Paradise Valley resident Danica Patrick finished 29th at the NASCAR AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup race Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. It tied for the best finish of her career in a Sprint Cup race.
Patrick is racing part-time at the Sprint Cup level; she'll transition to Sprint Cup full-time in 2013.
The winner was Denny Hamlin, who won his second straight Sprint Cup race. Patrick was six laps behind Hamlin.
Hamlin made a wise move to stay out of the pits after a crash late in the in race, and it paid off as he passed other drivers. Hamlin was also the first one out of the pits after another crash with three laps to go.
The 12-driver Chase starts after next weekend's race in Richmond, Va., and Hamlin is in prime position to go in as the leader.
Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. finished second, third and fourth.
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