New attitude helps Danica Patrick to season's best start at Sonoma

Patrick was solid in Friday’s practice sessions and was even better in Saturday’s two rounds of qualifying. She advanced to the final round and ended up posting the 11th fastest speed.

Patrick’s previous best start this season was 16th at the season opening Daytona 500.

“It’s just been a smooth weekend. I even told the guys yesterday, ‘Thank you for a good car.’ I definitely have told myself that I need to be in attack mode,” Patrick said Saturday after qualifying.

“I think that for me, I’m a methodical driver. Being really aggressive right at first is something I have to discipline myself to do. So, I need to drive on the race track like I drive on the regular road more. I knew that was kind of the attitude I came in with.”

In her relatively short Sprint Cup Series career Patrick has struggled at Sonoma. In three previous races, she’s finished 29th, 18th and 24th. Her 11th place start Sunday matches her previous best at the track (2014).

Patrick said she needs to carry her new ‘attack mode’ attitude through the rest of the season.

“It comes from trusting your crew chief, too, and you have to have worked together long enough that they’re not going to send you out there with something that is really going to make for problems,” she said. “So, that was kind of my attitude.

“Other than that, the car is good. I feel like it has good speed and it’s consistent. We were able to do long runs. I was able to do pit road. I practiced braking on the inside of all the hairpins.

“I feel like I checked a lot of boxes off in practice that I don’t normally do, so I feel pretty ready.”