Fansided

Danica Patrick is doing her best NASCAR racing ever right now, modest though it might be

By Nick Tylwalk

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, is introduced prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 23: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, is introduced prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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It’s not a sign that she’s ready to run up front, but it’s something for the driver of the No. 10 Ford.

We’ve never met Danica Patrick, but we’re guessing that finishing 15th doesn’t thrill her. Like any racer, she’d undoubtedly prefer competing for wins each week in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

That’s never happened, and it’s arguably never really even been close to a reality. Through four and a half full-time Cup Series seasons, Patrick has just seven top-10 finishes, and her career best finish (sixth) came nearly three years ago at Atlanta. In 2017, she has just a lone 10th-place result that came at Dover.

Still, one thing Patrick has always lacked is consistency, as she’s always managed to run into trouble or had issues with just not running well. And in recent weeks, there have been signs that things are changing in that regard.

Patrick goes into Watkins Glen on the best four-race stretch of her NASCAR career, with four top-15 finishes in a row between Kentucky and Pocono. Reason to break out the champagne? Probably not. But could it be that she’s turned a corner of sorts?

We’ll likely find out over the next four weeks. Patrick has never finished 15th or better in any of the upcoming races: Watkins Glen (somewhat surprising, given her open-wheel experience), Michigan, Bristol night race and Darlington. If she’s getting lapped at these tracks, then perhaps nothing has really changed.

If she’s running mid-pack or better, though, then it could be evidence that Patrick has finally figured some things out. It couldn’t come at a better time, given the fact that Stewart-Haas Racing seems to be a bit up in the air about its 2018 driver lineup and Patrick’s sponsorship situation, once a strength, looks a lot less solid these days.

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Again, it’s not finding a way to reach Victory Lane or being in the top 5 with the laps winding down. But it’s something, and it’s hard to imagine Patrick wouldn’t take it right now.

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