Danica Patrick is in the market for a new primary sponsor next season after current primary sponsor GoDaddy’s intentions of leaving the sport were announced in USA Today.
Patrick, who races the No. 10 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, is in a contract year. Speculation was that she needed to pick up her performance in order to keep GoDaddy around, which makes the announcement all the more surprising.
Patrick is currently 16th in Sprint Cup points, easily her best start to the season, and owns two top-10 finishes. Her ninth-place finish at Bristol a few weeks ago made her the record holder for most top 10s by a female driver in Sprint Cup history, with six career finishes in the top quarter of the field.
Patrick, after the announcement, called GoDaddy an “incredible partner” and hopes to continue a relationship with the company. GoDaddy announced they were looking to keep Patrick associated with the company through a personal services contract.
“We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family,” GoDaddy chief marketing officer Phil Bienert said.
“We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they’ve been phenomenal partners,” Beinert continued. The reason to drop the sponsorship was made in order to “reach a more globally-diverse set of customers.”
Patrick is also sponsored by Aspen Dental and TaxACT, but GoDaddy sponsored the majority of the schedule.