Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Regarding it as “the ultimate fit,” Danica Patrick announced Thursday that GoDaddy would be sponsoring her cars in the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 this year – the “Danica Double” sendoff to her historic career competing in big time auto racing.
Fittingly, Patrick will take her final bow on NASCAR’s and IndyCar’s biggest stages and her most renowned sponsor, “GoDaddy” will provide the primary funding for her farewell.
“First and foremost, GoDaddy is such an appropriate fit, a great fit,’’ Patrick told the NASCAR Wire Service shortly after her news was released.
“It’s so exciting as we have so much history together but also because I feel like people were starting to wonder what was going on. And there were some points in time where I was a little frustrated too, but it’s nice to be able to announce something.’’
Patrick still hasn’t revealed which teams she will be driving for in either of the races, but did confirm news will be coming shortly about her Daytona 500 plans. Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing all five of her full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons from 2013-1017.
“We are getting close on that stuff and we need to be, right,’’ Patrick said. “We’re on track in the next couple weeks.’’
“So that [announcement] will be coming up soon.’’
In the meantime, Patrick, 35, said she’s been overwhelmed by the positive response not only in anticipation of her final two races, but now with the news her car will carry GoDaddy livery.
“It’s absolutely [appropriate],’’ she said. “They have been the biggest brand along with my brands. They have been my biggest sponsor, they’ve done the Super Bowl commercials, the most everything.
“Of course on track, one of those big moments was being on pole for the Daytona 500. That was a really big deal and starting next to Jeff Gordon. That was pretty cool. Even just the announcement of moving from IndyCar to NASCAR was a big deal. They’ve been a huge part of my life, not just my career.’’
Patrick is the only woman to have led laps both in the Daytona 500 (nine) and the Indy 500 (29) – two of the world’s most renowned races. She won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500 and finished eighth.
She has six top-tens in seven Indy 500 starts with a best of third place in 2009. Both those career highlight races were in GoDaddy livery.
“You could say, ‘we’re getting the band back together,’’’ GoDaddy Chief Marking officer Barb Rechterman said of the company’s alliance with Patrick.
“It makes sense in that our goals are so well-aligned. She’s passionate, tenacious and creative just like so many of our customers who are also looking to leverage the power of the internet and turn their ‘side hustle’ into a full-time business.
“Danica absolutely epitomizes the heart of our GoDaddy customers. We love it.’’
In making the announcement just before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup’s Homestead season finale last November that she would no longer compete fulltime, Patrick was understandably emotional. She was also, however, firm in her commitment to “go out” in a big way. Which is much like the way she came into the sport.
She recently released a book, “Pretty Intense,” launched a clothing line named “Warrior,” and has her own California vineyard, “Somnium,” Latin for the word, “dream.”
Patrick has been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Most Influential People” and her appearance in 13 GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials is most all-time among celebrities.
“It was the first thought in my mind of who would be the most perfect fit so I’m grateful it fits,’’ Patrick said of partnering again with GoDaddy. “It’s really amazing how perfectly aligned the brands are from where we’ve come from, to where we are now, and the whole process in between.
“We’ve always been on the same page brand-wise and evolution-wise.
“It’s a perfect fit, such a great story.’’
With real possibilities for a storybook ending.