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NASCAR: Danica Patrick’s most likely options for 2018 races

By Asher Fair

SONOMA, CA - AUGUST 26: Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda prepares to race during practice for the IZOD IndyCar Series Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway on August 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA - AUGUST 26: Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda prepares to race during practice for the IZOD IndyCar Series Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway on August 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
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Since her talks with Chip Ganassi Racing have stalled, what are NASCAR driver Danica Patrick’s best options for the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500?

Prior to the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series final at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, 35-year-old Danica Patrick announced that she would be ending her full-time racing career upon the completion of the 2017 season, her fifth season as a full-time driver in the Cup Series.

However, she also announced that she would make two more starts, not including the season finale, before officially retiring. She announced that she would be racing in the Daytona 500 in February of 2018 before wrapping up her racing career in the Indianapolis 500 in May of 2018 for her first IndyCar start since the 2011 season, her seventh and final full-time season in the sport.

But despite making that announcement, Patrick did not have a ride lined up for either of those two races. Over five weeks have now passed since she made that announcement, and her talks with Chip Ganassi Racing, the team that was her most likely destination for both races since they are one of two teams with a team in both IndyCar and NASCAR, have stalled. She still doesn’t have a ride for either of those two races.

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So if Patrick is to drive in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, what are her most likely options as far as teams go with her stating that she only wants to driver for a competitive teams?

For the Daytona 500, her best options at this point would probably be Richard Childress Racing or Front Row Motorsports. The former have two confirmed full-time drivers for the 2018 season, but they still haven’t announced whether or not they will run the #27 Chevrolet, so running it in just the Daytona 500 is still clearly an option.

The latter have two confirmed full-time drivers for the 2018 season, but there is a chance that they could add a third car for the Daytona 500. While the team have not really been competitive overall, their cars have been competitive in restrictor plate races.

For the Indianapolis 500, her best option at this point would probably be to drive for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the #77 Honda. The team originally partnered with Didier Calmels to field the entry with Tristan Gommendy as the driver, thus teaming him with full-time drivers James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens for the race.

However, the team’s partnership with Calmels, a convicted murderer, fell through, leaving that third car open. Could Patrick end up driving it in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500?

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Will Danica Patrick actually end up driving in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, or perhaps maybe just one of the two races, in 2018 after all? If so, for which team or teams will she be driving in those races? With the former set to take place in under two months, expect this situation to unfold quickly in the coming weeks.

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