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DANICA PATRICK – 2017 Martinsville II Race Report

Event:               First Data 500 (Round 33 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format:             500 laps, broken into three segments (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Note:                 Race ended in overtime, going five laps past its scheduled 500-lap distance
Start/Finish:      23rd/17th (Running, completed 505 of 505 laps)
Point Standing: 27th (478 points) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:             Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

  • Danica Patrick started 23rd and finished 31st.
  • The No. 10 Ford Warriors in Pink Ford Fusion team was scored in the 22nd position when Patrick made contact with the No. 47 car, which resulted in right-front damage. The team was able to pit under caution for repairs.
  • Despite the damage, the team stayed on the lead lap and finished the stage 31st. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

  • Started 31st and finished 27th.
  • Patrick had raced her way up to 27th by lap 173 but went a lap down to the leader at lap 184.
  • The No. 10 Ford Warriors in Pink Ford team pitted for tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of the stage. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

  • Started 25th and finished 17th.
  • When the caution flag waved at lap 303, crew chief Billy Scott called for Patrick to stay out and take the wave-around, putting the No. 10 Ford Warriors in Pink Ford team back on the lead lap in the 22nd position.
  • Patrick went a lap down to the leader again at lap 449. When the caution flag waved less than 10 laps later, Scott had Patrick stay out and wave around to get back on the lead lap once again.
  • In the closing laps, Patrick was able to race her way up to 17th. 

Notes:              

  • This was Patrick’s 10th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and her 187th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
  • Patrick earned 20 points in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, which puts her at 478 total points for the season thus far. She is ranked 27th in the driver point standings.
  • There were 11 caution periods for a total of 74 laps.
  • A total of 23 of the 40 drivers in the First Data 500 finished on the lead lap.
  • Kyle Busch won the First Data 500 to score his 43rd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fifth of the season and his second at Martinsville Speedway. His margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr. was .141 of a second.
  • Truex leads the championship standings with 4,117 points and holds a 17-point margin over his nearest pursuer, Busch.

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Nov. 5 AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The event starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBCSN.