NASCAR: Update On Patrick’s Contract, What It Means For SHR
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2015 has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride from Danica Patrick and the No. 10 team. Coming into the season Patrick was under immense pressure to step up her performance. 2015 is the final year of her three-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing and every driver wants to perform well when it’s a contract year. Patrick started the season strong and as a result it seemed likely that she would return to SHR should she maintain her early success. However, that success went away after the first eight races of the season as did her future sponsorship with GoDaddy when they announced they were leaving NASCAR.
The result left Patrick’s future in doubt. In the first eight races Patrick has five top-19 finishes including a pair of top-10 finishes. In the last 12 races she only has two finishes of 19th or better and no top-10’s. Despite the drop off in performance, the future does seem to be bright for Patrick and SHR. According to a recent report from Motorsport.com, Patrick could be only a few weeks away from signing a new deal with SHR.
SHR owner Gene Haas spoke with Motorsport.com in Indy and he suggested that a deal with Patrick is wanted by both sides and should be coming in the near future.
"We expect her to stay with Stewart-Haas Racing. Let’s face it, she’s the only woman on the whole grid so she’s going to get a lot of press, and that’s what sponsors want to see. We told her we wanted her to come back. She’s been very flexible about everything. It all has to happen at the same time. You can’t really sign a driver until you have a sponsor. Personally, I think that’s all just a balance between — we’re probably going to have more than one sponsor and we’re going to have to get them all aligned. We have to work GoDaddy. It’s just a balancing act. Obviously, we’d like to get it done as quickly as possible. I’m sure that, when all the contracts are signed, it will happen within a few weeks."
Patrick returning to SHR is mutually beneficially for both parties.
For Patrick a return to SHR will keep her NASCAR career in a place where she wants it to be and a place where she will have a chance to have success. If Patrick were to leave SHR she would not have had a ton of options to find a new ride in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. There aren’t going to be too many seats opening up in 2016 and unless Jimmie Johnson leaves Team Hendrick (which nobody thinks is going to happen) none of those seats would be as good as the one she has now at SHR. Remaining with SHR will also keep Patrick with the No. 10 team and in an environment that she is familiar and comfortable with.
The potential deal also benefits SHR because Patrick is big business in the world of NASCAR. SHR currently employees three former NASCAR champions and one of the biggest draws in the sport aside from Dale Earnhardt Jr. when it comes to the mass media and marketability. While Patrick might not be where SHR wants her on the track she is still benefitting the team off of the track and it makes sense from a business perspective to keep her within the company. Also, there aren’t many options out there to replace her with; it’s not like Johnson is knocking on the door and asking to take over the No. 10 machine in 2016.
BTF will continue to provide updates on Patrick’s contract in the coming weeks.
Next: NASCAR: Power Rankings Heading Into Pocono