She's "Locked In" at Darlington - Gee, Thanks Rooty-Tooty

Danica Patrick locked into Darlington Cup race thanks to David Reutimanns run at Talladega

Bob Pockrass Sporting News

Danica Patrick Pointing a bony finger toward the Legend

Danica Patrick can breathe a sigh of relief. She has a guaranteed starting spot for Saturday nights race at Darlington Racewaythe second Sprint Cup race of her career.

The top 35 teams in the Sprint Cup owner standings are guaranteed spots in the field.
David Reutimann and Tommy Baldwin Racing left Talladega in the top 35 in owner points, meaning Danica Patrick is locked in to Saturday's Sprint Cup race at Darlington. (AP Photo)

Patricks No. 10 car is fielded by Tommy Baldwin Racing through a partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, which prepares her cars while TBR prepares cars for David Reutimann. The No. 10 was 35th in the owner standings entering the race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

With Reutimann driving, it had a pretty good cushion21 pointsbut there were no guarantees it would leave Talladega in the top 35 if the No. 33 car, a partnership between Richard Childress Racing and team owner Joe Falk, had a great race. Reutimann did not.

But Tony Raines, driver of the No. 33, had to retire with an engine issue and finished 38th. Reutimann finished 22nd and moved up two spots to 33rd in the owner standings.

So Patrick now has a 27-point cushion on 36th, which locks her in for Darlington and also should give her enough breathing room to be good for the following race a couple weeks later at Charlotte.

That makes life much easier for Patrick, who is expected to have trouble at Darlington, a difficult 1.336-mile, egg-shaped oval that troubles even the best of drivers.

Im prepared to (qualify) if I have to do it, Patrick said before the Talladega race. Theres no reason to think about (the top-35 situation). Its not going to help me. Its not going to help them.

I think theyre going to be just fine.

Reutimann will drive the BK Racing No. 93 car at Darlington. He drove that car in the Daytona 500 when Patrick competed in the No. 10.

Patrick is scheduled to drive in 10 Cup races this year in preparation for a full-time Cup ride with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2012-05-06/danica-patrick-david-reuitmann-stewart-haas-racing-tommy-baldwin-racing-darlingt#ixzz1uDCTRR6T

Danica's turn to tackle Lady in Black

Lou Bezjak Florence Morning News, S.C.

11:20 a.m. CDT, May 7, 2012
DARLINGTON

It's Danica Patrick's turn to tame Darlington Raceway.

All eyes will be on Patrick as she makes her first trip to the Lady in Black. The 30-year-old will be driving in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races as NASCAR makes its annual trek to the Pee Dee.

Patrick will be the third female driver to start at Cup race at Darlington with Janet Guthrie (1977) and Shawna Robinson (2002) being the other two.

"She is going to be the one to watch, for sure," Darlington Raceway president Chris Browning said. "It will be interesting to see how she does at Darlington because it is such a different track than what she has run on before."

Browning said the track offered for Patrick to come down and drive around the track, in a street car, with either Cale Yarborough or David Pearson to get some advice, but the invitation was declined.

Patrick told reporters last week she will probably arrive Thursday and drive a rental car around the track a few times before hitting the track Friday in her stock car.

The Bojangles' Southern 500 will be Patrick's first Cup race since the season-opening Daytona 500. She is running 10 Cup races for Stewart-Haas Racing in addition to racing full-time in the Nationwide Series as she makes her transition from open-wheel racing to stock cars.

"The point of this process and the point of choosing Darlington was to go to the toughest tracks and get the toughest ones out of the way, the ones that take a lot of tries before you really get comfortable there and just get the process going," Patrick told reporters last week in Richmond. "I know it's going to be hard. I know there's going to be some frustrating moments and some moments that I'm probably going to feel a little embarrassed, but I'm there to get my Darlington stripes and move along."

Patrick finished 12th in the Nationwide race at Talladega on Saturday but was involved in an incident in which she intentionally wrecked Sam Hornish on the cool down lap.

Patrick thought Hornish squeezed her up into the wall late in the race but Hornish explained he had a tire going down.

Patrick said she spoke with Hornish later Saturday night and issued a statement on Twitter.

"Just talked to @SamHornish and we are all good! He told me he had a flat right front which explains both incidences," Patrick wrote.

NASCAR didn't talk to either driver after the race, but the Associated Press said officials will likely speak to Patrick this week at Darlington.

Patrick won't be the only big name making their debut this week as former X Games star Travis Pastrana and 18-year-old Ryan Blaney will be testing their skills at the track "Too Tough to Tame."

Pastrana is driving seven Nationwide races this season and finished 22nd in his debut at Richmond two weeks ago. Blaney, the son of Cup driver Dave Blaney, finished seventh at Richmond.

On the Cup side, Regan Smith will look to repeat as Southern 500 champion as he overcame 500-1 odds last year to win his first race in any of NASCAR's top series.

Two-time Darlington winner Greg Biffle enters the race as the points leader with teammate Matt Kenseth in second.

Junior coming to Hartsville

NASCAR's most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Junior will be making a stop for a Q-and-A session at the Hartsville Walmart from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday.

This is the second year Earnhardt will be doing the session, which is part of his sponsorship with Diet Mountain Dew.

Earnhardt Jr. is third in points heading into Darlington and is looking for his first win at the track.

Love her declining the offer to drive around Darlington with either Cale or David.

What a dumb person.

David Pearson, what else can ya say.

Why put David on the spot with a rookie driver than has done nothing short of mediocre.

Ok, ok, let's call it as it is. Old Rooty-Tooty kept the car in the top 35. I absolutely detest that top 35 rule but I'm only a fan and an OLD fan which doesn't count for anything. But don't be too hard on Rooty because I can guarantee you that top 35 nothwithstanding, NASCAR would have had that broad in the Southern 500 no matter what addition, deletion, or other method of rule bending needed to get her in there. I think, even before the Talladega incident with Sam Hornish, Jr., that Danica is above any rule NASCAR has ever conceived. An old Hollywood adage about the "casting couch" comes to mind but I won't go there. Just saying......................

You're right, of course (per usual), Legend.

Had she somehow not met all of the current written guidelines, NASCAR would have gone to their E.I.R.I. (Except In Rare Instances) provision in the "Rule Book" and come up with an explanation for her to race that none of we with less devious minds would have ever considered.

Theoretical Question:

If that had been the late Darth Vader I... I mean Dale Earnhardt, Sr. - the Man in Black - who the Princess had punted post race at Talladega, how many Darlington laps should you expect her to survive?

Any truth to the rumor that some new crew members have been recruited for the first Princess outing at Darlington?

Seems like we really need for a Busch to break out and do something stupid at Darlington to regain the spotlight.