Is Danica Patrick finished in NASCAR after Stewart-Haas Racing exit?

Danica Patrick won’t be back with her current team next year, which could spell the end of her NASCAR career.

Even if you’re not a Danica Patrick fan, you have to feel sympathetic for the plight she currently finds herself in. Every sports figure wants the chance to go out on his or her own terms, and it’s starting to look like the end of the 2017 season could be the end of her NASCAR career, whether she likes it or not.

Patrick revealed today on Facebook (as pointed out by the omnipresent eyes at Jayski) that she will not be back with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. The writing has been on the wall for this parting of ways for weeks, as Patrick herself said she probably wouldn’t be back for more if she didn’t find more sponsorship.

At the same time, she more or less confirmed the worst-kept secret in NASCAR at the moment, which is that she’s going to be replaced by Aric Almirola with Smithfield coming with him from the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 as a sponsor. The Smithfield move was already announced earlier today, and that was followed by word that Almirola is leaving RPM. These aren’t very difficult dots to connect.

But if we’ve already mentally placed Almirola in a Smithfield-sponsored No. 10 SHR Ford, the more interesting aspect of all this is whether or not in spells the end of Patrick’s NASCAR run. She’s already said she wouldn’t consider a drop down to the XFINITY Series. Cup Series seats are hard to come by, and there are winners like Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne who figure to be in line before her for any that open up.

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What might have saved her a few years back is that she was a sponsor’s delight. That now seems like a lifetime ago, with Patrick’s own clothing line sponsoring her at Richmond.

If this is the end of the road for Patrick, she can leave the sport with her head held high. It’s true she never really challenged for wins, and she might have been occupying a ride that someone more deserving would have had (we’ll see what Almirola can do to put this to the test). But her status as a trailblazer is equally undeniable, as she was the first female NASCAR driver ever to win a pole or lead a race under green.

She even led the field to the green flag at the Daytona 500, which is something plenty of drivers never get to do. Perhaps she’ll change her tune and consider a part-time or XFINITY Series ride, but if not, you’ve got exactly 10 races left to watch her in action.