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All-Star Race Report

05.22.16

All-Star Race Report

Date: May 21, 2016
Event: Sprint All-Star Race (non-points event)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 19th/15th (Running, completed 113 of 113 laps)
Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford) 

 

Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) scored a 15th-place finish in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

The 32nd annual non-points race featured drivers who met one of the following requirements:

  • Won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2015 or 2016.
  • Is a past All-Star Race winner who is a full-time Sprint Cup competitor.
  • Is a Sprint Cup champion who is a full-time Sprint Cup competitor.
  • Won the first segment of Saturday’s Sprint Showdown.
  • Won the second segment of Saturday’s Sprint Showdown.
  • Won the third segment of Saturday’s Sprint Showdown.
  • Placed first or second in the Sprint Fan Vote.

Patrick secured one of the Sprint Fan Vote spots following the Sprint Showdown to earn a spot in Saturday night’s non-points event. It marked the third time in four years that Patrick has won the Sprint Fan Vote.

The 113-lap race around the 1.5-mile oval was broken up into three segments, including two 50-lap segments and a 13-lap final segment, and featured a 20-driver field.

Patrick started the race from the 19th position after qualifying was rained out and the field was set per the NASCAR rule book. In the first All-Star segment, crew chief Billy Scott called Patrick to pit road for the team’s mandatory green-flag pit stop at lap 24. The team changed four tires, added fuel and made a wedge adjustment.

The No. 20 team didn’t make the mandated green-flag pit stop during the first segment. This left nearly half of the field, including Patrick, one lap down to the leader. The No. 20 was penalized for violating the race format and was held one lap on pit road as a penalty. When the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery team pitted after the first segment, Scott called for a series of adjustments to help improve the car’s handling.

Patrick started the second segment from the 16th position, and when the caution flag waved at lap 66, Scott called her to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. When the field went back to green, a number of cars made contact as the No. 24 car attempted to hit pit road. Patrick took evasive action and was able to narrowly avoid the cars that wrecked directly ahead of her.

She restarted from the 16th position when the field went back to green at lap 81. Scott called her to pit road two laps later for right-side tires, and Patrick ended the second segment in the 16th position. When the leaders pitted before the final segment, Patrick was able to take the wave-around to get back on the lead lap.

Patrick started the final 13-lap segment from the 15th position and was running in the same spot as she took the checkered flag.

“I was really hoping we’d put on more of a show for the fans tonight, but we just weren’t able to make it happen,” Patrick said. “The car was just sitting on the track the first segment, and at the end it was just way too loose. Overall, I just have to thank the fans for giving the Nature’s Bakery team a shot in tonight’s race. I’m extremely fortunate to have such great fans.”

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet SS, led the way for SHR by finishing fifth in the All-Star Race.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 11th after leading 21 laps.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 20th after a lap-70 accident eliminated the team from contention in his 18th career All-Star Race.

Joey Logano won the All-Star Race to earn his first victory in six career All-Star Races. His previous best finish was second in 2013.

Brad Keselowski finished 1.142 seconds behind Logano in the runner-up spot, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Busch rounded out the top-five. Chase Elliott, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch comprised the remainder of the top-10.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to points-paying racing on Sunday, May 29, with the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. The longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule gets underway at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX beginning at 5:30 p.m.