Photo by: Action Sports Photography
Danica Patrick went a lap down early but gained it back to finish a solid 17th in Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), went down a lap early the race, but thanks to some hard driving and a good car, she put herself in a position to be awarded the “Lucky Dog.”
That opportunity came when the caution flag flew on lap 147; she got her lap back and restarted 21st. From there she drove to a 17th-place finish.
“We were pretty good,” Patrick said. “The guys did a good job on the adjustments, and it was fun to drive. The race seemed to go by quick. We needed a little bit of track position, but it was a good day for us. Thanks to GoDaddy and everyone on my team. We continue to get better.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent by finishing second. He started first and led a race-high six times for 63 laps en route to his fifth top-five this season and his sixth top-five in 27 career Sprint Cup starts at Michigan. It was also his 105th top-five in 481 career Sprint Cup starts.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, started 26th, led one lap and finished 11th.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, started eighth, led once for 16 laps and finished 13th.
Jimmie Johnson won the Quicken Loans 400 to score his 69th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his first at Michigan in his 25th start at the 2-mile oval.
Harvick finished 1.214 seconds behind Johnson in the runner-up spot, while Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were eight caution periods for 36 laps, with two drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race.
With round 15 of 36 complete, Harvick leads the SHR contingent in the championship point standings. He is ninth with 447 points, 90 behind series leader Gordon. Stewart is 16th with 402 points, 135 out of first. Busch is 26th with 315 points, 222 out of first. Patrick is 28th with 273 points, 264 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Save Mart 350 on Sunday, June 22 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its prerace show at 2 p.m.
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