Danica Patrick talking turtles at Chicagoland Speedway

BY LARRY HAMEL

The new name of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway rolls off the tongue more freely than the 2015 abomination and, cowabunga, doesn’t even end in .com.

In a title-sponsor deal with the children’s TV channel Nickelodeon, the NASCAR race in Joliet has been dubbed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, which gives it significantly more brand cachet than the MyAFibRisk.com 400 of last year.

‘‘This is the sixth year in a row that we will host the kickoff race in the Chase, and to partner with a world-class brand such as Nickelodeon is going to take a big event and make it even bigger,’’ speedway president Scott Paddock said during a wind-chilled outdoor news conference Tuesday. ‘‘Every sports property is looking to refuel that youth pipeline, to get younger, and now we are partnered with one of the pre-eminent youth-focus brands and their No. 1 kids franchise.’’

The four Ninja Turtles were front and center during the roll-out in Wrigley Square. So was one of NASCAR’s most recognizable faces, Danica Patrick, whose No. 10 Chevrolet will be decked out in a special Turtles-themed paint scheme that features Ninjas character April O’Neil during the race weekend here.

Patrick kiddingly asked the costumed scamps whether she could borrow a pair of nunchucks to ‘‘get rid of the bad guys’’ during the Sprint Cup tussle Sept. 18. From now until then, Patrick’s challenge will be to get into the Chase field, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, a feat she has failed to accomplish during her four-plus seasons in stock-car racing.

The numbers drive home the point that Patrick’s on-track success in NASCAR’s showcase series has lagged far behind her ability to lure sponsors and endorsements. Her line in 127 career starts: zero wins, zero top-fives, six top-10s, one pole. This despite driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, a team with ample resources. In the first nine races of the 2016 season, her best finish has been 16th.

One factor in the playoffs format that might work in Patrick’s favor is that she automatically would qualify for the initial phase of the Chase if she were to gain a breakthrough victory. She bristled a bit at a question that asked whether the win-and-you’re-in stipulation ‘‘made it easier for some of the bottom markers to have a viable chance at qualifying.’’ The term ‘‘bottom markers’’ is more frequently heard in Formula One.

‘‘I was going to answer your question, then you called them bottom markers,’’ Patrick said. ‘‘I would say that if you drive in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, that means you are one of 40 people in the world who do it. Everybody out there knows what they’re doing.’’

Patrick then deftly steered the conversation back on track.

‘‘The Chase format makes it more exciting and interesting and adds an extra element to [the regular season],’’ she said. ‘‘Usually, very much the same drivers get in, but it opens up [the possibilities]. It adds a storyline to a lot of weekends, especially those at the speedways where unexpected things happen.

‘‘But no matter what weekend it is, you are trying to do as well as you can, so it’s not like it adds extra incentive. What it would do, if you were to win, would create a significant amount of relief for the rest of the year. It would then allow you to do different things, like try different setups and try to develop things before the Chase starts, so that you are ahead of the curve. Or at least you are staying with the curve because it’s always moving forward.’’

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