A little bit of strategy, a little bit of hope, and a little bit of drama summed up the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas on Saturday.
And that was just for race winner Mark Martin.
While he was in victory lane celebrating his record 49th victory in the Nationwide Series, it was Danica Patrick getting just as much praise from the crowd and by fellow competitors.
With a little help on strategy, and a lot of patience, Patrick set a new record for the highest-finishing female in NASCAR history. With the help of a wave-around and a lucky dog, plus using an off-sequence pit stop, Patrick was able to rally from being two laps down to finish a career-best fourth at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
What's key in this situation is not that she set a new record, but it was how she did it.
The day didn't start very well as Patrick spun out in practice and had a very poor qualifying effort. She fell two laps down early, but unlike her pervious races, instead of getting frustrated, she remained poised.
Then opportunities became evident. A wave-around on a restart gave her one of the laps back. She then found herself in the right position to get the free pass.
At the same time, she began earning more respect from her competitors while on the track, as she raced lap after lap going side-by-side with many of the elite drivers in the series.
Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was the one making the big decision for Patrick in this race. With 60 laps to go, Patrick pitted along with Martin, getting off sequence and hoping the race would remain green for the remainder of the race.
As the leaders pitted, she found herself creeping closer to the front, and then everything seemed to fall into place.
Patrick cruised home behind Martin, Justin Allgaier, and Brad Keselowski, who led at the white flag but hit the wall following a flat tire.
It's not so much the record being broken that is impressive, but more about how she did it. This is her second year behind the wheel of a stock car, and a new edition nevertheless. She only ran 12 races last year, with her highest finish being 19th at Homestead.
But, that race seemed to do her a lot of good as she stayed out of trouble, and brought home a respectable finish.
Then Daytona approached, and once again, she showed poise and intelligence in the draft, finishing 14th. Things seemed to begin clicking as though the team became more comfortable, and more confident.
The top-five run is just the latest chapter in Patrick's career that some believed to be more for publicity than reality. If this is any indication, Patrick's thoughts on being a contender in NASCAR just took off like the Space Shuttle.
Now, with a week off, Patrick and the team have extra time to savor this accomplishment, but also prepare her for one of her weaknesses in NASCAR...short tracks. With Bristol next on the schedule, Patrick returns with many more eyes on her and the No. 7 team.
For now, the GoDaddy girl can enjoy what she accomplished, and use it as a stepping stone for the next race in her 2011 season.
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