This past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Danica Patrick had the best finish of her career in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick finished 24th, on the lead lap at the AAA Texas 500 under watchful eye of her new crew chief, Tony Gibson.
It seems like the change might of been just what the No.10 Go Daddy Team needed after struggling most of the season. Her previous best finish was at Chicagoland Speedway in September, where she finished in 25th position.
Gibson and Patrick are getting experience by work together now, before she goes full time points racing in the Sprint Cup Series next season.
“She ran with guys that she’s never run with before, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin. To come here and run on the lead lap and a shot at a top-20 was pretty impressive…” Gibson said.
“To come here and run on the lead lap, and a shot at a top 20, was pretty impressive.”
Patrick has been running a shortened season this year under guidance of team owner Tony Stewart and Stewart Haas Racing. Stewart has said he purposely picked the tracks he did to challenge Patrick and get her ready for next season.
The changes that the team has made might finally be going in the right direction for Patrick, “”We had a really nice first weekend,” Patrick said. “It was really steady from the beginning. … Tony Gibson did such a good job. I’m really looking forward to next year.”
