Danica Patrick isn’t leaving NASCAR anytime soon. Patrick and Stewart-Hass Racing announced a new sponsor for Patrick starting in 2016 on Tuesday.
In April GoDaddy.com, which has been Patrick’s primary sponsor, announced that they were leaving NASCAR at the end of the season. Patrick’s new sponsor is Nature’s Bakery, a fig bar manufacturer, who will sponsor her for 28 races a year, according to ESPN. The remaining races will likely be sponsored by sponsor who are already associated with Patrick. This is the first time that Nature’s Bakery has been involved in NASCAR. In addition to getting a new sponsor, Patrick has signed a multi-year contract extension with Stewart-Hass Racing. The length of the deal wasn’t disclosed but team co-owner Tony Stewart indicated that it’s at least a three-year deal.
"I feel like our brands align so perfectly, it's kind of amazing," Patrick said. "I think that journey is going to be really fun. I think there's going to be lots of exciting things that we can do together in the future. Of course, on top of that, being able to re sign with Tony and here at Stewart Haas is very important to me. I really, really do feel like family here. I feel like there's nowhere else I want to be. I'm just fortunate enough that I didn't have to look anywhere else, that I get to stay, and that I have a great new sponsor.”
Patrick came to NASCAR from the IndyCar series. She has been competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full-time since 2013. She has two top tens, with a best finish of seventh, and is 21st in points after 23 races this season, according to NASCAR.com. Patrick has six career top tens and has led 27 laps in 105 career Sprint Cup races dating back to the 2012 season.
Kurt Busch, Patrick’s teammate at Stewart-Hass Racing, is expected to sign a new contract with the team soon.