Danica Patrick return to Stewart-Haas Racing ‘increasingly unlikely’
By Nick Tylwalk
With a sponsor reportedly looking to latch on elsewhere, it could be the writing is on the wall for Danica Patrick’s future in the No. 10 Ford.
With so many other things going on in this crazier than usual NASCAR Silly Season, the fate of Danica Patrick has almost flown under the radar. That’s something that could never have been said about her just a few years ago, but even though she’s done some of her most consistent racing in 2017, Patrick has also talked retirement already this season.
Since she’s already expressed her unwillingness to consider a part-time ride, the end of her career might be approaching whether she’d like it or not. A report in Sports Business Daily says that sponsor Aspen Dental, who stepped up when the relationship between the No. 10 team and Nature’s Bakery went awry, is looking elsewhere and talking to other organizations.
Why? Reporter Adam Stern calls the return of Patrick to Stewart-Haas Racing “increasingly unlikely,” so if Aspen Dental wants to remain in NASCAR — and that would be a refreshing change from stories of companies leaving the sport — it will need to latch on with another car.
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Patrick could land in another ride even if her time with SHR is finished, but it’s hard to immediately look at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series landscape and see an obvious landing spot. The No. 78 of Furniture Row Racing might be a possibility with Erik Jones off to join Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018. Richard Childress Racing is losing Paul Menard to the Wood Brothers, but there’s no guarantee it will field four card next year, and it has Ty Dillon waiting in the wings if necessary.
If this season is the end for Patrick, it will come without the kind of success she hoped for after arriving from IndyCar. She’s managed just seven top-10 finishes over the course of five season, though she has made history by becoming the first woman to ever lead the Daytona 500 or any Cup Series race under green.