Danica Patrick: Who Doesn’t Love Tests?

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News

Say the word “test” to just about anyone and there is usually a chill that will go up his or her spine. Any high school student will tell you he or she doesn’t like tests (unless you’re one of those really smart students who gets into someplace like Princeton).

But when it comes to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, sometimes a test is a great thing – something even looked at with anticipation. That would be the case for Danica Patrick and the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet team as they look forward to the two-day testing session this week at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

The current NASCAR rules prohibit teams from testing at tracks the top three series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck) compete at during the season other than the season-opening test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, any test at a newly paved racetrack, and any test sanctioned by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

So basically, testing is extremely limited, which makes it challenging for a new Sprint Cup driver like Patrick. Other than Daytona, her six other Sprint Cup Series starts have consisted of a couple of hours of practice, two qualifying laps and then going right into the race.

This week at Kansas will be different, however, as NASCAR has scheduled a two-day testing session Wednesday and Thursday prior to the three days of normal practice, qualifying and Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at the newly paved 1.5-mile Kansas oval. With new pavement and 17 to 20 degrees of variable banking in the turns – a change from the 15-degree banking there from 2001 through the spring of this year – NASCAR decided to schedule four hours of testing Wednesday, followed by four hours Thursday to allow teams to gather plenty of information so the fans can see the best race possible.

While the extra track time will be of immediate benefit to Patrick at Kansas for Sunday’s race, it will also help her prepare for a full-time Sprint Cup season in 2013. Intermediate tracks of 1.5 and 2 miles in length, like Kansas, are critical as they comprise 14 of the 36 races on the schedule.

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