Danica Patrick is no longer in the running for the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year, as she failed to finish in Victory Lane at Richmond, but she certainly has proven herself a worthy member of the Stewart-Haas Racing team with her performance this season.

Although she missed out on the top 15 and needed another “Lucky Dog” to remain on the lead lap, it was still a career-best result at the track.

“It was a good day. Everyone on the GoDaddy team worked hard; we had good night. I’m proud of where we have been the last two weeks, and tonight was by far our best run at Richmond. It was a good job by the team,” said Patrick about the night after the race. “If we could have got one more caution, it would have been nice. But it didn’t happen. Still, I’m proud of these guys and for GoDaddy. It’s our best run here by far. We’ve been testing a lot, so hopefully everyone can wind down on Sunday before we get ready for Chicago.”

RACE ADVANCE: @DanicaPatrick | @ChicagolndSpdwy | “Home Game” | http://t.co/oeH42yAtNf #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/9y69lojtYw

— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) September 10, 2014

Patrick, who started racing with go-karts at 10, was the first woman to win a Sprint Cup pole after qualifying first for the Daytona 500 in February 2013.

Patrick made history again by coming home sixth in the Oral-B USA 500 in Atlanta earlier this month, which was the best ever for a woman at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. She took the record from Janet Guthrie who finished 10th in March 1978.  This is not only Patrick’s best result of the season but also the best finish of her Sprint Cup career.

Along with her career-best sixth in Atlanta, the 32-year-old racer has had nine top-20 finishes this year, just one short of tying her mark from last season. Patrick finished 28th in the Sprint Cup standings, with Richmond marking the end of the regular season.

The ten-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins in Chicago, with 16 drivers. Patrick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick are in the hunt.

SHR Sponsors of the Week | http://t.co/mqwSdEme6t 400 at @ChicagolndSpdwy | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/L60YK0TIQi

— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) September 10, 2014