The alliance guarantees a starting spot for Patrick in her Sprint Cup debut – the 54th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

TBR’s No. 36 car, which finished the 2011 season 33rd in points, becomes the No. 10 for 2012. For the 26 races where Patrick is not scheduled to drive, David Reutimann will pilot the No. 10 car. TBR has sponsorship inventory available for these 26 races.

“Tommy Baldwin Racing has proven to be a very strong organization and it’s a good fit with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Matt Borland, vice president of competition, SHR. “It’s a Chevrolet team led by a racer who knows every inch of a racecar. That kind of technical expertise, along with a company mindset that is similar to ours, provides the ideal environment for Danica to learn and succeed.”

TBR was formed in 2009 and has matured from a single-car team to one that in 2012 will field two Sprint Cup entries and a NASCAR Nationwide Series entry. TBR is owned by Tommy Baldwin, who as a crew chief secured five victories, including the 2002 Daytona 500 with driver Ward Burton.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve established at Tommy Baldwin Racing, and the opportunity to partner with Stewart-Haas Racing and aid in the development of Danica Patrick is a testament to all the hard work we’ve put in over the years,” Baldwin said. “Danica will have a great teammate in Dave Blaney, who has been instrumental in getting our race team to where it is today. And with David Reutimann driving the No. 10 car in the races where Danica is not, the team will remain in a strong and competitive position throughout the year.”

The agreement means TBR will also work with GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest Web hosting provider and Patrick’s longtime sponsor.

“Go Daddy is a first-rate sponsor,” Baldwin added. “Look how they’ve supported Danica over the last six years. Go Daddy is a sponsor that knows how to get things done right.”

Baldwin will maintain a hands-on presence with the No. 10 car and will work closely with Greg Zipadelli, who serves as SHR’s director of competition. Baldwin and Zipadelli have similar backgrounds, as both grew up in the Northeast – Baldwin in Bellport, N.Y., and Zipadelli in Berlin, Conn. – and made a name for themselves as successful crew chiefs within the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour before rising up the ranks as crew chiefs in the elite Sprint Cup Series.

“Working with Tommy will be like old times,” Zipadelli said. “We both grew up together and competed against each other in Modifieds and we did the same thing when we got to Sprint Cup. To finally be able to work with each other and help Danica Patrick make a successful transition from Indy cars to stock cars is a challenge we’re both looking forward to.

“Partnering with Tommy and his team provides Danica with the foundation she needs to succeed. With a guaranteed starting spot, we can go into each weekend and simply learn. It’s all about getting her comfortable in the car, and with the variety of tracks she’s running, seat time will be incredibly valuable. A guaranteed spot in the race ensures that she’ll have the opportunity to make as many laps as possible.”

Patrick’s 10-race Sprint Cup schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 26: Daytona 500

• May 12: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway

• May 27: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway

• Aug. 25: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

• Sept. 2: Atlanta Motor Speedway

• Sept. 16: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

• Sept. 30: Dover (Del.) International Speedway

• Nov. 4: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth

• Nov. 11: Phoenix International Raceway

One more race is still to be determined, with the plan being to assess Patrick’s development as the season progresses and then choose the remaining venue based on need and competitive reasoning.

“Our goal with Danica’s schedule is to try and maximize her 10 races so that she’s as prepared as she can possibly be for a full-time Sprint Cup schedule in 2013,” said Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool builder in the western world. “There are short tracks, intermediate 1.5-mile ovals, and some unique tracks like Darlington and Phoenix. The point is to expose her to as many challenges as possible so that she’ll know what to expect in 2013.”

“This is an awesome moment in my career,” Stewart said on the program. “I grew up in Indiana watching this guy a lot. Winning any award is an honor, but winning one with Mario’s name on it is very special.”

Five of this year’s seven finalists received first-place votes, including Stewart, runner-up Casey Stoner; AMA Supercross/Motocross champion Ryan Villipoto; last year’s SPEED Performer of the Year, Sebastian Vettel, and USAC/WoO phenom Kyle Larson.

“I get to see the best of the best and, Tony, you are in that company,” said Andretti, who actually noticed Stewart’s calm demeanor during the Chase and texted the driver, “I smell championship.”

The award, now in its sixth season, is presented annually by SPEED to the racer who puts a premium on winning races, shines on motor sports’ biggest stages and does it all with a measure of sportsmanship and class.

The 2011 SPEED Performer of the Year was selected by a panel including racing legends Andretti and Dan Gurney, “Wind Tunnel” host Dave Despain, veteran broadcasters Varsha, Ralph Sheheen and Leigh Diffey, SPEED.com writers Robin Miller and Tom Jensen, versatile racers Tommy Kendall and Dorsey Schroeder and a select group of SPEED motor sports producers.

The trophy, a true work of art created by bronze sculptor Elie Hazak, stands 38 inches tall and weighs 95 pounds. It features eight cars, including six of the most important in Mario’s rise to superstardom, as well as an array of artistic symbolism that captures the essence of the trophy’s namesake.

Mario Andretti Trophy winners and runner-ups:
2006 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR. Nicky Hayden, MotoGP
2007 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR; Donny Schatz, WoO
2008 – Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR; Tony Schumacher, NHRA
2009 – Tony Schumacher, NHRA; Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
2010 – Sebastian Vettel, F1; Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
2011 – Tony Stewart, NASCAR; Casey Stoner, MotoGP

WIX Filters will debut its primary sponsorship of Newman and his No. 39 Chevrolet at the season kick-off Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 18. WIX will be Newman’s primary sponsor for three additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events this year – at Phoenix International Raceway on March 4, Darlington Raceway on May 12 and Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 19.

“Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing and their fans bring tremendous enthusiasm and excitement to the racing season,” said Mike Harvey, brand manager for WIX Filters. “We can’t wait to be onboard with them again in 2012. Our partnerships with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ryan have been some of our most successful in racing thanks to the support offered by the team and the way Ryan’s fans have embraced our brand.”

WIX has been the Official Filter for Stewart-Haas Racing since the team’s creation in 2009. In three starts with WIX Filters on the hood of the No. 39, Newman has three top-10 finishes – a sixth-place effort at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2010, a third-place finish in last season’s Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway and a fifth-place effort at Michigan International Speedway in August 2011.

“I’m excited to have WIX Filters back as a partner in 2012,” said Newman. “They have a great support program, find cool ways to get fans involved and most importantly provide us with superior filters to protect our engines.”

MODERATOR:

“From Columbus, Indiana, the three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, entering his 14th year on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet Impala, Tony Stewart.

“From South Bend, Indiana, a winner of 15 races and 49 poles in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, entering his 11th full year of Sprint Cup racing, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans Chevrolet Impala, Ryan Newman.

“From Roscoe, Illinois, the first woman to win a Major League open wheel race in a North American series with her win in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Indy Japan 300 at the twin ring oval in Japan, entering her first year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a ten race schedule, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com Chevrolet Impala, Danica Patrick.

“Now their crew chiefs. From Spartanburg, South Carolina, the crew chief for Tony Stewart, the No. 14 Office Depot, / Mobil 1 team, Steve Addington.

“From Daytona Beach, Florida, the crew chief for Ryan Newman, and the No. 39 U.S. Army / Quicken Loans team, Tony Gibson.

“And from Berlin, Connecticut, the director of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, and the crew chief for the No. 10 GoDaddy.Com team, Greg Zipadelli.

“The glue that keeps all of this together, from Haslett, Michigan, the vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, Matt Borland.

“Excellent. Thank you, everyone.

“Tony Stewart, driver/owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a lot. You’re now the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. First off, how’s the view from the top of the mountain, and more importantly from behind the wheel of that Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet?”

TONY STEWART: “I’m scared of heights, so I don’t try to get up too high. But, no, it’s felt good this winter. It’s definitely been a short off season, but had a lot of changes, obviously, having Steve Addington on board and having my great friend, Greg Zipadelli back on board. We’re very excited about it.

“It’s been a short off season, but we’re having fun watching the changes of Stewart-Haas Racing and how it’s going to help us be better this year.”

MODERATOR: “Ryan, you came off another strong chase performance, and a pretty historic day where you led Stewart-Haas Racing to a one-two qualifying effort, and a one-two finish at New Hampshire, and Quicken Loans coming on board and joining the U.S. Army, as well as a host of sponsors, as well as Aspen Dental which was secured over the weekend joining Outback Steakhouse, WIX Filters, Tornados and Haas Automation, how pumped are you for the 2012 season to begin?”

RYAN NEWMAN: “Really excited. It’s a great list of sponsors, and obviously to have the U.S. Army back, one of our founding partners with the team at Stewart-Haas, it’s a great feeling. To have Quicken Loans, and like you said the whole list of them – with Outback Steakhouse, new sponsors to the sport, and then Aspen Dental, new sponsors to our team – just really look forward to having an opportunity to get each and every one of them a shot at victory lane.”

THE MODERATOR: “Danica, the year that stock car racing takes center stage is finally upon us, and after balancing IndyCars and stock cars last year, it’s all stock cars all the time, including this Memorial Day weekend. For the first time you’ll be in Charlotte for the Coca Cola 600 instead of Indianapolis for the Indy 500. So what’s it going to be like for the GoDaddy girl?”

DANICA PATRICK: “I don’t know. You tell me. I’m very fortunate to be in this position with this team and these people. I’m very fortunate. I’ve been wanting to race stock cars full time for a little while here, and it’s happening.

“We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600 or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told. It’s quite long. So I just want to thank everyone for making it happen at Stewart-Haas, and thank GoDaddy for supporting me the whole way through. I even have my own GoDaddy microphone. That’s pretty clever. So life is good.”

THE MODERATOR: “We’ll reintroduce the folks behind these drivers, starting off with Steve Addington. Steve, welcome to Stewart-Haas Racing. How has the transition been as you sort of rejoin the family that you once knew at JGR?”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “It’s been awesome. To come in and work with a group of guys like Tony Gibson has made the transition of just asking me or telling me everything that I need to know and give me the information that I need to get started and where I need to look for stuff.. Matt Borland’s got a great group in the engineering department and those guys have been very, very welcoming in getting me started and seeing where we’re at and see what direction we need to get going.”

THE MODERATOR: “Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman, you’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing since the beginning. Can you talk a little about how Stewart-Haas Racing went from a relatively unknown that people really didn’t know what would happen to, to an organization that consistently wins races and contends for a championship and finally won a championship this past year?”

TONY GIBSON: “I think it’s just being surrounded with good, old fashioned racing people. You know, Stewart’s just an old redneck guy that loves to race and will drive everything. Everybody at our place, we just love racing. We grew together and things happened probably a little faster than most expected.

“But when you put a bunch of guys together that all they want to do is win and perform and run up front, things like that happen, partnered up with Chevrolet and they make things easy too. They give us all the things we need to improve our race teams and our company. We have great sponsors.

“So when you put all that in a Bowl, it’s got success written all over it. Really fortunate to be associated with Stewart-Haas Racing from the beginning and great drivers. Like I said before, Ryan’s one of those guys you want driving, because he’s going to give you 110% whether you’re two laps down or leading a race by half a lap. Doesn’t matter, you get the same effort out of him.

“So it’s a privilege to be hooked up with him, and Matt Borland. I’m looking forward to working with Steve and Greg and Danica, new people in our organization that are going to help us grow and be better. Already we’ve seen huge gains in our company since they’ve come on board. Looking forward to it.”

THE MODERATOR: “Excellent. And Greg Zipadelli, you’re reunited with Tony, but in a different way, as the competition director here at Stewart-Haas Racing. But still not far away from that pit box as Danica’s crew chief for this ten race schedule.”

GREG ZIPADELLI: “Yeah, it’s a great opportunity for myself. Next chapter in my life, maybe stepping back a little bit as a crew chief goes. I was excited to find out I was going to have the opportunity to do ten races and kind of help put this deal together.

“We had a really good test. I have enjoyed working with Danica. A good group of guys. I can’t say enough about the people at Stewart-Haas. The heart and the passion that every individual that I’ve met that works there is truly amazing. Very warm welcomes. Everybody has been very good to work with.

“They have done so much to help me make the transition. The people in the shop, Tony Gibson and his guys preparing cars for us, Matt Borland in engineering, a phenomenal place. We’re very, very excited about the future there.”

THE MODERATOR: “Matt Borland, the vice president of competition wore many hats in 2011, oversaw a lot of change, and also oversaw a lot of success. How did you manage it all?

MATT BORLAND: “I think it’s pretty easy. You look up here and we’ve got three new people up here along with all the people that have been here, each one brings a different talent and experience level to our program. We’ve got Steve who comes from Penske and Gibbs and a lot of new fresh ideas, things to look at, things to try.

“We’ve got Greg that’s come on board and he’s got new ideas from JGR that are all things we can try and try to make our stuff better than it’s been.

“Danica comes on board, another driver with open wheel background. So she’s got a lot of new ideas, new thoughts and new ways of thinking about things, and that just helps everybody come up with new ideas, new thoughts, new processes and hopefully out of that we’ll get a lot of wins and a lot of poles.”

THE MODERATOR: “Well said. We’ll open it up to questions.”

Q. I guess sometimes I miss things, but I don’t think I missed this, Danica. That’s news that you’re running the Coca Cola 600? Where does that leave the Indy 500? I assume you won’t try a double. Is that a difficult decision to race in that event this year?

DANICA PATRICK: “No, you didn’t miss it. I’m going to do the Coke 600. I’m not going to do the Indy 500. I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500, that is. Maybe it will be a double. But at this point in time after a lot of conversations, it’s just going to be the Coke 600. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it, and especially a hometown like Charlotte for NASCAR.”

Q. How did you make the decision?

DANICA PATRICK: “The decision? Well, it was just something that didn’t work out as far as the business side of things. It just didn’t work out. I’m hopeful to do it in the future, but for this year, it just didn’t happen.”

Q. With the fuel injection system, how does it affect this race strategy? And, I think you still get your engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Is there still space left for your own modifications and changes to get ready for the race?

TONY GIBSON: “As far as the engines we get from Hendrick, they do a fantastic job, first of all, and they have done a great job of getting prepared for the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) stuff this year. They’ve done a lot of testing. They’ve really kept us involved in it, and we’ve done a lot of stuff with Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas.

“We get the engines from them. When they come, we put the headers and transmissions and stuff on it. But their engine tuners come over in our shops twice a week, three times a week. So we don’t actually build them, but they keep us in the flow of things. We’re hands on with it. They’re very open about it. They want our ideas and especially from those guys. Borland on the engineering side making harnesses and stuff for us that go in and sink in with the Hendrick side of it. They’re very welcome to our ideas.

“So on that side of it, it’s been a great partnership, and pretty smooth so far.”

Q. Matt, can you talk about the whole development of Stewart-Haas Racing, and people talk about the projects you have going on back there. Can you talk about how you’ve seen the evolution of Stewart-Haas Racing?

MATT BORLAND: “Yeah, Gene Haas and Joe Custer started Haas back in 2002. They put a great program together and when Tony came on board, he added a whole other level of capabilities to the program. It’s allowed us to get a lot more people, get a lot more what is the word I’m looking for? We have a lot more people to do a lot more things to be more specialized at what we’re looking at and refining things.

“I think the biggest thing that’s come about with that is we’re able to dive down into the details of the program. With the cars the way they are now, there’s not huge gains to be made. There are small gains to be made in a lot of areas. So it takes a group of very strong people that can go and try to find all those little things.

“To Tony Gibson’s point, to have a bunch of racers that that’s all they want to do. They want to race. They want to beat everybody. They want to find those little things that gets them that much better than the next team out there.”

Q. Ryan, your whole team comes back intact. You have a lot of new sponsors associated with the 39 this year. Are you in the best position in terms of your career with Stewart-Haas than you’ve ever been before in the last couple of years there?

RYAN NEWMAN: “From a sponsorship standpoint, without a doubt. We’re really proud to partner up with these new sponsors. Like I said in my opening, sponsors that haven’t been a part of NASCAR at all, like Quicken Loans and Outback has a little bit of history.

“But just from our standpoint, when you have great sponsors, you’re allowed to get the great people and do the great things. Without a doubt, the sponsorship is a big part of that.

“So, yes, from that standpoint, no doubt. From a team standpoint, it’s great to have all our group back. We had a great run to get into the Chase. Our Chase was a bit of a struggle for us as a team. But those are the things that you get through them, work on them, build them, and make yourself stronger as a team and an organization for the next years.

“Tony can attest to this too, you can win a championship one year, doesn’t mean you’re going to win it the next year. You have to work really hard. Other teams, when you win, you build fire and desire within them. So you have to have that same fire and desire within yourself to go back and do what we did as an organization last year.

Q. Tony, the spotlight’s going to be bright on your team this year. Not only are you the defending champion, but with the addition of Danica Patrick and with Ryan, how best is the team able to deal with that? From the very beginning, there is a lot of attention given to your team.

TONY STEWART: “Yeah, we’re not worried about that. It’s a good thing with our partners on board. It helps us from the marketing side and the sponsorship sides to make sure we’re fulfilling what our partners need.

“When it comes time to being at the racetrack and doing what we do on the track, this group of people up here are really good at focusing on the task at hand. I think we’re all up for the challenge. It’s a good way to start the year. We came off of a great finish to the year last year, and we got a lot of new exciting partners on board this year, and a new teammate that’s going to be fun to work with. And a teammate that’s always fun to work with over on this side.

“We’re excited. We’re probably as excited to start the year as I can remember being in a long time.”

Q. This is a special championship. What did you do personally to celebrate it?

TONY STEWART: “Stayed at the shop until the Wednesday of Christmas. I didn’t really do anything, to be honest. Like I said, with the addition of Steve and Greg and Danica, we wanted to make sure that we were kind of there to make sure that everybody was getting started off in the right direction. I wasn’t really there for anything more than moral support.

“These guys are the guys that make it all happen, for sure. But honestly, I didn’t really do much of anything. I went and raced a couple of times through the winter here, but for the most part, it’s been business as usual.”

Q. Can you assess the different dynamics in the shop with the addition of Danica, and Zippy, and Steve Addington, and then the fact that Tony won the championship last year, the mood of the team and the dynamics in the shop?

MATT BORLAND: “I think in general, the dynamics are very positive, very excited. Like Tony was saying, everybody’s looking forward to Daytona, looking forward to a great new season. As well, there are so many influx of new ideas this year, that we’re able to look at so many different things and find hopefully some more gains that will elevate us even better than we were last year.

“It’s been very positive. All the people on the team are pumped up and excited. It’s a great deal right now.”

Q. Tony, you won your third championship last year, five of 10 Chase races, and in a driver / crew chief relationship that you ended up changing, how much pressure does that put on the guy to your left when he walks in the front door?

TONY STEWART: “You’re asking the wrong guy. You need to ask him. I feel just fine.”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “I do too.”

TONY STEWART: “I think he’s thinking he’s on vacation now. Just saying. It’s kind of like what Tony Gibson was saying earlier. We’re just low key, down to earth racers and hard core racer that’s want to race. That is the attitude that Steve has coming in here.

“And as far as from my side, I’m not putting any pressure on him. I’m looking forward to going out and racing again. We both know there is going to be a period of getting to learn each other, and just little things that we’ll have to get sorted out to where we get into that weekly routine.

“Daytona’s not going to be… that ten day period’s not going to get it done. It’s going to take more of that. It’s going to take getting through Phoenix and some of those races to really get in tune with each other. But he’s been easy to work with so far.

“We’ve been able to work with him directly at Gibbs. So we kind of know him a little bit. I think it’s going to be pretty laid back, and we’re going to have a lot of fun. I don’t think it’s a big stress situation for either one of us right now.”

MODERATOR: “Steve, do you want to chime in on that as well?”

STEVE ADDINGTON: “No, look at what the organization did. One guy’s not going to make the big difference. I’ve got to keep the communication with him going as far as the race car’s concerned, and having that supporting cast, the people that are around you through the organization makes you successful. That’s what I’m looking forward to.

“Everybody that I’ve run into or worked with in the organization, I’ve worked with them at some point or beside them at some point that they’ve welcomed me with open arms. Asking me everything that I need to go racing with them, and that’s it. You’ve got the supporting cast there that’s going to be successful.”

Q. Tony, could you explain to fans how life changes and how life doesn’t change after becoming a champion for the first, second, and third time?

TONY STEWART: “It hasn’t changed at all, honestly. I think the first time it changes a little bit because you’ve accomplished that goal. But after the first one, it really doesn’t change your life so much the second and third one. Like I said, it’s kind of been business as usual. We’ve enjoyed the whole off season with the team, and it’s been fun being at the shop to see how excited the guys are. Guys that three years ago had never won a race, and now they’re celebrating their first championship together.

“It’s been fun to be at the shop around those guys and see how excited they are to have Danica come on board and Zippy and Steve. It’s been fun to watch everybody have fun in the off season. You’ve got these two guys to the right that are always keeping you on your toes and making it fun, too.

“So we’ve just got a great group of people that have made it fun, and it really hasn’t changed my life any. Like I said, I probably took less time this off season to go enjoy myself than any other time. But I’ve had fun doing what I’ve been doing.”

Q. Tony Gibson, the last 30 years we’ve had two owner/drivers win the championship, Tony and Alan Kulwicki. You worked with both of those drivers. Can you talk about what similarities there are between them and what differences there are?

TONY GIBSON: “I think the differences may be the engineering side of it. Kulwicki was more like Newman on the engineering side of it. But he loved the race. He loved all about racing, and all about winning. In his heart it was win, and the grass roots of racing whether it was in Wisconsin doing the late model stuff or in a Cup car.

“Stewart has that same desire. He has in his heart all he wants to do is race. Every time he’ll text you he’s at a racetrack somewhere racing, and that’s all he wants to do. So the difference is probably maybe on the schooling. I don’t know where you went to school at.”

TONY STEWART: “High school.”

TONY GIBSON: “He went to high school.

“When it comes to strapping the belts down and putting a helmet on and taking the green, it’s all with your desire to win. Him and Alan, as far as I’m concerned, had the same desire to win and that’s why they’re both champions.

Q. Tony, will you divide up your time now any differently between the Cup side and the short track team now that you’ve got more people? You’ve got more people to supervise. Are you asking more people to supervise to give you more time for your other ventures?

TONY STEWART: “No, it’s pretty much business as usual. We’re adding more to the program, so you want to make sure that you’re keeping that time to make sure that everybody’s where they need to be and making sure that everybody is comfortable with what we’ve got. So as far as the time that I divide running the short track stuff versus what we’re doing here, it’s pretty much the same balance.”

Q. Tony, the economy has been down the last couple of years, but it seems to be doing a bit of a rebound. You guys have been doing well signing on new sponsors. Can you talk about your efforts signing new sponsors and the economy of your team?

TONY STEWART: “I’ll be honest, I’m really, really proud of our marketing team. Mike Verlander has done a great job introducing some new partners in the sport. I think it’s one thing from day one when we brought Tornados on board with Ryan’s car, and now Quicken Loans and Aspen Dental to bring new partners like this into the sport and introduce them to NASCAR is something that I take a lot of pride in.

“Like I said, it’s our marketing stuff that’s done it. I can’t take the credit for it, but I’m really proud of them. It’s been a tough economy, as we know. But to show these new companies that there is this value in NASCAR is something that we’re proud of. I think Tornados has had a great experience . I think it’s been the same way for Quicken so far.

“We finished up the year last year with them, and I think they enjoyed the first trip in the sport. Looking forward to having Aspen Dental on board.

“I’m really excited about it. It’s the best position sponsorship-wise that our company has been in, and we still have races to sell. But it’s the best position that we’ve been in since I partnered up with Gene three years ago. So we’re really excited about it.

“I think it’s a sign that hopefully things are starting to turn around and work their way back up now.”

Q. For Tony, Zippy, and Danica, what is a reasonable expectation or goals for this season? Danica, when you answer, if you could also address the Nationwide Series.

DANICA PATRICK: “I think that first starting out with the Nationwide stuff, very much it depends on the individual weekend itself. There are still some tracks that I haven’t raced at before, so probably a little bit different expectations for those. But for the most part, solid top-10. Getting into the top-five more consistently through the year would be a goal, and I’d like to get to victory lane.

“As far as the Cup stuff, I think that it would be good if they answered as well on this. But I’d like to know what I should expect. But I think that at Daytona, the cars are very fast as you guys can see, and as we saw already at the test. So I feel good about that race. I feel good about… I mean, I was lucky enough to get to run with Tony in the Nationwide race last summer, and that went pretty good. So I feel good about Daytona.

“I think there is a real chance if luck falls our way to perhaps win. I think that’s a real chance. I mean, a guy like Trevor Bayne last year showed that.

“So those are the expectations for the first race, but then beyond that. I don’t know. Top-20 or so, I guess, would maybe be a good goal. I feel like longer races are good. I like long races. I feel like I learn, I get more comfortable out there and we keep tweaking on the car and making it a little better on each pit stop, so I’m hoping that plays into my favor with the length of these races.”

GREG ZIPADELLI: For myself, it’s just good solid days. Give her as much track time as we can, and support, and just trying to teach her as much as we can about this sport and this series for the following year.”

TONY STEWART: “I’m excited about it. From my standpoint, I crashed everything I drove from the Nationwide cars, and it – on the Cup side – it got better obviously. But looking at it, these ten races for her this year, for me it’s just finishing the races and getting the track time.

“In the short amount of time that I’ve worked with her, she’s so good at processing information and what she learns on the racetrack. She can explain it to you right away and very accurate. I think her feedback is excellent.

“Just getting the time on the racetrack and, I guess are from my standpoint, I’m not worried about the finishes at the end of the day. It’s just finishing the race, getting the laps and getting that experience in the car. Five hundred mile races are long races, especially in the Cup series when you’re dealing with a 3,400 pound car. It’s a learning process.

“I think the success at the end of the year won’t be judged by where the finishing position is at the end of the day as much as what she’s taken away from race weekend. So that’s what my goal is for her.”

THE MODERATOR: “A couple other story lines that are definitely worth asking these folks in their one –on-one sessions. Danica Patrick in the Super Bowl. While the New England Patriots and New York Giants are making a return to the Super Bowl in two weeks, so does Danica. This will be the eighth straight year GoDaddy has run a Super Bowl ad campaign, and the sixth in which Danica has starred.

“So all told, Danica has appeared in ten GoDaddy Super Bowl ads dating back to 2007, giving her the title of most commercials of any celebrity in the history of the event.

“Not to be lost on television, Tony Stewart spent part of his off season doing a little acting himself. He made a guest appearance on ABC’s ‘Last Man Standing’ with Tim Allen. That episode is slated to air Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“Tony is also running the season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race. He’ll be in the No. 33 Oreo 100th anniversary Chevrolet Impala. He’ll be looking for his fifth straight win in that event, and his seventh in the last eight season opening NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Daytona.

“Again, from a sports business story, I know we’ve touched about it a little bit, in addition to all the sponsors that have returned to Ryan Newman in the No. 39, new to the sport, Quicken Loans, Aspen Dental, Outback Steakhouse coming back to NASCAR, all affiliated with Ryan and that No. 39 team.”

Instead, Patrick revealed during the opening stop of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour that she will be behind the wheel of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 27.

“I’ve wanted to race stock cars for a little while here and it’s happening,” Patrick said. “We’ve added another challenge with the Coke 600, or Coke 6,000 as I’ve been told.”

The decision, Patrick said, was mainly a business decision. Patrick has raced in the past seven Indianapolis 500s, earning a best finish of third in 2009 while driving for Andretti Green Racing.

“I hope to do it in the future, the Indy 500 that is. Maybe it’ll be a double,” Patrick said, referring to the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 double that her Sprint Cup team owner Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon have done in the past.

Patrick is scheduled to run up to 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events this year for Stewart-Haas Racing in addition to the full NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule with JR Motorsports.

Pressure is On Tony Stewart and Steve Addington in 2012
Members of the media got their first look at the new driver/crew chief combination of Tony Stewart and Steve Addington Monday and the pair already look like they’ve been working together for years.

But still, the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Stewart admits they have a lot to learn about each other.

“We’re just a bunch of low-key, down to Earth racers, hardcore racers that just want to race. That is the attitude Steve has,” Stewart said. “I’m not putting any pressure on him (Addington). I’m looking forward to going out and racing with him.

“We both know there is going to be a period of learning each other and just little things. Daytona, that 10 day period is not going to get it done. It is going to take getting through Phoenix and Vegas and some of those races to really get in tune with each other,” Stewart added.

If Addington was concerned about any potential learning curve, he certainly didn’t show it.

“One guy isn’t going to make a big difference,” said Addington, who moved to Stewart-Haas Racing from Penske Racing. “I’ve gotta keep the communication with him going as far as the race car is concerned. Having that supporting cast, the people that are around you and throughout the organization, that is what makes you successful.”

Another new piece of the puzzle at Stewart-Haas Racing is Greg Zipadelli, Stewart’s former crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing. Zipadelli joins Stewart-Haas Racing as the organizations new competition director and will also serve as Patrick’s crew chief during her 10-race venture into Sprint Cup.

Stewart Eyes Seventh Daytona Nationwide Win
Tony Stewart will attempt to win his seventh NASCAR Nationwide Series race on the high banks of Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 25. This year Stewart will drive the No. 33 Oreo 100th Anniversary Chevrolet fielded by Richard Childress Racing. Stewart has won the last four NASCAR Nationwide season openers at Daytona and hopes to add a fifth-straight victory next month.

Aspen-Dental to Sponsor Newman
Stewart-Haas Racing announced Monday that it reached a multi-year agreement with Aspen Dental, one of the largest networks of dental-care providers in the United States, as a new sponsor for Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet.

The Syracuse-based dental care provider will be the primary sponsor for Newman in 2012 for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona in July and New Hampshire in September and will serve an associate sponsor at other events.

Stewart-Haas Racing announced in late 2011 that it would add Outback Steakhouse and Quicken Loans to its stable of sponsors for 2012.

Quote of the Day
Tony Gibson, crew chief for Ryan Newman in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, on working for the last two owner-driver champions (Tony Stewart and Alan Kulwicki) in Sprint Cup competition: “He (Kulwicki) loved to race. It was all about racing and all about winning. … Stewart has that same desire. In his heart all he wants to do is race.”

The Syracuse, N.Y.-based company, with more than 330 locations in 22 states, will be the primary sponsor of SHR’s No. 39 team with driver Ryan Newman at the July Sprint Cup race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the September event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. When not serving as primary sponsor, Aspen Dental will be an associate sponsor with placement on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 39 Chevrolet Impala and on the upper chest of Newman’s uniform. The company also secured rights to utilize Stewart promotionally.

“We’re thrilled to enter into this partnership with one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR,” said Mary Boysman, vice president of brand marketing and advertising at Aspen Dental Management, Inc. “Like our new partners at Stewart-Haas Racing, our team at Aspen Dental is driven by a strong commitment to quality, training and teamwork. We can’t wait for the 2012 season to begin so that we can join Stewart-Haas Racing on NASCAR’s biggest stage.”

At Aspen Dental, dentists and staff have a simple purpose: to help patients get the care they need by offering a full range of quality dental and denture services, from preventive care to general dentistry to restoration.

“Access to quality dental care is a challenge for so many patients, but working with Stewart-Haas Racing will help us create awareness for a whole new audience,” added Boysman.

“The opportunity to welcome Aspen Dental as a sponsor certainly puts a smile on the face of everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Newman, winner of 15 Sprint Cup races, including the 50^th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. “It’s one of the most successful and progressive companies in dentistry and we look forward to representing them this season.”

“We’re proud to partner with a true leader in the dental industry,” added Stewart, who earned his third Sprint Cup title in dramatic fashion in 2011 by winning five of the 10 races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. “With locations in 22 states across the country, this agreement gives us a huge, built-in following. We’re going to do everything we can to deliver them a victory.

About Aspen Dental:
One of the largest and fastest-growing networks of dental care providers in the U.S., Aspen Dental practices are committed to providing patients with affordable, high-quality care. With more than 330 locations in 22 states, Aspen Dental practices are nationally accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). In 2011, Aspen Dental practices recorded more than 2.2 million patient visits, including visits from more than 490,000 new patients. For more information about Aspen Dental practices and services, visit www.AspenDental.com. To learn more about careers at Aspen Dental, visit www.AspenDentalJobs.com.

The fun part for participants in the event is the extensive list of celebrities that will be participating and the activities already planned. On Friday there’s a meet and greet, mingling and reception on tap. Saturday there’s breakfast (or brunch), then the actual snowmobile ride itself. The plan is for a snowmobile ride broken into groups for everyone that wants to ride sleds in the scenic Adirondack Mountains. As far as personalities there’s the Zippadelli’s (both Greg and his wife Nan will be there), plus Greg’s younger brother Scott, who was the crew chief for Kenny Wallace in 2011. There’s also Tony Stewart, the 2011 Sprint Cup champion who will be participating as well as his new crew chief Steve Addington and members of the No. 14 Stewart-Hass Sprint Cup car team. Donny Schatz, driver of Tony Stewart Racing’s sprint car team will also be there.

The emcees are also some pretty well known people from the NASCAR world and include, Steve Post from MRN radio, Wendy Venturinni from SPEED TV (and a Better Half Racer) and Matt Yokum. All of these personalities have been involved in the Crusade for some time now.

“Zippy’s Crusade for Kids is first and foremost a great cause because of all the lives they have touched with the money raised,” The Postman, Steve Post said. He also noted just how much fun it was to participate saying, “Beyond that it’s just a great time.”

Post makes no bones about how he feels about this event. He said, “I have made friendships that will last a lifetime at this event, people who have a hobby of snowmobiling are just good people, who love their riding and love having a good time around it. The people in that region absolutely roll out the red carpet and make us feel right at home while there.”

Post said, “One of the things that amazes me is the way the schedule plays out, race fans will get to spend a lot of time with Tony Stewart, Greg Zipadelli, Steve Addington, Donny Schatz, Matt Yocum and the other crew guys that participate in the ride.” Post concluded by saying, “This is the one ‘must do’ event on my calendar each year and I can’t wait to get up there for some more fun.”

How did the Zippadelli’s decide that the event should be held in Old Forge N.Y. area? Greg said, “The reason why I do it there is I used to spend a lot of time up there as a younger guy with Mike McLaughlin.” McLaughlin, the former NASCAR Nationwide Series driver and Zippadelli worked together when McLaughlin drove a modified that Zippadelli was a crew member of. “I met my wife there,” he continued. “It’s a great area. We still have a lot of ties in the area. We made a lot of friends there. They help and support us with everything they got. In fact, without them we couldn’t get it done. We really call on a lot of our friends up there to help us get this done and they work their guts out getting it done.”

About the event Zippadelli said, “It’s a two day event for sponsors and ticket holders. Friday night is a closed deal, you’ll be able to mingle and hang out with everyone. It’s a real up close and personal experience. You’ll be able to interact with everyone there. We do that on purpose and it’s a reason that people have been coming all six years that we’ve been doing this. I wish you could speak to the folks that go.”

Zippadelli was recently named the competition director of Stewart-Haas Racing a position that wasn’t filled during the past season after they released Bobby Hutchens. Zippadelli and Stewart won two Sprint Cup championships when Zippadelli was Stewart’s crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Zippadelli said, “The way I looked at this it’s a great opportunity with a great organization. Tony took a big chance with what he did (leaving Joe Gibbs Racing and starting his own team) and it worked for him by making his move.” Zippadelli looked at the move as a great opportunity, “For me, it was time to make a change. Right now I am getting used to everything as we’re real busy getting ready for the test in Daytona in a few weeks. It’s a great way me for to start working with these guys.”

For more information about the event, attendees and the schedule go to www. crusadeforkids.com

Kerry Tharp: Joining us now is Danica Patrick. She drives the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing. Danica, it’s great to see you back here at Daytona. You’re going to be making your Sprint Cup Series debut in the biggest race of the season. Talk about that, being able to come to the biggest platform and the biggest venue that we race, and it’s a place where you actually got your NASCAR start a while back. Talk about being here racing at Daytona.

Danica Patrick: Well, it’s good to be back. It’s not been too long of an off season, that’s for sure. But I made the most of the weeks that I had, so it’s good to be back, and the car seems pretty good so far, pretty fast. Not too different yet as we’re just running out there by ourselves at this point in time. But it’s going to be really exciting. Obviously it’s the biggest race of the year. I’d really like to run well, and I don’t just want to be here, I want to run well.

I think at a place like Daytona there’s that opportunity. I think I’ll probably have slightly more realistic expectations for some of the other ones, but for this one at Daytona I think there’s a real opportunity.

Q. What is on your to do list today with Zipadelli? What do you guys want to accomplish short term?

Danica Patrick: Well, today is just run on our own and seeing how fast we can get the car to go. And then I think tomorrow we’ll work on bump drafting. And I heard Tony say he’s going to let someone else go do it first with the new rear spoiler and spring. So that’s fine with me. I said I think I want to be the one getting pushed so that I don’t want to be the one that takes out my boss. That would be bad. I said you can push me first.

Kerry Tharp: Speaking of Tony Stewart, he joins us now. Tony is our three time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. He, of course, won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in fine fashion with a walk off victory at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Q. Tony, talk about winning the championship. You’ve had, I guess, I don’t know how many days to maybe decompress, if you do such a thing.

Tony Stewart: Two.

Kerry Tharp: Two days. But now you’re at Daytona, and certainly it’s a race that you would love to win, the Daytona 500 here in about 45 days. Talk a little bit about coming in as the defending series champion and then trying to win at Daytona.

Tony Stewart: Well, obviously the end of the year last year was still almost like a fairy tale for us, storybook ending obviously. But this is our biggest race of the year. It starts today. Well, it started the day after Homestead actually for the crew guys, and today is the first day that we get to get an idea of the rewards for their hard work and see these cars on the racetrack and see what kind of speed they have. It’s an exciting time for the crew chiefs, the car chiefs, all the engineers, all the people that build these cars. Today is a really big day for all of them and what they’ve done during the off season to get ready for the 500.

Our sport is unique obviously having our biggest race the first race of the year. But it’s very fitting at the same time because this race, we have more time during the off season to prepare for this race than we do the others. You bring cars here that you have the extra time to just make them that little bit nicer than you normally have time to do.

It’s exciting to be back, and looking forward to it. It’s been fun to get back in the car today and get running around. Normally I’m hiding from the racetrack in testing, but it was fun to come back this morning and get back in the car and get rolling around again.

Q. Danica, in the last month, I guess, it was decided that you’ll be paired with Zippy at least for the time being. How long will it take for you to get a good relationship with him, and what sort of differences, if you’ve even had a chance to see, are between he and Tony, Jr.? And then for Mr. Stewart, why did you think that Zippy would be a good fit with Danica?

Danica Patrick: His accent is not as thick as Tony, Jr. I understand every word he says. We get along great. I feel really comfortable with him so far. I feel respected, and I feel like he’s been very patient. Even the little things, getting here this morning and just kind of adjusting a belt a little bit and adjusting a throttle a little bit, he doesn’t look at me like I’m inexperienced and I should be comfortable right away or it should be right or the throttle doesn’t feel right or I should get used to it and be used to it. He investigates and says no problem, let’s get it right, and makes me comfortable with that kind of stuff.

Obviously we haven’t worked together with the whole how the car feels and how we’re going to change it and that kind of stuff, and especially here at Daytona, that’s probably we’re probably not going to get a lot of that. It’s not that kind of a track. But I can say so far I feel very comfortable and I feel very fortunate to have him to work with to have that experience. So thank you, Tony.

Tony Stewart: You know, I think for us it was a scenario where we were trying to get Zippy hired as a competition director, but it really was a perfect opportunity for us because it’s hard to get a really good crew chief hired to only run ten races a year in the first year. So to have somebody like Greg that has been working with Joey and has been a crew chief for the last 13 straight years, he can come into this scenario, and he’s brought the last two guys he had both were rookies when they came in. So he’s familiar with this and the process of getting a rookie adapted to the car and knowing what to do to make them comfortable.

So for us from a company standpoint it made sense to have him since we had him in house anyway to be able to apply him over there in a crew chief role and at the same time the practicality of it, of him having that experience of working with new drivers, makes it a smart decision for us to have somebody like him that can work with Danica and know what those know how to go through those learning processes and how to help with that. So we get the best of both worlds with it.

Q. Danica, for you, some drivers talk about working with a new team like being the first day at school, butterflies that go with that, nerves that go with that even though you’ve been in the car a lot. And Tony, it’s somewhat reminiscent of 12 years ago, you coming to test with Zippy the way you did in 1999. Talk about that, and what’s it like to see Zippy on your side again in your team colors working for you?

Danica Patrick: It is a little like first day. I think that with racing you do have an opportunity to meet some of the people just at the track in general, and then of course making a seat and getting comfortable and fitting everything, you get a chance to meet everybody. I can’t say I remember everybody’s name yet. Somebody said hello to me last night, and they’re like, Hey, don’t just walk by. There’s so many people, I don’t know who everyone is yet. I’ve got a lot of people to learn.

But I do just like probably like going to the first day of school, you want to make a good impression, you want to do a good job. And probably missing pit in on pit road and having to back up is probably not what you want to do at school. I didn’t want to trip like that. But it’s probably not that big of a deal. It’s finding your way around, finding my locker literally. There’s no combination for it, of course, but it is a locker that I needed to find, getting in sync with that.

They said they were going to Olive Garden to get some lunch and would that be okay, and I was like, well, I guess I usually have a sandwich. So anyway, just getting familiar with all the little things and getting comfortable and setting everything up so when I hop in throughout the year it’s simple and straightforward.

Tony Stewart: You know, it’s nice having Zippy back. I got to work with him for ten years, so seeing him at the track here today was the first big reminder of kind of going back to what it was like to start with him in ’99. I know we’re excited to have him back, and we’re not working in the same capacity together that we did for ten years, but he’s right there next door, and it feels like home again. So I’m pretty excited about it.

Q. (No microphone.)

Tony Stewart: It’s odd, I got a sandwich for lunch.

Danica Patrick: What kind of sandwich did you get?

Tony Stewart: I just got a ham sandwich.

Danica Patrick: I like a turkey sandwich. They’re going to get some slick meat for me to put in the fridge. I learned what slick meat was. I don’t know, I called it sliced deli meat, right, some deli meat and some cheese and some bread and mustard.

Q. Danica, when you were here in ’09 for that ARCA test, I know you said you had trouble figuring out how to get your hair into your uniform and get in the car and little things like that. Did the day feel more natural, like business as usual for you? And after that I wanted to talk about your infatuation with the honey badger.

Danica Patrick: It did feel a little bit more comfortable, yeah. I’m really kind of glad that the first time that I’m in a Cup car is here at Daytona where I can get the fit right and get all the little things right so that when we go to a track that’s a little bit more challenging from a driver’s perspective that stuff is all good to go and there’s no concern or no distraction with those things. So it’s nice to be here to run for the first time and feel comfortable in having been here before. But like I said, it’s a pretty straightforward track for a driver.

And the honey badger, it was last year, I think, somebody showed me this video of the honey badger, and the commentator on it was very, very funny. Anyway, the honey badger, he doesn’t give a crap, he takes what he wants. And that’s how I’m going to be this year, like a honey badger. But I feel like it’s a little diluted with the football player that has the honey badger nickname, too. He’s No. 7, as well.

Q. LSU, Tyrann Mathieu.

Danica Patrick: I bet he’s not feeling like a honey badger. I bet anyway, the video is great. He eats a poisonous snake and he falls asleep and wakes right back up. The video is funny, so I encourage you all to watch that. I think Randall something is the commentator or the name on the YouTube video.

I don’t know, it’s a mindset. I even have a honey badger picture on my screen saver on my phone to inspire me. It takes what it wants.

Q. Have you been able to kind of wrap your arms around the emotion of entering this series full time, and does it compare to anything else that you’ve done in terms of just starting out? Again, if you can just kind of tell us emotionally kind of where you’re at in terms of how you feel about entering the big stage.

Danica Patrick: I’m really excited and I’m really happy. And that’s it. I mean, yeah, there’s nerves. There’s a lot of things that are unknown, especially with running the full time Nationwide championship, wanting to do really well in that, and wanting to make a good impression in the Cup races that I’m doing. But overall I’m feeling comfortable, as comfortable as I could imagine myself in this situation, and just really excited and really happy and glad to be where I’m at.

Q. Tony, have you decided if you’re going to give Danica your owner points or if you’re still looking for points, or is she just going to have to qualify her way into the 500?

Tony Stewart: I think we’re still trying to figure that equation out, but the good thing is looking on the sheet today, the car seems to have good speed right off the bat. I’ve got the utmost confidence that even in the worst case scenario that we’ve got the right driver that can get this car in the race, no problem. But we’re working through that and trying to get that finalized and trying to figure out our options to make sure we give her the best opportunity to get in the Daytona 500 and get her all the experience that we can get her.

Q. With these rules changes, what kind of racing do you think we’ll see, because race fans don’t like tandem racing. What do you think will come out of this test?

Tony Stewart: We haven’t ran together yet, so it’s hard to tell until we get out there and actually do it. I don’t know if anybody is even planning on trying to do any two car pack running today. I think you’ll see some of that tomorrow.

I don’t think we’ll honestly have an accurate answer for you until we actually get a chance to get on track and actually run together and find out what the cars are going to do and how they’re going to draft with each other.

Danica Patrick: Is it true that fans don’t like it at all? I know I’ve watched some of the races that I’m not in and I think it’s kind of interesting. I’m not saying it’s normal; it seems kind of weird for sure. But I don’t know, I watch it and I think it’s kind of exciting. You never know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, I was just asking.

Tony Stewart license plates are now available through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Here’s the link for more information from the BMV.