NASCAR: Five possible landing spots for Danica Patrick in 2018

Part-Time NASCAR Cup Series driver

Aside of Danica Patrick’s current ride in the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, all of the seats at all of the other top-tier teams are taken for the 2018 season in the NASCAR Cup Series are taken. This coupled with the fact that she won’t be returning to her current ride next season may make a return to the Cup Series for her only possible in the form of a part-time ride.

Patrick has stated that she doesn’t want to be in a situation where she is driving around in the back of the pack every race, so with no seats available with the top-tier teams in 2018, a part-time ride may be her only option if she wants to keep racing and if she wants to do so at least somewhat competitively.

"“I want to continue racing if I have an opportunity to do well. I have no interest, as I’ve said for years now, to run 25th. It’s not fun. So if I don’t feel like I can have the opportunity to move on from there and have a better opportunity, then honestly I don’t care.”"

Despite her lack of success over the course of her Cup Series career with no wins, no top 5 finishes and just seven top 10 finishes in 181 starts, of which just one has come in the last 91 races, Patrick still has one of the sport’s biggest fanbases, so signing her part-time could be in the best interest of both the team that signs her and the sport itself.

Naturally, if that happens, the team that signed her will get a massive amount of publicity for doing so. As far as the sport itself goes, NASCAR would be able to retain a large percentage of the fans that make up her huge fanbase if she stays even part-time, which they need since Dale Earnhardt Jr., the 14-time defending Most Popular Driver Award winner, is retiring at the end of this season.