Category: Post-Race Reports

Event:               Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points event)
 Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 
Location:          Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) 
Format:             70 laps, broken into four stages (20 laps/20 laps/20 laps/10 laps)
Start/Finish:      5th/4th (Running, completed 70 of 70 laps) 
Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

• Kurt Busch started fifth, finished seventh.
• Battled a loose-handling condition on entry and was tight off the corners for much of the stage.
• Visited pit road at the end of Stage 1 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

• Started seventh, finished fourth.
• Struggled with a loose-handling condition throughout the stage.
• Visited pit road at the end of Stage 2 to take his set of four option tires, fuel and wedge and air pressure adjustments. 

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 41-60):

• Started sixth, finished fourth.
• Ran as high as second in the stage.
• Experienced a tight-handling condition through the middle and exit of the corners.
• Visited pit road at the end of Stage 3 to take four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 61-70):

• Started fourth, finished fourth. 

Notes:

• Busch made his 16th Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• He earned his eighth top-five and 10th top-10 All-Star Race finish.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 4 Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“The fun factor was at an all-time high tonight and we did a great job through everything, I’d say at an A-minus level. We wanted to win tonight for our sponsor, Monster Energy. They put a ton into this and the excitement and the value of coming tonight, I thought the fans got their money’s worth. We were good on pit stops. We were good on restarts. We were good on setup and adjustments and picking which lane, we just didn’t do anything exceptional tonight. We still ran top-five all night, so that’s what we’ll take away. We had short-run speed tonight, but we have to switch all that for the long 600-mile endurance race next week. We wanted to put on a show tonight. We ran an A-minus and that’s not gonna win you a million bucks. Congrats to Kyle.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 28 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.

Event:             Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series:                        Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:        Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:          70 laps, broken into four stages (20 laps/20 laps/20 laps/10 laps)
Start/Finish:  5th/6th (Running, completed 70 of 70 laps)
Race Winner:            Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 3 Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

• Kevin Harvick started third, finished third.
• Struggled with a tight-handling condition off the corner throughout the stage.
• Pitted for four prime Goodyear tires and air pressure and wedge adjustments following the stage. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

• Started second, finished eighth.
• Suffered with a tight handling condition at the start of the run and a loose condition later in the stage.
• Pitted for four option Goodyear tires and air pressure and wedge adjustments. 

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 41-60):

• Started seventh, finished second.
• Raced from seventh to second by lap 51 on the option tires.
• Noted the balance of the car was good on the option tires throughout the stage.
• Harvick’s average finish from the first three stages allowed him to be lined up fourth for the final round of pit stops.
• Pitted for four prime Goodyear tires and air pressure and a wedge adjustments. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 61-70):

• Started eight, finished sixth.
• Advanced two positions in the closing laps to finish sixth. 

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Bucks Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“We just didn’t put it together there when we came down pit road. We got behind, and at that point you don’t have enough laps to make it up.” 

Notes:

• Harvick scored his 10^th top-10 finish in his 17th career Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Next Up:                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 28 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.

Event:               Monster Energy Open (non-points event)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             50 laps, broken into three segments (20 laps/20 laps/10 laps)
Start/Finish:      9th/5th (Running, completed 50 of 50 laps) 
Winner:            Stage 1: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2: Ryan Blaney of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)
Stage 3: Daniel Suarez of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended on lap 20):

• Danica Patrick started ninth and finished 10th.
• The No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford Fusion team dropped back to 12th at the start of Stage 1 as Patrick battled with a loose-handling racecar, but she was able to work her way back up to the 10th position by the end of the stage.
• At the end of the stage the team pitted for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended on lap 40):

• Patrick started sixth and finished seventh.
• At the end of the stage Patrick radioed to the team that the No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford was “wicked loose in.”
• The team changed tires and added fuel between stages. 

Final Stage Recap (Ended on lap 50):

• Patrick started sixth and finished fifth.
• Patrick took the green flag in the sixth position, but the caution flag waved before the field made it to turn two for a spin by the No. 34 car. When the field went back to green, Patrick lined up in the fourth position.
• She lost one spot on the opening lap but maintained the fifth position for the duration of the final stage. 

Notes:

• As Patrick did not win a stage or the fan vote, she did not advance to the Monster Energy All-Star Race.
• Patrick’s fifth-place finish marked her career-best effort into the Monster Energy Open. Her previous top finish in the event was ninth. 

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“The car was just way too loose throughout the race. Nothing seemed to help much at all. I wish we were racing in the All-Star Race tonight, but at least we were more competitive in the Open this year and learned some things for next weekend.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 28 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The event starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.

Event:               Go Bowling 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:      8th/3rd (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 6th (347 points, 128 out of first) 

Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Wood Brothers Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended on Lap 80):

• Kevin Harvick started eighth, finished seventh, earning four bonus points.
• Busch Light Ford Fusion came to pit road under caution for four tires and fuel on lap 32. The pit crew gained a position on pit road.
• Stayed out under caution on lap 52 to take the lead.
• Dropped to the seventh position at the end of Stage 1 on tires older than those of the rest of the field.
• Pitted at the conclusion of the stage for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended on Lap 160):

• Started seventh, finished 15th.
• Made an unscheduled pit stop and fell a lap down to the leader under green-flag conditions on lap 135 after reporting a vibration.
• Took the wave-around under the caution on lap 140 to return to the lead lap and restarted 27^th on lap 143.
• Raced his way up to 15th in the final laps of Stage 2.
• Pitted at the conclusion of Stage 2 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

Final Stage Recap (Ended on Lap 267):

• Started 13th, finished third.
• Entered the top-five on lap 176.
• Stayed out during the final two cautions of the night on laps 260 and 264.
• Restarted third on lap 266 for the final, two-lap shootout.

Notes:                          

• Harvick scored his seventh top-five and 12^th top-10 finish in 23 Cup Series starts at Kansas.
• He scored his fourth top-five and sixth top-10 finish of the 2017 Cup Series season.
• He led once for 10 laps to bring his laps-led total at Kansas Speedway to 559 and season laps-led total to 469.
• There were 15 caution periods for a total of 61 laps.
• Twenty-five drivers finished on the lead lap. 

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“It was a solid night. Our Busch Light Ford was fast, and we were able to come through the field and do what we needed to do. We had the restarts there, and the 21 and 2 hung on my right rear and just lost the 78, and we never really had a chance to catch him there at the end. We worked on it quite a bit and had good pit stops. We had to adjust the balance on it throughout the night. Our Busch Light Ford was solid all night. I got us a lap down there when I had a tire coming apart. It was vibrating really bad. We came back through the field. It just didn’t line up for us there at the end.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race on Saturday, May 20 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Go Bowling 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:      30th/9th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 10th (317 points, 158 out of first)
Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended at Lap 80):

• Started 30th, finished 13th.
• Drove to front of the field while telling crew his Ford needed more rear grip.
• Crew made several adjustments during pit stops throughout stage to improve handling issues. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended at Lap 160):

• Started 10th, finished 20th.
• Rear grip issues still plagued No. 14, so Bowyer pitted on lap 104 for right-rear spring rubber and dropped to 26th.
• Took over first place at lap 140 after leaders pitted during caution.
• On restart the No. 14 fell back to 20th.

Final Stage Recap (Ended at Lap 267):

• Started 22nd, finished ninth.
• Continued to make handling changes during pit stops to improve rear grip throughout final stage.
• Raced in 16th with 20 laps remaining, then avoided several near wrecks in the final laps to post ninth-place finish.

Notes:

• Led once for three laps, increasing his season total to 13 and career total to 2,351 laps led.
• Finish marked Bowyer’s fifth top-10 of the season and sixth at Kansas Speedway.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Annual Protection Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had a lot of fun in Kansas this weekend, but I wish we could have run better. My guys worked hard all race tonight, but we just couldn’t find the rear grip we needed. A lot of us were fighting that all race long. We’ll take it and go on to Charlotte.”

Next Up:          

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Saturday, May 20 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Coverage of the non-points-paying event begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Go Bowling 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:      24th/36th (Accident, completed 199 of 267 laps) 
Point Standing: 33rd (115 points, 360 out of first)
Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Ended on lap 80):

• Danica Patrick started 24th and finished 23rd.
• The No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford Fusion team dropped to 27th in the initial laps of Stage 1 as Patrick battled a loose-handling racecar. Later in the stage the car developed a tight-handling condition as Patrick ran the high line.
• The team pitted a total of three times for fresh tires, fuel, air pressure and packer adjustments, and tape was added to the grille to address the handling issues.
• When the team pitted at lap 52, NASCAR penalized Patrick for speeding on pit road. She had to restart at the tail end of the field in the 33rd position when the green flag waved at lap 55. In the final laps of the stage, Patrick raced her way back up to the 23rd position. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended on lap 160):         

• Patrick started 26th and finished 12th.
• After the adjustments made in the first stage, the No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford’s handling significantly improved as the team entered Stage 2, and Patrick worked her way into the top-15.
• Patrick was scored as high as 11th before ending Stage 2 in the 12th position.
• The team pitted three times during the stage for tires, fuel and adjustments.

 Final Stage Recap (Ended on lap 267):

• Patrick started 10th and finished 36th.
• Patrick ran as high as 10^th in the final stage and was scored in the 11^th position when the field went back to green at lap 198. On the following lap, she was collected in a multicar accident in turn one.
• The No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford sustained significant damage, and the team was not able to continue, relegating Patrick to a 36th-place finish. 

Notes:              

• Following the accident, Patrick was evaluated and released from the infield care center.
• She is now ranked 33rd in the driver point standings. 

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 “Wonder Woman”/One Cure Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“We were having a really good race and having fun out there and had a lot of speed. I kind of felt like Wonder Woman for a little while. All I know is that I all of a sudden I was crashed. Joey (Logano) said he had a failure and that’s what caused it. I hope Aric (Almirola) is okay.” 

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Monster Energy All-Star Race on Saturday, May 20 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, preceded by the Monster Energy Open. Live coverage on FS1 of the Open event starts at 6 p.m. EDT, while the All-Star Race coverage begins at 8 p.m.

Event:               Go Bowling 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 
Location:          Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval) 
Format:             267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish:      6th/19th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps) 
Point Standing: 15th (246 points, 229 out of first)
Race Winner:    Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

• Kurt Busch started sixth, finished 10th.
• Battled a loose-handling condition on entry and was tight off the corners for much of the stage.
• Finished Stage 1 in the 10th spot, earning one bonus point.
• Visited pit road at the end of Stage 1 to take four tires, add fuel, insert a spring rubber in the right rear and get a wedge adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):

• Started 12th, finished 27th.
• Continued to battle a loose-handling condition on entry and was tight off the corners.
• Was run into by Jimmie Johnson on lap 100, resulting in cosmetic damage to the right side of his Ford Fusion.
• Had a flat right-front tire on lap 134, requiring him to make a green-flag pit stop. Busch lost two laps as a result.
• Took the wave-around on a lap-137 caution, then got the free pass on a lap 147 caution to return to the lead lap.
• Visited pit road on lap 149 to take four tires and fuel. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):

• Started first, finished 19th.
• Staying out under the caution between stages while everyone else pitted gave Busch the lead.
• Continued to battle a tight-handling condition through the middle and exit of the corners.
• Got left-side damage on a lap-262 restart while running fourth.
• Lost 15 positions in the closing laps to finish 19th. 

Notes:

• Busch made his 23rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Kansas Speedway.
• Busch led once for a total of three laps.

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Saturday, May 20 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Coverage of the non-points-paying event begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

For Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), there are racetracks on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule to which he’s been able to quickly adapt. There are others that took time to master. Then, there’s Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

He’s found his way to victory lane at 15 of 23 active racetracks on the circuit for a total of 29 career NASCAR Cup Series triumphs. His first came at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 97 Ford, he found his way to the winner’s circle in just his third start at the .533-mile oval. It took 32 attempts at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to find his way to victory lane, but he was finally able to do so in the 2017 season-opening Daytona 500.

At the eight mile-and-half venues where the NASCAR Cup Series competes, Busch has earned a total of six victories. They’ve come at four tracks – three at Atlanta Motor Speedway and one apiece at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch is still searching for victory lane at four – Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Kansas.

Kansas has been a racetrack for Busch that has been complicated and vexing, but since being paired with crew chief Tony Gibson in 2015, he’s seen marked improvement. In the four races with Gibson atop the pit box, Busch has scored finishes of eighth, sixth, third and 13th for an average finish of 7.5. His average finish prior was 19th. So, while he has yet to find victory lane there, he has been able to compete at the track with the kind of consistency that could see him continue that trend of marked improvement this weekend.

Busch has been running at the end of all but two of the races he’s competed in at the 1.5-mile oval, the first DNF ending prematurely with an engine failure in 2003, the other due to an accident in October 2014. And in addition to a pair of top-five finishes and seven top-10s in 22 starts there, Busch owns one pole at Kansas, having scored the top starting spot in June 2011. The Kansas pole was the first of three consecutive poles Busch scored that month.

So, while a breakthrough victory at Kansas would add to the list of successes the Las Vegas native has experienced in his career, it would do much more than that for his 2017 championship hopes, as it would give Busch and his No. 41 team a second victory in 2017 and another five valuable bonus points for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. With his postseason eligibility already in place, they can head west and look to finally conquer Kansas.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Talk about racing at Kansas this weekend. How important is this race considering that this racetrack is part of the NASCAR Playoffs?  

“Anytime we have a track that’s in the spring portion of our schedule and it matches up with a Playoff race in the fall, it’s very important. We’ll definitely have a full run log of what we want to accomplish and understand. And Kansas is in a unique spot, too, because it’s the week before we head to Charlotte for the All-Star and for the 600, so you’re trying to gather as much data through those few weeks because Charlotte is a very important race in the Playoffs, as well.”

Kansas hasn’t always been a strong racetrack for you but, as of late, that seems to be changing. Do you agree? 

“Kansas has been a good track and a tough track. It’s fun to go race there and, with the way the tires change and the downforce has changed, I haven’t quite found that perfect combination to win. But, as of late, we consider it one of our strong tracks.”

What has been the key to your three top-10 finishes in three of your four most recent starts at Kansas?

“I think it’s a matter of being on the right pit strategy and understanding when to pit for the final time. Track position becomes so important at these fast mile-and-a-half tracks that, if you are stuck around 10th or 12th, there is no way to crack that top-five. You’ve got to be there before the final sequences start. But, honestly, a big part of it has been having this great car setup by Tony Gibson and everyone on the Haas Automation/Monster Energy team.”

What is one part of the racetrack or your driving style that you’ve had to work on at Kansas over the years?

“It always seems like turn four is the toughest part about Kansas, whether it’s the wind angle or the sharper corner exit with the SAFER Barrier jumping out at the cars. You either lose a lot of time or gain a lot of time in turn four at Kansas.”

Event:               Geico 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (.266-mile oval)
Format:             188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      15th/6th (Running, completed 191 of 191 laps) 
Point Standing: 15th (227 points, 201 out of first) 
Race Winner:    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford) in overtime

Stage 1 Recap (Ended on Lap 55):

• Kurt Busch started 15th, finished 15th.
• The Haas Automation/Monster Energy driver battled a loose-handling condition at the beginning of the stage.
• He raced as high as third on lap 44 working with teammate Clint Bowyer and utilizing the inside lane.
• Busch visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 1 for four tires, right-rear adjustments, tape and air pressure adjustments to correct his loose-handling condition. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended on Lap 110):

• Started 14th, finished seventh.
• The Haas Automation/Monster Energy driver raced consistently inside the top-10 for the first half of Stage 2.
• He reported a loose-handling condition during the lap-82 caution period. The team pitted from the fourth position for adjustments.
• Busch was able to work his way through the middle lane to finish Stage 2 in the seventh spot, earning four bonus points.
• He visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 2 to take four tires and fuel and chassis adjustments. 

Final Stage Recap (Ended on Lap 188):

• Started seventh, finished sixth.
• The Haas Automation/Monster Energy driver pitted under green on lap 150 for four tires and fuel.
• Crew chief Tony Gibson called Busch in during the lap 160 caution period for four tires and fuel. Busch restarted in the 23^rd spot.
• Busch’s dexterity and the guidance of spotter Tony Raines allowed him to avoid the majority of the 18-car accident on lap 169. His Ford Fusion received light body damage that the crew was able to repair during the caution period.
• Busch battled back in the closing laps of the race to finish sixth. 

Notes:

• Busch earned his fifth top-10 of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
• It was his 18^th top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 33 starts at the Alabama track.
• Busch finished seventh in Stage 2 to earn four bonus points.
• There were eight caution periods for a total of 33 laps.
• A total of 23 drivers finished on the lead lap.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I felt like we had a nice bit of strength today. It was good to come back to a restrictor-plate race and battle and defend what we did in Daytona. We got sixth today. Had a really good run with (Jamie) McMurray down the back straightaway, and I thought we were going to do some great things coming to the front straightaway. We just didn’t keep that draft with him. The 43 behind us did what he had to do to advance himself. I would have done the same thing as him, go to the inside and gain spots when you don’t have a chance to win. Awesome day for Ford and the way that (Ricky) Stenhouse won and how all of us worked together. It’s good teamwork for the Blue Oval.”

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling 500 on Saturday, May 13 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.

Event:               Geico 500 (Round 10 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)
Format:             188 laps, broken into three stages (55 laps/55 laps/78 laps)
Start/Finish:      31st/38th (Accident, completed 168 of 191 laps) 
Point Standing: 31st (114 points, 314 out of first) 
Race Winner:    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing (Ford) in overtime

Stage 1 Recap (Ended on lap 55):

• Danica Patrick started 31^st and finished eighth to earn three bonus points.
• The No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion sustained nose damage at the start of the race, but the team was able to make repairs when the caution flag waved at lap 17.
• Patrick predominantly ran in the top lane of the draft and was scored in the eighth position at the end of the stage.
• The team made an extended pit stop at the end of Stage 1 for further repairs to the nose of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford. Crew chief Billy Scott called Patrick back to pit road at lap 61 to top off with fuel before the start of Stage 2. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ended on lap 110):

• Patrick started 29th and finished 15th.
• The No. 10 team pitted twice during the stage for tires and fuel.
• Patrick ran the top, middle and bottom lines during Stage 2 but wasn’t able to make up as much ground as she did in the first stage. She was scored as high as 14th before ending the stage in the 15th position. 

Final Stage Recap (Ended on lap 191):

• Patrick started 12th and finished 38th.
• The No. 10 team pitted under green-flag conditions at lap 150 for right-side tires and fuel. Patrick noted a vibration during the following run, so Scott called her to pit road when the caution flag waved at lap 162 for tires, fuel and additional repairs to the nose of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford.
• Patrick raced as high as eighth during the final stage of the race. But when the caution flag waved at lap 169, Patrick went low to avoid a multicar wreck and the No. 32 car clipped the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford in the left rear. The contact turned Patrick and sent the car into the inside wall. The damage was too extensive for Patrick to return to the track, and the team was relegated to a 38th-place finish. 

Notes:              

• A total of 18 cars were involved in the incident that ended the No. 10 team’s day.
• Patrick was evaluated and released from the infield care center following the wreck.
• Patrick earned four points in Sunday’s race at Talladega, which puts her at 114 total points for the season thus far. She is ranked 31st in the driver point standings heading into next weekend’s race. 

Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

“I was told to go low, and I just got spun. There was a lot of smoke, and it was hard to see. I really thought that everybody was doing a great job all day long. We were running two-, three-, four-wide all day long, and nobody was getting too crazy. It’s to be expected. That’s part of the excitement of superspeedway racing. We had another really fast Aspen Dental Ford, we just couldn’t get to the finish.” 

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Go Bowling 400 on Saturday, May 13 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1.