UPDATE Go ahead and pencil Danica Patrick into the Daytona 500 starting lineup. Stewart Haas Racing has finalized an alliance with Tommy Baldwin Racing that guarantees Patrick a starting spot in the Sprint Cup opener and keeps her #10 car on the track for the entire Cup schedule, team owner Tommy Baldwin said on Tuesday. Patrick will be locked into the Feb. 26 race with the owner's points accumulated last season by TBR driver Dave Blaney, who was 33rd. The top 35 in owner's points from last season are guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races, meaning Blaney now will have to qualify his way into the 500 field. Since Patrick is scheduled to compete in only 10 Cup races while participating fulltime in the Nationwide Series, TBR driver David Reutimann will drive the remaining 26 races in the 10 car. The goal is to keep the 10 locked into the top 35 so Patrick will be guaranteed a starting spot for the first five races of 2013 when she runs her first full Cup schedule. TBR will receive technical and pit crew support as a part of the deal. Baldwin said there were no conflicts with NASCAR or Chevrolet in having Patrick use Hendrick Motorsports engines as all the SHR cars do and Reutimann using Earnhardt-Childress Engines as all TBR cars do. Greg Zipadelli will remain the crew chief for Patrick's Cup races. Baldwin said he and Zipadelli will work with Reutimann in the other 26. Reutimann will not drive another TBR car in the non-Patrick races. Baldwin said this is all about getting Patrick "prepared for 2013."
ESPN.com
[Editor's Note: What a farce the NASCAR guaranteed spot system is. But the blame here cannot be placed on Patrick or Stewart-Haas Racing. They're just playing the system like anyone would if presented with the opportunity. Do you think the winner of this year's Super Bowl can sell its owners points to the last place Tampa Bay Buccaneers to guarantee them a spot in next year's Super Bowl? Is NASCAR a sport or a circus?]
01/31/12
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| Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick |
Danica Patrick will be a guaranteed starter in the 2012 Daytona 500, using owner points from Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Multiple sources say a deal is nearly complete to make Patrick a guaranteed starter in Stewart Haas Racing’s #10 Chevrolet in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season opener, using owner points accrued last season by driver Dave Blaney in TBR’s #36 Chevrolet. Blaney will now be forced to qualify for the “Great American Race" on time.
Patrick is scheduled to run approximately 10 Sprint Cup races this season, and TBR driver David Reutimann will run many of the events Patrick does not; also in the #10 machine. While Patrick will drive Stewart Haas cars purchased from Hendrick Motorsports in her 10 races, Reutimann will steer Baldwin’s cars in his outings.
TBR will reportedly receive technical and pit crew support from SHR as part of the deal. Sirius Speedway
