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Natures-Bakery_social-mediaNature’s Bakery Begins NASCAR Journey with
Danica Patrick and Stewart-Haas Racing
Fast-Growing Snacks and Food Brand Becomes Primary Sponsor of Patrick in 2016

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (Aug. 18, 2015) – Nature’s Bakery, a rapidly-growing snacks and food brand headquartered in Reno, Nevada, has joined Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to become the primary sponsor of driver Danica Patrick and the No. 10 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2016 season.

The multiyear sponsorship agreement will see Nature’s Bakery and its signature tagline, “Energy for Life’s Great Journeys”, adorn Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet SS for 28 races a year.

Nature’s Bakery was founded in 2010 by the father-and-son duo of Dave and Sam Marson with a mission of making delicious, convenient, on-the-go snacks that complement health-conscious living and active, everyday lifestyles. Their lineage in the food industry can be traced back to the 1960s when Dave’s father, Richard Marson, opened a family bakery. Growing up in the bakery, Dave passed his passion and skills along to his son, Sam, whereupon the two combined their knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to form Nature’s Bakery.

“Danica Patrick is one of the most fit and health-conscious drivers in all of racing and she embodies the Nature’s Bakery customer,” said Dave Marson, founder of Nature’s Bakery. “We make great products that complement Danica’s lifestyle and the always on-the-go environment in which she competes. Nature’s Bakery provides ‘Energy for Life’s Great Journeys’ and we’re very proud to embark upon this NASCAR journey with Danica and Stewart-Haas Racing.”

“It’s an honor to represent Nature’s Bakery and also a great deal of responsibility,” Patrick said. “They have ambitious goals and they’re going to rely on me and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing to deliver. I have ambitious goals too. It’s why I came to NASCAR and, specifically, to Stewart-Haas Racing. There’s still a lot I want to achieve in this sport and I’m looking to continue my professional journey with a brand as determined as I am.”

Patrick is motorsports’ most recognizable athlete and the most marketable personality in NASCAR according to Repucom’s 2015 Davie Brown Index. Her success on the racetrack, which includes an IndyCar Series victory and a Daytona 500 pole, transcends her into the mainstream, proven by a 2014 Harris Poll which named Patrick the second-most recognized female athlete in the United States, behind only tennis star Serena Williams.

“All you need to say is ‘Danica’ and people know exactly who you’re talking about,” Dave Marson added. “She has immersed herself and succeeded in a very intense sport and been recognized for her efforts. By offering convenient, easy-to-find and affordable products that people can feel better about eating, we’ve carved a niche for Nature’s Bakery in the fast-growing, packaged snack-food industry. With our partnership with Danica and Stewart-Haas Racing, we’re able to take that niche mainstream.”

“Danica has proven she belongs in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and we’re very happy to have her a part of our team for years to come,” said Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation, the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. “Nature’s Bakery is a natural fit with Danica. She has played an important role in the growth of all the businesses associated with her and our growth as a race team. Our partnership with Nature’s Bakery is all about growing their business. In Danica, we have the best possible person to help Nature’s Bakery achieve its goals.”

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Matt Kenseth, Michigan, 2015Aug. 16, 2015

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

BROOKLYN, Mich.—From Matt Kenseth’s point of view, the competition package NASCAR used at Michigan International Speedway could well have had a big, bright bow on it.

The Coors Light Polesitter for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Kenseth quickly exhibited his mastery of the high-drag aerodynamic package, leading 146 of 200 laps in winning for the third time this season, the third time at Michigan and the 34th time in his career.

The 2003 premier series champion had to survive a restart with 13 laps left, after Jimmie Johnson spun off Turn 4 to cause the eighth and final caution of the race. With a push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, Kenseth cleared Kevin Harvick after the Lap 187 restart and went on to win by 1.722 seconds.

“Denny did a spectacular job pushing me,” Kenseth said of the last run. “From the restart zone to about Turn 2 was like a superspeedway race–whoever got locked up—and those Chevys could really hook up.

“Denny did a heck of a job giving me a good push there to get by. Honestly, the toughest one was with the 3 (Dillon, with the two drivers swapping the lead after a restart on Lap 131). We went back and forth a few times and made some contact there, and it was hard to get away from him. My car took about five laps to get going, but once it got going, it was pretty stellar.”

Harvick ran out of fuel under green on Lap 114 but recovered to finish second. Martin Truex Jr. ran third, followed by Austin Dillon (who started from the rear of the field after an engine change) and Hamlin.

Kenseth’s victory was the fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing in the last six Sprint Cup races but Kenseth stopped short of declaring the JGR cars the favorites for the series championship this year. There are three regular-season races left before the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs start at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 20.

“It’s early to talk favorites—there’s so much racing to do, and there are 16 teams (in the Chase) that are capable of winning races on a weekly basis as well as a championship,” Kenseth said. “It’s one week at a time like always.

“It’s been a great week, and we’ve had a great couple months. We definitely have some momentum built. The guys gave us a rocket today and gave us rockets the last couple months. We’re just going to work hard to try to keep it rolling.”

Harvick, the reigning series champion, has finished second in five of his last six starts at Michigan, and he notched his seventh runner-up result since winning his second race of the season at Phoenix in March.

“We had an up and down day, that’s for sure,” Harvick said. “The first half of the race or so (we) really struggled with the handling of the car. The guys did a great job of getting that, and then ran out of gas and came back and didn’t lose a lap and were able to have a good enough handling car to drive back up through there.

“Just really proud of my team and everything that they did. I didn’t have anything for the 20 (Kenseth) today, but for everything that we overcame, it was still a good day.”

Despite starting from the rear of the field, Kyle Busch finished 11th, solidified his position in the top 30 in points and moved closer to a spot in the Chase. Now 29th in the standings, Busch leads 30th-place Justin Allgaier by 18 points and 31st-place Cole Whitt by 23.

A four-time winner since returning from an 11-race injury absence, Busch must be in the top 30 after 26 races to lock up a spot in the Chase.

Clint Bowyer’s Chase hopes took the hardest hit on Sunday. After running consistently in the top five, Bowyer’s No. 15 Toyota bounced off the outside backstretch wall on Lap 126—the result of contact with Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet—and careened into the inside wall.

Bowyer finished 41st and dropped one position in the standings to 15th, 23 points ahead of Aric Almirola in 16th and 26 ahead of Kasey Kahne in 17th. Bowyer currently is in the final Chase-eligible position. If the next three races produce one or more unique winners, however, his Chase spot could be in serious jeopardy.

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, August 16, 2015

1. (1) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200, $226586.
2. (7) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 200, $185285.
3. (22) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $137130.
4. (4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $150746.
5. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200, $114000.
6. (3) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 200, $97890.
7. (10) Joey Logano, Ford, 200, $137348.
8. (17) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200, $130540.
9. (14) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200, $141756.
10. (9) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $107415.
11. (6) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200, $132906.
12. (24) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200, $98790.
13. (34) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200, $118098.
14. (30) Aric Almirola, Ford, 200, $126501.
15. (11) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, $103615.
16. (18) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200, $118431.
17. (21) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 200, $132826.
18. (13) David Ragan, Toyota, 200, $114879.
19. (15) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 200, $113610.
20. (16) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 199, $102340.
21. (5) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 199, $113754.
22. (25) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 198, $127390.
23. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 198, $117023.
24. (19) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 198, $82390.
25. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 198, $93415.
26. (27) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 198, $93015.
27. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 198, $102823.
28. (26) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 198, $115573.
29. (28) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 197, $106398.
30. (32) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 197, $98798.
31. (33) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 197, $93062.
32. (36) David Gilliland, Ford, 197, $88915.
33. (29) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 197, $80840.
34. (38) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 197, $80740.
35. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 197, $80565.
36. (31) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 196, $80515.
37. (41) Josh Wise, Ford, 196, $80454.
38. (37) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 194, $75877.
39. (8) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 190, $119741.
40. (42) Travis Kvapil(i), Chevrolet, 190, $67805.
41. (12) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 164, $97963.
42. (40) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Overheating, 51, $67805.
43. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Parked, 9, $56305.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.455 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 47 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.722 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 31 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M. Kenseth 1-22; A. Dillon 23-40; M. Kenseth 41-59; J. Gordon 60; Kyle Busch 61-62; M. Kenseth 63-75; C. Bowyer 76; M. Kenseth 77-98; K. Harvick 99-113; C. Edwards 114-116; M. Kenseth 117-122; C. Edwards 123-124; A. Dillon 125; M. Kenseth 126-164; Kyle Busch 165-172; A. Almirola 173-175; M. Kenseth 176-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Kenseth 7 times for 146 laps; A. Dillon 2 times for 19 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 15 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 10 laps; C. Edwards 2 times for 5 laps; A. Almirola 1 time for 3 laps; C. Bowyer 1 time for 1 lap; J. Gordon 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 866; J. Logano – 818; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 784; M. Truex Jr. – 755; B. Keselowski – 754; J. Johnson – 752; M. Kenseth – 751; Kurt Busch – 683; D. Hamlin – 670; J. Mcmurray – 663; P. Menard – 654; R. Newman – 649; J. Gordon – 648; C. Edwards – 628; C. Bowyer – 616; A. Almirola – 593.

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O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 - PracticeChris Buescher continues to prove he can turn left and right.

The 22-year-old Texan finished third last weekend at Watkins Glen, highest among NASCAR XFINITY Series regulars, to extend his standings lead to 24 points over both defending champion Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon. Buescher also outpaced road course ace Boris Said, as well as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stalwarts Paul Menard and Kyle Larson.

Buescher gets to run another road course this Saturday in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN)—a place where he earned his first career victory last season and is the defending race winner.

“Mid-Ohio is a track that we have been looking forward to all year,” Buescher said. “There is a little extra pressure coming off of last year’s win, but we have really good notes and I know we will have a fast Zest Mustang. We have good momentum leaving the Glen and we just need to keep that rolling into the next few months.”

Buescher’s third-place finish at Watkins Glen was his first top-10 showing in five races. Despite his struggles, Elliott has failed to gain major ground on him.

He is prepared for another charge from Elliott and third-place Ty Dillon (-24 points), noting the intensity will gravitate down the stretch run.

“A lot of drama is what it sums up too,” Buescher said. “It’s gonna be wild. Points racing has a way of bringing out the emotion in everybody.”

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cms_051614_kahneAfter wrecking out of the race for the second straight week at Watkins Glen and falling off the 16-driver Chase Grid last Sunday, Kasey Kahne knows what he has to do to make NASCAR’s playoffs—the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“At this rate we’re going to need to win,” Kahne said. “That’s the only way we’ll go into the Chase. We’ve got to get a little better. I need to get a little better.”

Kahne has four races left to get that win, starting with Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver claims one victory at Michigan (June 2006) and believes he can adapt well to the high-drag track-specific rule package that will be used there this weekend.

“There were times at Indianapolis when we were really quick with that package,” Kahne said. “I know they’re working hard to bring a little less drag and more downforce there for us, all four of us (at Hendrick Motorsports). So hopefully we can run good at Michigan and maybe get a win there.”

Kahne finds himself in a similar position to where he was last year prior to the Chase. Too low in points to qualify without a victory, Kahne won the second-to-last race of the season at Atlanta to punch his ticket into NASCAR’s postseason.

While Michigan is not Kahne’s best track historically, he has proven he can win at a variety of loops, with victories at 11 different venues including short and intermediate tracks and road courses.

“The main thing is that all of the equipment we get at Hendrick Motorsports is good enough to win every weekend,” Kahne said. “We need to get on the ball here and do that, and I don’t see any better weekend to do that than the next one.”