(NASCAR Wire Service)
By Holly Cain ~ NASCAR Wire Service
Danica Patrick (Photo: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Regarding it as “the ultimate fit,” Danica Patrick announced Thursday that GoDaddy would be sponsoring her cars in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 this year – the “Danica Double” sendoff to her historic career competing in big time auto racing.
Fittingly, Patrick will take her final bow on NASCAR’s and IndyCar’s biggest stages and her most renowned sponsor, “GoDaddy” will provide the primary funding for her farewell.
“First and foremost, GoDaddy is such an appropriate fit, a great fit,’’ Patrick told the NASCAR Wire Service shortly after her news was released.
“It’s so exciting as we have so much history together but also because I feel like people were starting to wonder what was going on. And there were some points in time where I was a little frustrated too, but it’s nice to be able to announce something.’’
Patrick still hasn’t revealed which teams she will be driving for in either of the races, but did confirm news will be coming shortly about her Daytona 500 plans. Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing all five of her full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons from 2013-1017.
“We are getting close on that stuff and we need to be, right,’’ Patrick said. “We’re on track in the next couple weeks.’’
“So that [announcement] will be coming up soon.’’
In the meantime, Patrick, 35, said she’s been overwhelmed by the positive response not only in anticipation of her final two races, but now with the news her car will carry GoDaddy livery.
“It’s absolutely [appropriate],’’ she said. “They have been the biggest brand along with my brands. They have been my biggest sponsor, they’ve done the Super Bowl commercials, the most everything.
“Of course on track, one of those big moments was being on pole for the Daytona 500. That was a really big deal and starting next to Jeff Gordon. That was pretty cool. Even just the announcement of moving from IndyCar to NASCAR was a big deal. They’ve been a huge part of my life, not just my career.’’
Patrick is the only woman to have led laps both in the Daytona 500 (nine) and the Indy 500 (29) – two of the world’s most renowned races. She won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 and finished eighth.
She has six top-10s in seven Indy 500 starts with a best of third place in 2009. Both those career highlight races were in GoDaddy livery.
“You could say, ‘we’re getting the band back together,’’’ GoDaddy Chief Marking officer Barb Rechterman said of the company’s alliance with Patrick.
“It makes sense in that our goals are so well-aligned. She’s passionate, tenacious and creative just like so many of our customers who are also looking to leverage the power of the internet and turn their ‘side hustle’ into a full-time business.
“Danica absolutely epitomizes the heart of our GoDaddy customers. We love it.’’
In making the announcement just before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup’s Homestead season finale last November that she would no longer compete fulltime, Patrick was understandably emotional. She was also, however, firm in her commitment to “go out” in a big way. Which is much like the way she came into the sport.
She recently released a book, “Pretty Intense,” launched a clothing line named “Warrior,” and has her own California vineyard, “Somnium,” Latin for the word, “dream.”
Patrick has been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Most Influential People” and her appearance in 13 GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials is most all-time among celebrities.
“It was the first thought in my mind of who would be the most perfect fit so I’m grateful it fits,’’ Patrick said of partnering again with GoDaddy. “It’s really amazing how perfectly aligned the brands are from where we’ve come from, to where we are now, and the whole process in between.
“We’ve always been on the same page brand-wise and evolution-wise.
“It’s a perfect fit, such a great story.’’
With real possibilities for a storybook ending.
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Sorry NASCAR but that was pathetic. Twenty plus paragraphs to promote the fact GO Daddy is back on board for a couple races. No information on the teams supplying the cars and not even the mention of the biggest news yet. Patrick is dating Aaron Rogers.
Doug if you were as smart as you think you are it is not NASCAR’S fault.If you knew anything about it you would realize nobody wants to give her a ride. Who cares who she is dating to a real race fan
Easy boys… I don’t want to call any of you a misogynist before the season even starts! Have a cocktail 🍹 and chillax!
She was not a good driver at all.
She was pretty hot though
Gotta stop you right there NH MOD CHASER. With all the bonehead things I say clearly I’ve never made any claim to anything other then thoughtless, uninformed opinions that tend to rile a truly smart and informed “real race fan” like you. I always consider myself blessed to have guys like you around to correct my errors with you clever taunting barbs.
No one cares about who America’s racing sweetheart is dating. Are you kidding? More of America cares about who she is dating then her rides in NASCAR and Indy cars. More people know and care about who she is dating then even know she is doing this two race deal.
Will she get the two rides? According to all the grumpy old racing purists out there that hate women in racing the answer is no. But America and all those loyal to America’s racing sweetheart will demand she does with Aaron Rogers in the stands rooting her on. What a wonderful story line aye?
It’s all about the Benjamins.
She wasn’t bringing in the SPONSORSHIP 💰💰💰💰💰💰💰.
This is America, capitalism rules.
Danica who???
Clearly you’re mostly right maxim410. I mean really if she was that good she’d still have rides wouldn’t she? But we’re also a cliche. Guys, mostly old, saying she doesn’t belong and if this were to good old days which it isn’t she wouldn’t make the field. When she raced she qualified and put the thing on the front row in the biggest race of all and that ain’t nothing. Really would it kill us guys to squeeze out a good thing about her every now and then just to at least be less predictable?
If she was that good she still wouldn’t have a ride without some sponsorship to bring to the table. I personally think she’s better than a few that are still in rides. However in the top NASCAR divisions $$ truly rules. You don’t need a lot of track time to succeed, you need a master’s degree in marketing! Why was Ryan Preece finishing something-teenth in most of his 2016 Xfinity runs, yet no worse than 4th in 2017 in only 4 races? MONEY!!! JGR’s funding and sponsorship buys them the talent, parts, and tools to allow a talented driver to excel. It’s no guarantee, but it certainly is a huge plus. look at Paul Menard; a decent driver but not a great driver. HOWEVER, his last name happens to coincide with his primary sponsor’s corporate name, allowing him to align himself with a number of upper echelon teams for years. Coincidence? I think not. it used to be ‘Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?” Now it’s “‘Speed costs money, how much can you bring to the table?”
Even a blind man can shoot a bulls eye given enough tries ….
It’s not about her being a woman, it’s about her being mediocre at best. Any driver with her record in the Cup would be without a ride right now. She’s getting 2 more tries BECAUSE she’s a woman. Not saying bad or good, just reality as I see it.
Nascar needs her at the 500.No Junior to fill the spot light .Nascar is probably footing the bill.
Spot on Eddie nascar is in a free fall they will try anything most people do not understand it’s about being a public company rather than a private profit over people period
Danica Patrick. Not a fan. Not a fan of her on track record and not a fan of her off track Danica Inc marketing efforts. But if young women and moms have seen her, follow her, she makes the race more interesting to them I’m totally on board with that. If she has or will inspire any young women to try their hand at racing then racing wins. And if the NASCAR and Indy car organizations are using her as a marketing tool to boost interest how could that be bad on any level. You go girl!
dareal days:
This is America, capitalism rules.
AMEN MY BROTHA!! God bless America! capitalism rules! America first! now, let’s go racing!!
Was hot or is hot Jeff? When its all said and done she will be known for being a successful business women more than a driver. Like Kyle Petty said years ago, she is a driver not a racer. In a GWC situation, she could start on the pole 100 times and she wouldn’t win 100 times. She had some success in Indy but nobody cares about the Danica Double now. She’s a 28th place driver every week. That 10 car will win 2 or 3 times this year, you watch. Don’t let the door hit you Danica… We’re on to 2018 and the future is Elliot, Blaney and Larson in Cup.
It appears that she is going to be driving in the 500 for Tommy Baldwin.
As I said, not a fan. But her career as a woman is noteworthy for some real firsts for a woman in a male dominated sport, like her or not.
Wikipedia
“Danica Sue Patrick (/ˈdænɪkə/; born March 25, 1982) is an American professional racing driver, model, and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing—her win in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only female victory in an IndyCar Series race and her third place in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 is the highest finish there by a woman. She competed in the series from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, she competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and occasionally in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Born to a working-class family in Beloit, Wisconsin, Patrick began karting at the age of ten and achieved early success by winning her class in the World Karting Association Grand National Championship three times in the mid-1990s. She dropped out of high school with her parents’ permission in 1998, and moved to the United Kingdom to further her career. Patrick competed in Formula Vauxhall and Formula Ford before returning to the United States in 2001 due to a lack of funding. For 2002, she competed in five Barber Dodge Pro Series races for Rahal Letterman Racing. Patrick later raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series for the next two years. Her best effort was third in the championship standings for the 2004 season where she became the first woman to win a pole position in the series.
She first drove in the IndyCar Series with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2005, and took three pole positions, equaling Tomas Scheckter’s record of poles in a rookie season. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. She improved over the next two years with Rahal Letterman Racing in 2006 and later Andretti Green Racing in 2007. In 2008, Patrick followed up her first victory to place sixth overall in the drivers’ standings. She improved on this to secure fifth the following season, which saw her finish a career-high third at the Indianapolis 500, the best performance by any woman at the race. Patrick’s overall form declined during 2010, but she still managed two second-places at oval tracks before stepping away from IndyCar after the 2011 season to focus full-time on stock car racing.
Patrick began racing stock cars in 2010 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) with her best result coming in the form of a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. She placed a career-high tenth in the 2012 season standings, and was the second woman to clinch a pole position in the Nationwide Series since Shawna Robinson in 1994. Patrick started in the Sprint Cup Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) in 2012. She became the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position by setting the fastest lap in qualifying for the 2013 Daytona 500, finishing eighth. Patrick bested Janet Guthrie’s record for the most top-ten finishes by a woman in the Sprint Cup Series in 2015. She announced her intention to step away from full-time racing after the 2017 season, and plans to compete at the 2018 Daytona 500 and the 2018 Indianapolis 500.”
If you’re a car owner, it would not be fun to have Danica as a driver. The only positive is that she is popular so you will get marketing money. The reality is that she junks her equipment every race. There may have been 2 or 3 races all season that they were able to roll the car back on the hauler. We had a side bet in every race of what lap she would get to before destroying her car. Kinda like the side bet of what’s the first lap the 01 mod tour car will be lapped. Forget the male/female thing. She is just a bad driver now. Good history and was good for the sport, but if I was that car owner I’d be beside myself and sick to my stomach every race. He’ll save money in cars and parts and medications and alcohol without her there.
Oh good. Another vote for she sucks as she retires. Kick the chick., Fun.
Just once it would be nice if someone in the old man comment section would say one thing that is not totally predictable.
LM where did you read she is going to be in a Baldwin car ??
It will be announced tomorrow.