IndyCar: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports rule out Danica Patrick for 2018 Indianapolis 500

By Asher Fair | Jan 9, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 20: Danica Patrick, driver of the #7 Team GoDaddy Dallara Honda (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have ruled out the possibility of fielding former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick in the 2018 Indianapolis 500.

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have officially ruled out the possibility of former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, 35, driving for the team in the 2018 Indianapolis 500, ending previous speculation that the team may have been her most likely landing spot for the race.

Patrick announced in the middle of this past November that her plan was to retire from racing full-time following the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season. However, she made clear that she did not plan on officially retiring until after shed raced in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.

It was initially thought that she would drive in both races for Chip Ganassi Racing since the team are one of two teams with a team in both the Cup Series and in IndyCar. The other team of that type, Team Penske, are at capacity for the Indianapolis 500. When talks with Chip Ganassi Racing stalled, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports became a viable option for her.

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Schmidt Peterson Motorsports is a two-car full-time IndyCar team. James Hinchcliffe, 31, is set to drive in his fourth season for the team and eighth season overall this season in the #5 Honda, and Robert Wickens, 28, is set to make his series debut for the team in the #7 Honda.

However, the team have run three cars at the Indianapolis 500 in recent years, so fielding Patrick was not out of the question. In fact, Tristan Gommendy, 39, was lined up to drive the #77 Honda for the team in this year’s Indianapolis 500 thanks to a partnership between the team and Didier Calmels.

However, that deal fell through, leaving an open seat for the 102nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” that many people believed that Danica Patrick would land in. The deal fell through largely due to the fact that there was so much backlash that occurred when the public found out that Calmels murdered his wife, leading many people to believe that money was the most important factor for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports even when it came to dealing with a convicted murderer.

Patrick has driven in the Indianapolis 500 seven times throughout her career, doing so most recently in 2011. Her best finish is 3rd place in 2009, and she has just one finish outside of the top 10, which was her lone DNF in the race in 2008. In the six Indianapolis 500 races that she actually finished, she finished in the top 10 every time.

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With Danica Patrick’s options running out in terms of landing a ride in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, which team, if any team, will she actually end up driving for in those two races before she officially retires from racing?