Patrick paces practice

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida.  (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2013 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH Fla – More than an hour into the second practice session for the Daytona 500 Saturday, Danica Patrick steered her No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet onto the race track for a mock qualifying run.

On her second lap around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, Patrick posted an average speed of 196.220 mph, the quickest lap of the day. In fact, Patrick was the only driver to exceed 196 mph in either of the two practices.

She was third fastest in the first practice, with Joey Logano topping the chart at 195.410 mph. Patrick ran 195.359 mph in first session.

Patrick was fast during Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona, but the car she’s driving in the Daytona 500 isn’t the same one she tested more than a month ago. Wind tunnel testing indicated the new car would perform even better, and the proof came Saturday.

“It may blow better numbers in the wind tunnel, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to track speed,” Patrick said after her lap in the first session. “That was a very good, clean cold car run that we feel very good about.”

After the second practice, she felt even better. Rick Hendrick, who supplies chassis and engines to all the Stewart-Haas Racing teams, said he’d be delighted to see Patrick on the pole after Sunday’s qualifying session.

“I would love to see her on the pole — a) because she sparks a lot of new fans, and b) it’s got my motor in it,” Hendrick said after the unveiling of the new Chevrolet SS street car between practices. “She’s magical.

“You look at the Super Bowl, and she’s all over the Super Bowl (in TV ads). She’s a good little driver, and she does a lot for our sport. It would really be special if she could be on the front row.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. 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.