DANICA PATRICK – 2017 Richmond II Race Report

Event:               Federated Auto Parts 400 (Round 26 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format:             400 laps, broken into three segments (100 laps/100 laps/200 laps)
Note:                 Race ended in overtime, going four laps past its scheduled 400-lap distance
Start/Finish:      19th/23rd (Running, completed 403 of 404 laps)
Point Standing: 28th (377 points) 

Race Winner:    Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner:             Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):

  • Danica Patrick started 19th and finished 20th.
  • Patrick battled her No. 10 Warrior by Danica Patrick/HSN.com Ford Fusion around the 19th position until she noted loose-handling conditions halfway through the stage.
  • After pitting under caution for four tires, fuel and wedge adjustments, she powered her way past eight cars with only eight laps to go. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):

  • Started 23rd and finished 11th.
  • Patrick forced her car back inside the top-20 in the early laps of Stage 2.
  • Patrick patiently battled through the field throughout the second stage, nearly entering the top-10 before the stage ended. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-400):

  • Started 11th and finished 23rd.
  • On lap 255 Patrick was struck on the left-rear quarter panel, sending her spinning into turn two. She avoided contact with the wall and drove away with minimal body damage.
  • Patrick pitted on lap 330 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. She ran just outside of the top-20 for the remainder of the race.

Notes:

  • This was Patrick’s 10th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and her 180th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
  • There were three caution periods for a total of 38 laps.
  • Nineteen of the 39 drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 400 finished on the lead lap.
  • Kyle Larson won the Federated Auto Parts 400 to score his fifth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Richmond Raceway.
  • Martin Truex Jr. leads the championship standings with 2,053 points and has a 20-point margin over his nearest pursuer, Larson.

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule – the first race of the playoffs – is the Sept. 17 Tale of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The event starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.