CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Like Kurt Busch, teammate Danica Patrick is optimistic about the benefits that could accompany the switch to Ford.
In each of the last two years, Patrick has finished 24th in the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, a career-best. The 2017 season will be her second with crew chief Billy Scott.
“Hopefully, there’s more room to improve now, so that’s kind of exciting to me,” Patrick said. “I’m optimistic, and hopeful it will be something that makes a difference. I think if you’re in the top 15 every weekend, then you do a little bit better and then you’re in the top 10 and then once you’re in the top 10 with good pit stops, good strategy and all the things that play into it – some of the new formats for the races can play into segment wins.
“I think it’s important to be realistic, so to tell you to go out and win races and segments is not something I necessarily think is going to happen right away, but we’ll assess. We’ll assess how strong we are as a team. A few years back we were really strong (with three top 10s in 2014), and I felt like that’s where I was running by the end of the year, was up in the top 15 and getting into the top 10, so hopefully we can get back to that and work from there.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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