10	1	2	3
Jeff Gordon	288	12	6	1	2	5
Paul Menard	274	13	16	0	1	3
Tony Stewart	273	14	15	0	2	3
Ryan Newman	271	15	13	0	3	4
Martin Truex, Jr.	263	16	14	0	1	4
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	261	17	18	0	3	5
Joey Logano	256	18	17	0	0	1
Kurt Busch	241	19	20	0	0	3
Jeff Burton	236	20	21	0	0	2

Dalton Baldwin Preview – Charles Kepley Memorial 150 at Caraway Speedway

By

Angie Campbell

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March 13, 2013

baldwin_8_dis_yeazell — Photo Credit: David Yeazell

Dalton Baldwin hopes to hit the ground running in the No. 18 Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Chevrolet at The Charles Kepley Memorial 150 on March 16th. The season opener at Caraway Speedway is the first points race of the 2013 season.

Baldwin enters the race with the momentum of a top ten finish at the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Daytona International Speedway last month. His objective is to establish himself early as a serious contender for the Rookie of the Year title in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

“We’re looking for a solid run this race,” Dalton says. “We feel that we have a good enough car to finish in the top ten, and maybe top 5, if things go our way. It’s the first points race of the season so we just want to run well and finish. We don’t want to be in a deep hole in points right away. Twelve races may seem like a lot, but they’ll go by fast.”

Baldwin raced at this track at the end of last season and feels this will give them a slight advantage. Based on that knowledge, the team has made significant improvements to the car. He also believes that his previous history at comparable tracks will translate into a good finish at Caraway Speedway.

“The track is similar to New Smyrna Speedway that we’ve raced at down here in Florida and had success at,” Baldwin explained. “So we hope that the experience we have from New Smyrna will carry over to Caraway.”

Regardless of the preparation, there are bound to be surprises.

“As for the race itself, I’m not sure what to expect,” Dalton admits. “Sometimes the first races of the seasons are more hectic. I guess it’s because everyone thinks it’s a clean points slate now and they just go for it.”

“A hectic race with a lot of wrecks could play in our favor, like it did at Daytona, or it could get us caught up in a wreck. Being an underfunded team, it could take us out of the next race as well.”

Because of the unknowns, the ability to improvise is an essential component of any strategy.

“Racing is a “play it by ear” sport. Anytime you make a plan, something different usually happens. So the team and I just try to keep ourselves open for anything. Have a plan if this happens, have a plan if that happens, because, as the new NASCAR commercial says, ‘Where anything can happen… and usually does.’ That’s NASCAR and racing in general, summed up in one line.”

Dalton Baldwin’s goal for this race is the same as his goal for the entire season.

“Obviously, our main goal for the season is to get the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. So that’s our utmost, primary goal, next to finishing the race; to beat all the other rookies.”

Dalton Baldwin Racing would like to thank their partners, Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Foundation, SpeedwayMedia.com, Advance Auto Parts of Dunedin, Fla., BG Products, SpeedRacer Photos, and Eibach Performance for their continued support.

For more information about Dalton Baldwin Racing including driver bio, race schedule, pictures and videos, please visit www.daltonbaldwin.com. You can also find his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/DaltonBaldwinRacing.