NASCAR: Danica Patrick’s 2018 race odds suddenly not looking so bad
By Asher Fair
In the blink of an eye, it seems that NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick’s odds of racing in 2018 are no longer than bad.
With more than two months having passed since Danica Patrick announced that she would be ending her full-time racing career following the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season but that she would not officially retire until after racing in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 and nothing having materialized in terms of rides go for either of those two races, the odds of her landing a ride were slim.
However, those odds suddenly aren’t looking so bad.
Aside of the fact that Patrick had just seven top 10 finishes in five full-time seasons in the Cup Series driving for Stewart-Haas Racing and she never finished in the top 5 in any race, one key reason for her retiring was the fact that she had had sponsorship issues.
More from Danica Patrick
- Why was Danica Patrick nominated for the Game Changer of 2018 Award?
- Danica Patrick nominated for Game Changer People’s Choice Award
- Danica Patrick makes an appearance in Maroon 5 music video
- Danica Patrick to host 2018 ESPY Awards
- Indy 500: IndyCar cannot afford a Danica Patrick victory
These issues made sense, as the novelty had worn off after years and years of lackluster performances, and those performances certainly did not help the matter. Sponsors were no longer lined up waiting to get their chance to partner with her like they once were.
But now GoDaddy have announced that they will sponsor Patrick in both the 2018 Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. At this point, the sponsorship issues have gone out the window, as arguably the most iconic sponsor in her racing career is back and ready to partner with her as she attempts to complete what has become known as the “Danica Double”.
With that out of the way, all of the focus can be on her finding a ride with a team for the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, preferably in that order since the former is set to take place in under a month while the latter isn’t scheduled to go down until the end of May.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
With GoDaddy sponsorship locked up, which team or teams will sign Danica Patrick to drive the Daytona 500 and/or the Indianapolis 500 for them? With the clock running out until the former is set to take place, expect to know in the next few weeks, if not sooner.