Patrick looks fast on the learning curve
Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009
Drafting was the thing Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway after Robb Brent's Dodge powered to the top of the speed chart in the morning session of ARCA testing.
As the three-day preseason gathering wrapped up, the ARCA drivers had their cars wound up, working in wads around the 2.5-mile speedway. ARCARacing.com showed the specifics and stock car racing rookie Danica Patrick’s name showed up near the top of the list.
Patrick’s improvement from Saturday – she was 25th fastest in the morning and 20th in the afternoon – would appear to support the confidence voiced by JR Motorsports’ Tony Eury Jr.
"She’s doing really good," JR Motorsports' Tony Eury Jr. said Saturday. "Drafting is not something that you learn overnight. She has done really good learning how to stay in a pack, learning what the car does in different aero situations.
"We're pretty pleased."
Acknowledging the challenges, Patrick said she learned a lot in Saturday afternoon’s drafting sessions.
“I guess you can run a lot closer than what I thought,” Patrick said. “Two car-lengths up above from my spotter is like 'on him' for me. It was a little bit more challenging to get that last car-length or get up on him.”
The IndyCar star was 10th fastest in Sunday morning’s session, which was led by Brent, at 182.741 mph. Mikey Kile, Bryan Silas, Alli Owens and Patrick Sheltra made up the rest of the top five.
In Sunday afternoon’s session, Sheltra’s best lap, at 183.016 mph, topped the chart. He was followed by Brent and Mark Thompson. Sean Corr and Patrick rounded out the top five.
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