Date: March 13, 2016
Event: Good Sam 500k (Round 4 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona (1-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 36th/19th (Running, completed 312 of 313 laps)
Point Standing: 24th (69 points)
Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Chevrolet) in overtime
 Danica Patrick and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) rallied from a 36th-place starting position to score a 19th-place finish in Sunday’s Good Sam 500k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
After starting near the back of the field, Patrick was able to pick up 10 positions in the first 40 laps of the race. When the caution flag waved for the first time, she noted the car’s handling was a little tight but asked the team to not make any adjustments, and she was able to gain a few more spots on the following run.
As the race progressed, the tight-handling issue intensified, so crew chief Billy Scott called for air pressure and chassis adjustments to help improve the car’s handling for Patrick. She was able to crack the top-20 for the first time with just under 100 laps to go in the race. When the caution flag waved a few laps later, Scott once again called for chassis adjustments to the No. 10 Chevrolet.
The following run was the longest green-flag period of the race. Patrick reported the car felt like it was out of the track and really loose. With about 30 laps to go, Patrick was directed to start saving fuel in an effort to make it to the checkered flag in case the race ran green to the end. At lap 301, she went a lap down to the leader. A few laps later the caution flag waved once again.
Since the leader didn’t pit and the No. 10 Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet team wouldn’t be able to take the wave-around to get back on the lead lap, Scott called Patrick to pit road for tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment to help tighten up the car for the final laps.
As the race was extended for an overtime finish, Patrick restarted in the 20th position and was able to pick up one spot in the closing laps to score a 19th-place result.
“We didn’t start out as good as we needed to this weekend and that hurt us in qualifying on Friday, but my racecar was good today,” Patrick said. “The guys did a good job with the changes, but we went a bit too far on the second-to-last stop. That hurt us on the long green-flag run, and we ended up a lap down. I hate that we didn’t finish any better than we did today, but I’m glad we were able to come back and get a solid run after starting so far back.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday at Phoenix by winning the Good Sam 500k. It was the 31st point-paying Sprint Cup win for SHR since its inception in 2009 and the organization’s first this season.
The victory was Harvick’s eighth at Phoenix, the most of any Sprint Cup driver at the one-mile oval. And it came in dramatic fashion, as Harvick beat Carl Edwards to the line by .010 of a second to secure the closest margin of victory in series history at Phoenix. It was also the seventh closest finish in NASCAR history since the advent of electronic timing and scoring in 1993.
Harvick led twice for a race-high 139 laps en route to his 32nd career Sprint victory and his first this season. He has now won six of the last eight Sprint Cup races at Phoenix.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished sixth to secure his 16th top-10 in 27 career Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix.Ty Dillon, interim driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet SS for SHR as he subs for the injured Tony Stewart, finished 15th. It was his second top-15 finish in just 10 career Sprint Cup starts.
Finishing third behind Harvick and Edwards was Denny Hamlin, while Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-five. Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Ryan Blaney comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were five caution periods for 30 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 313-lap race, which went into overtime and was extended by one lap.
With round four of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is the new series leader with 154 points, the same amount of points as second-place Kyle Busch. Harvick, however, wins the tiebreaker with his one win to Busch’s none. Kurt Busch is fourth with 137 points, 17 out of first. Patrick is 24th with 69 points, 89 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, March 20 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.
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