Which company will serve as Danica Patrick’s primary sponsor for the majority of 2017 is in doubt just weeks before the start of the NASCAR season.
Danica Patrick facing sponsorship uncertainty
Nature’s Bakery was to sponsor Danica Patrick in 25 Cup Series races in 2017, but whether that relationship will continue is in doubt.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Nature’s Bakery was slated to serve as Patrick’s primary sponsor on the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing car in 25 of 36 Cup Series races this season, a decrease from 28 races in 2016. But when Patrick appeared at the annual preseason media tour on Tuesday in downtown Charlotte, N.C., she was wearing a firesuit representing TaxAct, which is to serve as her primary sponsor in four races.
The Associated Press first reported.
“Nature’s Bakery and Stewart-Haas Racing are in discussions about how the sponsorship might look in 2017,” SHR said in a statement to SB Nation. “Both sides have options, and it’s a matter of determining what is best for both parties.”
SHR reaffirmed its commitment that will again field four full-time entries in NASCAR’s premier division, along with a full-time Xfinity Series team. In addition to Patrick, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, and Kevin Harvick drive Cup cars for SHR, co-owned by Tony Stewart and Gene Haas.
Nature’s Bakery is a family-owned company with fewer than 500 employees, and according to officials with the Nevada-based company it had sales in excess of $100 million in 2014. The maker of fig bars and other snack foods began sponsoring Patrick in 2016, replacing Patrick’s longtime sponsor Go Daddy, which elected to pursue other marketing avenues.
Patrick is winless in 154 career Cup starts, with a best finish of sixth. She is the only female to win a NASCAR premier series pole, capturing the No. 1 starting position for the 2013 Daytona 500.
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