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Danica Patrick not happy running 20th: "It's miserable"
Danica Patrick said she is not happy “running 20th” every week and hopes the second half of the Sprint Cup Series season offers the opportunity for better performances.
Jim Utter
Edited: Jul 26, 2016, 8:38 PM
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Patrick, a former competitor in the IndyCar Series, is now in her fourth fulltime season in the Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing, but her progress seen since her debut has been limited.
So far this season, she has yet to earn a Top 10 finish and is 24th in the championship standings entering Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. She will start 24th in the race.
Patrick won one race while competing in IndyCar and made headlines when she finished third in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 – which remains the best finish for a female driver in the event.
“There are a lot of things that go into a race other than just the car. And, so having a set-up when you first start the weekend that’s closer than when you (to a track) the first time is a great thing,” Patrick said Saturday.
“We don’t really get that many shots at making the car that much better when we get (to the track). It’s more about optimizing what you have. So, hopefully that will be a good second-half of the season for us to have that foundation established between rules, crew chief, me.
"None of us are happy"
“I know that none of us are happy running 20th. I’m not. It’s miserable. So, we want to do better.”
Patrick, who won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500, has a best finish this season of 13th at Dover, Del., and is coming off a 14th-place finish last weekend at New Hampshire. She began the year with a new crew chief, Billy Scott – the third crew chief she’s had since beginning her Cup career.
Patrick said her stock car experiences thus far at the Brickyard haven’t been that bad (her best finish is 27th last year) but understands why those who saw her compete at the track and in open-wheel cars would expect more.
“I think it’s tough for me. Do I miss running in the Top 5? Of course I do. Especially for casual fans, it’s very easy to understand. But a Top 5 for me now is a Top 15 right now. And it’s just different,” she said.
“In stock car racing there’s so many more cars and there’s so much that goes into it and there’s so many of these guys who have just been at it for so long. Especially with my lack of stock car experience before I jumped into it, I didn’t start off racing dirt. I didn’t start off in Late Models and things like that and work my way up.
“The car itself is challenging. It’s a work in progress and I think that at any point in time, when everything is right, it can be a breakthrough and a great result. By great, it’s a Top 10; maybe a Top 5. But, there’s a lot of variances between car to car and team to team throughout the garage and looking back, IndyCars were a lot more similar.
“I know I drive for a great team now, but I did drive for really good teams in IndyCar. So, hopefully that’s a thought of the past and I have a great day (Sunday) and can make some more good memories at Indy.”
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