NASCAR: Five possible landing spots for Danica Patrick in 2018
By Asher Fair
Retirement
It is very possible that the end of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season could mark the end of Danica Patrick’s racing career. It’s not like she absolutely needs to keep racing to make a living, as she is already a multi-millionaire and currently owns her own clothing line.
Plus, with her lack of good results over the course of her career, the risks that the inherent dangers that come along with racing bring seem to outweigh the possible rewards, at least for her. Her only real accomplishment in NASCAR is her pole at the 2013 Daytona 500, as she has not only never won a race in 181 tries, but she has never even finished in the top 5. The potential for her to be rewarded as a result of racing just doesn’t seem to exist.
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Of her seven career top 10 finishes, which comes out to about one top 10 finish for every 26 races in which she has competed, just one of them has come in the last 91 races. That lone top 10 finish in the last 91 races for Patrick was just a 10th place finish, and that came earlier this season at Dover. She hasn’t finished higher than 10th place in over two years.
Also, Patrick’s boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. currently races for Roush Fenway Racing, so that coupled with the fact that she has not performed well throughout her Cup Series career would make it seem logical for her to hang up her helmet after the 2017 season ends.
If Patrick and Stenhouse Jr. end up deciding to take their relationship any further by getting married and possibly starting a family, it would be better if their children don’t have two parents who are both full-time Cup Series drivers.
With Patrick having struggled throughout her Cup Series career and Stenhouse Jr. currently in the playoffs with two wins already this season, Stenhouse Jr. would likely be the parent that ended up continuing to drive. Plus, he is only 29 years old, while Patrick is 35.
Next: Five possible replacement candidates for Danica Patrick in 2018
Where, if anywhere, do you think Danica Patrick will be racing next season? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.