Danica Patrick, one of America’s most recognized motorsport figures, brought attention to long-standing sponsorship challenges when she spoke about her experiences at Tony Stewart‘s NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing. In 2017, while competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Patrick candidly revealed that her seat on the team was directly tied to securing sponsorship. Her main sponsor throughout her career, GoDaddy, played a vital role in keeping her place at Tony Stewart’s outfit, underscoring the high-pressure nature of professional racing and the dependence on corporate backing.
Reflecting on her career, Patrick competed in 191 NASCAR Cup Series races, securing seven top-ten finishes and achieving a single pole position. She matched this tally in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series with seven more top tens and another pole across 61 races. Her final Cup Series appearance came during the 2018 Daytona 500, marking the end of her remarkable tenure as one of the few female drivers in top-level motorsport and a prominent figure at Tony Stewart’s side.
The sponsorship issues Patrick faced were not only specific to her experience but also illuminate a larger reality faced by many drivers in NASCAR. In an interview with USA Today, she explained,
If you don’t have sponsorship, you’re not going to have a job.
This stark revelation highlights the intense commercial pressures within racing, particularly affecting teams like Tony Stewart’s, where continued participation relies on consistent funding.
Beyond sponsorship struggles, Patrick remains passionate about the sport. Recently, on March 13, 2025, she expressed admiration for legendary racers she never had the chance to compete against, such as Formula 1’s Ayrton Senna and NASCAR’s own Dale Earnhardt Sr. Earnhardt’s daunting record spanned 676 Cup Series starts, 76 victories, and seven championships. Remembering these icons, Patrick emphasized her profound respect, further connecting her own journey with Tony Stewart to the broader narrative of racing greats.
Patrick’s career broke barriers, especially for women in motorsport. Her 2008 triumph at IndyCar’s Japan 300 still stands as the last victory by a female driver in America’s top-tier open-wheel racing. Even after leaving the cockpit, she continues to impact the sport through her media roles, recently offering insight during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix weekend, underscoring her continued relevance.
Ultimately, Patrick’s stories reveal the ongoing importance of sponsorship in NASCAR, affecting drivers and teams like Tony Stewart’s. The persistence of these challenges will likely shape the future of the sport, as athletes, sponsors, and fans alike eagerly watch for changes that can provide greater stability and opportunity for all competitors.
