Danica Patrick won’t return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018, leading to speculation that her NASCAR career will be over at the end of this season.
Patrick, 35, announced the move on her Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.
“It has been my honor to drive for Tony Stewart, Gene Haas and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing for the past six seasons. Together we earned a Daytona 500 pole, seven top-10 finishes and also had some exciting racing along the way. My time driving for them, however, has come to an end due to a new sponsorship arrangement in 2018.”
Her circumstances likely involve another sponsorship twist announced Tuesday. Smithfield Foods is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports and moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. Smithfield may want Aric Almirola, currently driving the iconic No. 43 at Petty Motorsports, along for the ride.
“Sponsorship plays a vital role in our sport, and I have been very fortunate over the course of my career, but this year threw us for a curve. Our amazing partners, such as Aspen Dental and Code 3, stepped up in a big way on short notice this year and I am incredibly grateful.”
If Patrick is done, she will leave a conflicted legacy in the sport. She was never competitive in her five seasons as a Cup driver, including this one.
She does not have a win or a top-five finish in 180 races and has never finished higher than 24th in points. Patrick remains the only woman to win a Cup pole – at the 2013 Daytona 500.
But her marketing reach was long, and she drew eyeballs to a sport that is struggling for relevance these days.
“There’s only so much you can do and as a driver, you are what you are and you do what you do,” she said during Speedweeks in February. “You can change a little bit here and there, style maybe, learn different tendencies. Going from IndyCar to NASCAR you learn some instinctual things or visual cues.
“You have a blueprint as a driver. That is what it is.”
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