Five weeks before the start of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the primary sponsorship for Danica Patrick may be in limbo.
According to a statement from Stewart-Haas Racing, the two parties “are in discussions about how the sponsorship might look in 2017.”
Patrick appeared Tuesday afternoon during NASCAR’s preseason media event sporting an all-white Tax Act uniform.
In August 2015, SHR and Nature’s Bakery, a rapidly-growing snacks and food brand announced a multiyear sponsorship agreement for 28 races a year beginning in 2016. The company was formed just six years earlier from father-son duo Dave and Sam Marson with a mission of making delicious, convenient, on-the-go snacks that complement health-conscious living and active everyday lifestyles.
Almost immediately, the sponsorship became under scrutiny as Nature’s Bakery is one of the smaller primary sponsors in NASCAR, with fewer than 500 employees in the United States. The company’s products, however, are sold in all 50 states and 22 countries.
Now, it remains to be seen if Nature’s Bakery will fulfill its duties and continue to back one of the sport’s most popular drivers.
“Nature’s Bakery and Stewart-Haas Racing are in discussions about how the sponsorship might look in 2017,” the team said. “Both sides have options, and it’s a matter of determining what is best for both parties.
“Stewart-Haas Racing remains focused on its preparation for the 2017 NASCAR season where it will again field four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series while also introducing a full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series team.”
The Nevada-based food brand replaced Patrick’s longtime backer, GoDaddy and utilized its signature tagline, “Energy for Life’s Great Journeys” on her race car.
Patrick, a native of Roscoe, Ill. has 154 starts in NASCAR’s premier series, with six career top-10 finishes. In her first full season in 2013, she generated immediate exposure for the sport by winning the pole for the Daytona 500. She led five laps in the “Great American Race” before finishing eighth after being shuffled out of the top-five in the closing laps.
Before transitioning to NASCAR, Patrick had a successful career in IndyCar. She’s twice led laps in the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finished a career-best third in that race in 2011 and is the only female IndyCar winner after capturing the checkered flag in 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
