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03.15.17
Camping World 500k Pre-Report
Danica Patrick and the No. 10 TaxAct Ford Fusion team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) enter this weekend’s Camping World 500k Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway looking to score a “Premium Finish” at the mile oval.
Entering Sunday’s race, Patrick brings experience from competing in three different series at Phoenix: the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IndyCar Series. In her lone IndyCar start at the mile oval in 2005, Patrick finished 15th. She has competed in five Xfinity Series races at Phoenix and earned a 10th-place result in November 2012. Patrick has made nine NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track and scored her best finish there – a 16th-place effort – after overcoming a pit-road penalty in November 2015.
As the No. 10 team enters the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, it is looking to accomplish stronger on-track marks. Sunday’s race at Phoenix will be the second of four events during which TaxAct will serve as the primary sponsor on Patrick’s No. 10 Ford and the official tax preparation software partner of SHR, and Patrick is looking for good results from the team, as well.
The leading provider of clear, transparent and affordably priced tax preparation software for DIY filers, TaxAct once again begins this weekend offering race fans the chance to file their 2016 federal and state tax returns using TaxAct Online 2016 Premium Edition at a highly discounted price. If Patrick or any member of the SHR team grabs a top-10 finish in Sunday’s race, or any race before April 18, NASCAR fans can file their tax returns using TaxAct Online Premium Bundle for only $10 – currently priced at $70. This gives filers access to the federal and state forms needed to complete their return no matter how complex their situation, all in, for $10 – offer and pricing subject to change. In the event none of the SHR drivers finish in the top-10 in those races, NASCAR fans can take advantage of a $10 discount off their federal return when they use TaxAct Online Plus or Premium Editions.
Tax filers can get a “Premium Finish” with the running of the Camping World 500k, with applicable discounted pricing available through the following Saturday – offer and pricing subject to change. TaxAct will offer additional opportunities for NASCAR fans to file returns with “Premium Finish” pricing for the NASCAR Cup Series races up to the tax filing deadline on April 18. Fans can lock in their “Premium Finish” price online by visiting TaxAct.com/Ten. With TaxAct’s Price Lock Guarantee, filers are guaranteed to pay the price offered for its online products at the time they register, no matter when they choose to file.
Heading into this weekend at Phoenix, the TaxAct Ford team is looking to improve upon its results thus far with great hopes that a return to the “Valley of the Sun” will bring a “Premium Finish” and, in turn, help fans get a great deal on their taxes.
DANICA PATRICK, Driver of the No. 10 TaxAct Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
There are a lot of logistics involved in the West Coast swing. What do you do? Do you stay out West or do you commute like you would to other NASCAR races?
“I stay out on the West Coast. I lived in Phoenix full-time for 10 years. My house is there, so I base in Phoenix and it’s perfect. Those are long trips, back-and-forth, from the West Coast. Those are four- and five-hour plane rides each way, so it definitely functions logistically a lot easier to just base myself on the West Coast and I think more and more people are doing that. I think it’s smart.”
Are there any other areas on the West Coast that you make a point to visit when you’re out there or that you want to visit when you go out there?
“Not really. When I’m on the West Coast, Phoenix is my base and that’s where I lived for so long. I’ve got a lot of friends there, I’ve got a house and I’ve got all of the creature comforts. It’s not even home away from home, it is home.”
What are your thoughts on racing at Phoenix this weekend?
“We had a solid race at Phoenix last spring but struggled a bit in the fall. We’re looking to do a lot better when we return to the track this weekend. I like Phoenix and think it’s a great track, so I hope we can have a smooth run and do well.”
Talk about returning to Phoenix for this weekend’s race.
“The Phoenix area just has amazing amenities, like great grocery stores, great restaurants and great shopping. When it comes to the track itself, the fans are such a big part of everything. They get in early to camp out and it’s like they have their own little city. They even have a grocery store at the track. There’s always a really big crowd at Phoenix and it’s great to see how much this area supports our sport.”
Coming out of Daytona, we hit a stretch of the season that includes Atlanta, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana. How important is that slate of races?
“The first five races of the year are super-critical for the points championship but, in particular, they’re a good indicator of how the rest of the year is going to go from a performance standpoint. With those tracks, you’re covering all the bases with a short track, being Phoenix, a mile-and-a-half with Atlanta, a mile-and-a-half with Vegas – with Vegas being high-grip and Atlanta being low-grip – and then you go to Fontana, which is a 2-mile, flat, wide oval, so you’ve got a lot of different challenges. If we can perform well as a team at all of those tracks and have the mechanical handling that we need, and good understanding as to what we need there to balance out the aerodynamics – which, hopefully, aero-wise, we’re in good shape – then we’ll have a great start to the year.”
Do you have a lot of friends coming out for this race?
“I always have a lot of friends who come out for the races in Phoenix. It’s a nice track for everyone to come out to and, hopefully, everyone has a good time.”