Patrick to compete in 12 Nationwide Series races with JR Motorsports, 11 with Go Daddy

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 9, 2011) – Danica Patrick, the 28-year-old racer who transitioned into NASCAR Nationwide Series competition last year with JR Motorsports in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, has finalized her 2011 Nationwide Series plans. JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt, on behalf of the team and primary sponsor GoDaddy.com, announced those plans today.

Patrick’s tour will closely resemble her rookie campaign in that she will compete in a cluster of races on the front and back ends of the Nationwide Series schedule. She will appear in select races during the middle parts of the year while competing full time in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Patrick’s 2011 NASCAR plans feature 12 races across 10 NASCAR markets. Four of those markets will host Patrick for the first time in a stock car.

As announced last October, Patrick will compete in the first four Nationwide Series races – Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 19), Phoenix International Raceway (Feb. 26), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 5) and Bristol Motor Speedway (March 19).

Patrick will continue with races at Chicagoland Speedway (June 4), Daytona International Speedway (July 1), Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Aug. 20), Richmond International Speedway (Sept. 9), and Kansas Speedway (Oct. 8). She will conclude her second NASCAR season with the final three races on the Nationwide Series schedule — Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 5), Phoenix International Raceway (Nov. 12) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 19).

“This is going to be an exciting year in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet,” said Patrick, who scored a career-best fifth-place start and 19th-place finish in the 2010 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I have a much different perspective heading into this season. I know a little more of what to expect, and I’m not as out of my element. I’ve had a year to work with my team, and there is a comfort level that comes with returning to some of these tracks. It’s obvious experience goes a long way in this sport. Thanks to everyone at Go Daddy and JR Motorsports that have been incredibly supportive throughout this process.”

Race tracks that were not on Patrick’s 2010 schedule but among her 2011 plans are Bristol, Richmond, Kansas and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Patrick has raced at Richmond and Kansas in the IZOD IndyCar Series. GoDaddy.com sponsors Patrick in both open-wheel and stock car racing.

“Danica is smart, she’s beautiful and she’s successfully competing in a male-dominated sport,” said Bob Parsons, the company’s CEO and founder. “To jump into a stock car and take on veteran NASCAR drivers is a testament to Danica’s grit – our Go Daddy Girl is an undeniable inspiration for anyone who dreams big!”

GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest Web hosting provider and top domain name registrar, will serve as primary sponsor for 11 of the 12 races with Patrick on the No. 7 Chevrolet. This season marks Patrick’s fifth year as a Go Daddy Girl for the Internet powerhouse. For more information on Patrick and Go Daddy racing, visit www.GoDaddy.com/Danica.

Kevin Harvick Incorporated has sponsorship help from an unusual source, a company called Tapout which is a mixed-martial arts brand of clothing and will make their debut at Las Vegas on their #2 Chevy driven by Elliott Sadler, as well as on Kevin Harvick’s truck that he’ll drive at Michigan. This is a multi-year deal, and new money coming to the sport is always a good thing.

Mike Bliss is joining TriStar Motorsports for the coming Nationwide Series season, and will drive their #19 car alongside teammate Eric McClure and his #14 car. Bliss has 2 wins in that series in over 200 starts, both coming at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Many are speculating that this will need to be a career year for David Ragan in order for him to keep the keys to the Roush/Fenway #6 Ford. It was reported that his contract was up at the end of this season, but in fact that is the contract of UPS, Ragan is signed through the 2014 season, of course that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a performance clause in his contract and could be cut loose early.

You may have noticed that Tony Stewart has slimmed down for the coming season, 15 lbs to be exact so far.  Tony said “I just wanted to feel better, actually, I’m realizing I’m not 20 any more. I’ll be 40 in May. It was just me sitting down and saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got to pay better attention to this.’  Don’t expect Tony to start working out like Mark Martin, as he calls his routine “insane”

Paul Menard is getting a guaranteed starting spot in the Daytona 500 for his Richard Childress car.  It’s a points deal made between RCR and TRG Motorsports and the car points from their #71 car from last year.  That team managed to finish 2010 in exactly 35th in points and that’s enough for Menard to sleep easy for at least the first 5 races of the season.

Teams have taking a liking to testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Florida.  Drivers that have turned laps there recently include Kyle Busch, Todd Bodine, David Ragan, Brian Scott, Steve Wallace, Jeff Burton, Juan Montoya, and Paul Menard.  That speedway by the way is a 1 mile track with 3 turns and very little banking, like a tiny Pocono.

Matt Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing have a couple of backup drivers ready as Matt’s wife Katie is expecting to give birth later this month. Kenny Wallace and Brian Ickler are ready to jump into the #17 ride to practice or anything else the team may need. Kenseth does plan (or at least try) to drive on race days as the couple’s latest addition approaches.

An engine exploded inside the shop of Joe Gibbs Racing on Friday and caused a fire. They were testing the engine on their dynamometer when the engine let go, although officially the cause of the fire has yet to be determined. The damage was contained to that room itself, and there were no injuries as Joe Gibbs Racing celebrates their 20th year in NASCAR.

Jeff Gordon was at Pike Peak International Raceway in Colorado over the weekend testing his #24 car in preparation for the race coming up at Phoenix. The track is similar enough for the team to get some good setup data from the car. In case you are wondering why not just test at Phoenix? Well NASCAR doesn’t allow testing at any of the tracks that they race at, so teams need to be creative in their testing.

CONCORD, NC (February 4, 2010) — With the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season set to return to action at Daytona International Speedway next week, Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth and his wife Katie are expecting great things for the month of February with the addition of a new baby.  The Kenseths expect to welcome the latest addition to the family by the end of the month, and Roush Fenway Racing will look to two drivers to be on-call in case Kenseth needs to travel home to be with his family.

Kenny Wallace and Brian Ickler will be ready to jump in to the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford for any practice and qualifying needs the team may have.  Wallace will be ready to assume driving duties throughout Daytona International Speedway’s Speedweeks events, while Ickler will be at the track for both Phoenix and Las Vegas race weekends.

Kenseth plans to be behind the wheel of the No. 17 Ford on race days, but depending on when the newest member of the family arrives, he may need assistance from Wallace and/or Ickler to practice the car for the team.

Kenseth and his No. 17 Crown Royal team will have their first practice session of the season on Friday, February 11^th for the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.