WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Danica Patrick crashed in final Sprint Cup practice Friday at Watkins Glen International but walked away, was treated at the infield care center and released.

Patrick’s No. 10 Chevrolet careened into a tire barrier coming out of the chicane at the top of the high-speed esses, crumpling the left front end.

“In the Carousel (turn after the chicane) there is so much load on the left front there that I guess that was the go spot for it,” said Patrick, who will have a second engine change before Cup qualifying Saturday. “What a terrible day..”

Crew chief Tony Gibson said it appeared the front left shock failed.

“It looks like it just compressed all down and done,” Gibson said. “We are going to change motors. We will just treat qualifying like another practice session.”

Patrick was 32nd in the first practice and 36th in the final session. Last year at The Glen, Patrick qualified 35th and finished 20th.

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Anything goes for Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen.

“I would say if you are going to have to start at the back, the strategies are all over the place on road courses and it just might push us into something that works,” Patrick said.

ELEVEN DRIVERS have at least one Sprint Cup victory and are locked into the Chase for the championship. Marcos Ambrose wants to make it an even dozen.

A win at Watkins Glen would earn the Australian his first berth in the Chase and give Richard Petty Motorsports a second car in NASCAR’s version of the postseason. Aric Almirola drove Petty’s famed No. 43 to victory in the rain-shortened July race at Daytona.

AJ ALLMENDINGER’S Sprint Cup ride in the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing just got a boost.

The one-car team announced that Kimberly-Clark Corp. has extended its sponsorship through the 2017 Sprint Cup season.

Allmendinger is 25th in points heading into the weekend.

FOUR-TIME Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon will have Drive to End Hunger back on the hood of his No. 24 Chevrolet in 2015.

Hendrick Motorsports announced that AARP and AARP Foundation’s nationwide campaign to address the problem of older adult hunger will return as a primary sponsor of Gordon for 13 races. It marks AARP’s fifth year as a primary sponsor of the No. 24 team, unprecedented in NASCAR for a social cause.


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