[Sirrotica]

Danica Patrick finally out of a ride at Stewart/Haas Racing!!!!!!!!

It's way past time, but the mediocrity of her talents has finally come to an end after SIX seasons.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Danica Patrick, the only female driver at NASCAR's top level, is likely at the end of her driving career after a sponsorship shake-up left her without a ride at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Patrick posted a statement on her Facebook page Tuesday saying her time with Stewart-Haas "had come to an end" due to a new sponsorship arrangement for the team next season. The statement came shortly after Smithfield Foods said it will leave Richard Petty Motorsports to become a primary sponsor at Stewart-Haas next year.

The news is a blow to RPM, which is also losing driver Aric Almirola. But it also forced changes at Stewart-Haas, which has struggled with sponsorship for three of its four cars, including the No. 10 Ford driven by Patrick.

"It has been my honor to drive for Tony Stewart, Gene Haas and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing for the past six seasons," Patrick wrote. "Sponsorship plays a vital role in our sport, and I have been very fortunate over the course of my career, but this year threw us for a curve."

Patrick, whose participation in NASCAR has always been polarizing given the attention she receives despite her lack of success, closed the post by writing: "I have the utmost faith in myself and those around me, and feel confident about my future."

Patrick has launched a clothing line, has a book coming out next year and has made a huge transition into promoting a healthy and fit lifestyle. It has her positioned for a second career at the age of 35 if she chooses. She's also in a long-term relationship with fellow driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who will make his debut in the playoffs this weekend.

Sponsorship dollars have been hard to come by for a number of drivers and teams. Smithfield's decision leaves Petty's team in need of a sponsor, and Almirola is looking for a ride.

But the bigger changes are clearly underway at SHR, which didn't reveal where Smithfield will be in the organization in 2018.

"Details of the agreement, including the driver who will be added to SHR's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series lineup in 2018, will be provided at a later date," SHR said in a statement.

That means Smithfield could end up on the car Patrick has driven. Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch both need sponsorship on their cars, too. Busch, the Daytona 500 winner, does not have a deal with SHR for next season.

Both Harvick and Busch will represent SHR in the 10-race playoffs that begin Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

Now that Patrick has confirmed she's out at SHR, the team could choose to downsize to three cars, or pursue Almirola, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne or any other available driver. The team could be in the market to replace just Patrick, or both Patrick and Busch.

Patrick has driven for Stewart-Haas Racing her entire Cup career. She has seven top-10 finishes in 180 career starts and is currently 28th in the standings, the lowest in her Cup career.

Still, she won the pole for the 2013 Daytona 500, won an IndyCar race in 2008, is the highest finishing female driver in Indianapolis 500 history with a third-place run in 2009 and is the only woman to lead laps in both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. Patrick is the only woman to win a Cup pole and those top-10 finishes are the most of any female Cup driver.

"She will go down as the best female NASCAR driver of all time. Will likely take decades to see anyone even challenge her legacy," Brad Keselowski posted on Twitter. He later added in a second post: "Have come to accept that mankind never knows or appreciates what it has until its gone. NASCAR fans will miss her badly in time."

Patrick's contract with SHR ran through 2018, but the team has been searching for sponsorship since Nature's Bakery abruptly ended its three-year deal after one season.

RPM is now in a similar bind because it lost Smithfield, which has been associated with Petty the last six years. RPM this year downsized to one Cup car because of sponsorship reasons, and talks on a contract extension with Almirola stalled when Smithfield began looking at other options.

Petty ripped the company and suggested he was blindsided.

"Over the past few months, Smithfield had continually told me they wanted to be with us, and I recently shook hands on a deal to extend our relationship," Petty said. "I come from a time when we did major deals with sponsors like STP on a handshake. I'm sad to see this is where we are now. This decision is very unexpected, and we are extremely disappointed in this late and abrupt change of direction."

Smithfield CEO Kenneth M. Sullivan called Petty's claim of a handshake deal "unequivocally and patently false," and accused the team of not delivering on "tens of millions of dollars of unwavering financial support."

"Smithfield's numerous discussions with RPM over the past several months focused exclusively around one issue: RPM's inability to deliver on the track and the organization's repeated failure to present a plan to address its lack of competitiveness," Sullivan said in a statement. "It is very unfortunate and disheartening that RPM has chosen to disseminate false statements regarding our communications to NASCAR fans who we have supported wholeheartedly with more than a $100 million investment in the sport over the last several years."

Almirola was 20th in the standings when he broke his back in May. It caused him to miss seven races, and the team is currently 25th in the standings. He did make NASCAR's playoffs, in 2014, after he won at Daytona in July.

Petty, the Hall of Fame driver and seven-time NASCAR champion, is no longer the primary owner of his race team. Andrew Murstein of Medallion Financial Corp. is the majority owner of the team.

Petty said he and Murstein were committed to "moving forward" with the No. 43 team.

"Losing a sponsor of this magnitude in September is a significant set-back to Richard Petty Motorsports," Petty said. "We've been around since 1949, and we'll be around a lot longer."

Obviously Smithfield Foods would like some return on their sponsorship expenditures, and DP ain't going to provide them with any recognition for the investment. The same reason they pulled sponsorship from RPM. I'm betting they'd at least like someone that made the chase playoffs most seasons. If the touring princess drove into her 60s, she'd still never make the chase.............

Her current points standing;

28TH Danica Patrick 377 current points, only 1676 points behind first place..................kinda says it all.

[tom s]

big changes in Cup,Danica out of the 10,Eric out of the 43,Casey out of the 5,Matt out of the 20,possible Kurt out of the 41.Looks like all teams are cutting their overhead and bringing in younger cheaper drivers.I guess why they call it the silly season.Tom

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

28TH Danica Patrick 377 current points, only 1676 points behind first place..................kinda says it all.

But she's not at the bottom either - what does it say about those guys who are behind her.

Like Tom said, there's a lot of shakeups in the drivers going on.

[Dennis H.]

About time they cut her, based on skill and accomplishments, she should have never been there in the first place. Nascar changed many rules to include her in races that normally she was not eligible for. They were only using her to further their viewership. But I thing it backfired, I and many of my friends have quit watching Nascar because of how they tried to include her, and Darrel Waltrip is the worst.

[ho428]

Danica didn't turn away viewers in mass, NASCAR did that on their own. To me she was just another driver out there.
If any one or two drivers turned me off it was Kyle and Kurt Bush and to an extent Kevin Harvick, all should have been kicked out years ago, but for the most part it was the gimmick's NASCAR kept throwing in, Chase, GWC, Segments, new rule of the week, etc... and letting Cup drivers run Xfinity and Trucks.

You want to see some good racing, watch IMSA.

[David Jones]

Originally Posted by Stuart

But she's not at the bottom either - what does it say about those guys who are behind her.

No, she's pretty much at the bottom.
At least with people who have run all 26 races.
Only 4 people behind her have run them all.
Aric Amirola has only run 19 and he's in 30th.

Nothing can make her results in NASCAR look good. She's had top level equipment and some of the best people and has basically done nothing with it.

[ponyakr]

Surely you guys are not starting another Danica Haters thread.

I think you all expressed your dislike of Danica MANY, MANY, MANY times over. I think it is VERY obvious, to all who read this forum, what you think of her.

So, why not just give it a rest, already.

Since this is a Pontiac forum, there is usually plenty of Pontiac stuff to talk about.

Or maybe something interesting in your life that has nothing to to with Pontiacs.

Or asking for opinions on what to do or buy in non-Pontiac related areas.

Hey, almost anything except how bad you think Danica is.

And, for those of you who wanna badmouth me for this post, go right ahead. I caught flack here, when I first began posting, and survived.

I figure there are a few others here who feel the same way I do, but will never post those feelings. So, I'm speaking, not only for myself, but also for those who feel the same, but will not post.

PS: If I was a moderator, I'd seriously consider ending this thread, before it goes any farther. It contributes absolutely nothing positive to the forum. IMO

[Sirrotica]

And here's what topics can be posted in the lobby as per the heading of the owner of these forums;

THE LOBBY A gathering place. Introductions, sports, showin' off your ride, birthday-anniversary-milestone, achievements, family oriented humor.

It certainly falls in line with the criteria of what topics may be discussed in this forum...............

Dennis H. About time they cut her, based on skill and accomplishments, she should have never been there in the first place. Nascar changed many rules to include her in races that normally she was not eligible for. They were only using her to further their viewership. But I thing it backfired, I and many of my friends have quit watching Nascar because of how they tried to include her, and Darrel Waltrip is the worst.

Dennis, well said, you pay attention to NASCAR and the BS that has gone on trying to make the touring princess relevant to the sport. The Waltrip brothers have been trying to cram her down the fans throat for 6 years..............

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by David Jones

No, she's pretty much at the bottom.
At least with people who have run all 26 races.
Only 4 people behind her have run them all.
Aric Amirola has only run 19 and he's in 30th.

Nothing can make her results in NASCAR look good. She's had top level equipment and some of the best people and has basically done nothing with it.

Pretty much tells the story.

When Stenhouse won a race this year DP practically ran over to victory lane for the celebration. The headline should have read "DP in victory lane". I guess she can live vicariously through Stenhouse now that she'll never be offered another top shelf ride in Cup.

[tom s]

I think she is the 7th highest paid NASCAR driver with sponsor and endorsements ,she has nothing to worry about!Her own wine,books,clothing etc etc.She said she was not having fun.Tom

[tom s]

Looks like the 77 car will drop from Cup also because of sponsorship.Tom

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by tom s

Looks like the 77 car will drop from Cup also because of sponsorship.Tom

Tom, Erik Jones (#77) is going to be in the #20 car replacing Matt Kenseth. The #77 team was a Gibbs related team and was never intended to be a permanent team, just a temporary team for Erik Jones to get into cup training.

[Dennis H.]

Originally Posted by ho428

Danica didn't turn away viewers in mass, NASCAR did that on their own. To me she was just another driver out there.
If any one or two drivers turned me off it was Kyle and Kurt Bush and to an extent Kevin Harvick, all should have been kicked out years ago, but for the most part it was the gimmick's NASCAR kept throwing in, Chase, GWC, Segments, new rule of the week, etc... and letting Cup drivers run Xfinity and Trucks.

You want to see some good racing, watch IMSA.

I used to feel the same way about the Bush brothers, but I have changed my opinion on both of them. They do have issues, but hands down both of them can drive a race car, and their results and skills have gained my respect. They can flat drive a race car.

[The Champ]

Danica could get another ride - if she would settle for a 3rd tier team.

Problem is, she performs worse than most 3rd tier team drivers with a 1st tier team. If she was in equal equipment she'd be doing much worse than she already is - which is hard to imagine but true.

[wovenweb]

Originally Posted by Stuart

But she's not at the bottom either - what does it say about those guys who are behind her.

This.

I'm curious how many ex-NASCAR drivers we have on this board?

My uncle was offered one back in the day(early '70s) but he ended up in Europe as he liked road racing better.

[mgarblik]

Not a Danica hater at all. Actually, I was at the Indy 500 the year she led the race for 10-15 laps under green! The place was absolutely electric with crowd noise and I truly believe the majority of the fans at that race that day would have loved to see her win the race. But it didn't happen and she languished near the middle to back 3rd of the pack the rest of the season. I honestly think losing her NASCAR ride could be good for her. NASCAR is in trouble and Indy Car racing is in less trouble at least right now. It doesn't take any kind of expert to realize she is so much better suited for the lighter, Indy cars. I would like to see her return to the series where she has a small margin of success and give it another try. It is clear with the best sponsors and a top tier NASCAR team, she has no future in that form of racing. If she wants to keep racing, she needs to move to another form before age takes her out. With her modest talent, she needs to use what she has now before it's gone.

[ho428]

Originally Posted by Dennis H.

I used to feel the same way about the Bush brothers, but I have changed my opinion on both of them. They do have issues, but hands down both of them can drive a race car, and their results and skills have gained my respect. They can flat drive a race car.

I feel that way about Kurt now, he's mellowed, but both should have been kicked to the curb early on, regardless of their talent.
Do some serious suspensions for the drivers BS, that'd bring me back. Wreck'n ain't racing.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

I would like to see her return to the series where she has a small margin of success and give it another try. It is clear with the best sponsors and a top tier NASCAR team, she has no future in that form of racing. If she wants to keep racing, she needs to move to another form before age takes her out. With her modest talent, she needs to use what she has now before it's gone.

From comments Danica has made in the past, I don't expect her to attempt to race in the future.

She hasn't driven an Indy car since 2011. To have any shot of being competitive - she would have to sign with one of the top teams and I don't see that happening.

[Sirrotica]

After 6 seasons her dismal stats speak volumes, she's a mid twentieth place driver in top five equipment. This horse isn't gonna run.

Richard Petty said it shortly after she started driving in cup, "Danica could win a cup race, if all the other drivers stayed at the house".

Kyle Petty said "She can drive a race car, that however doesn't make her a race car driver".

There are 2 ex NASCAR drivers doing an honest assessment of the touring princess stock car driving abilities. They both made their assessments shortly after she joined Stewart/Haas racing. Their words ring true after six seasons with little if any improvement in her cup standings.

I have no problem with a woman driving a cup car whatsoever, if she has talent to earn the seat. There are other woman that have more talent that haven't gotten a top tier platform to showcase their talents that have more ability and the drive to win in a cup race. Unfortunately the debacle with the touring princess will probably close doors in the cup ranks to other women who would do a better job in top tier equipment.

DP brought sponsor Go Dani with her from Indy car ride to fund her team in cup racing, she bought her seat, she didn't earn it. So the same type of incident that got her a cup ride also lost her current cup ride, sponsorship. Without Go Dani as a sponsor she wouldn't have gotten the ride to begin with, once they curtailed their sponsorship the death knell for DP started rolling and it has come full circle to the point their are no big dollar sponsorship's willing to stake a mid 20th place driver in cup racing with little recognition for their brand running in the bottom third of the field consistently. If a company just wants their name on the side of a cup car why pay a top tier team expense for a third tier results? They could maximize their expenditure and just fund a third tier team with the same result and less expenditure.

Go Dani went from full sponsorship, to partial sponsorship, to no sponsorship. The Aspen Dental was never full sponsorship, the female owned tax firm sponsor was a drop in the bucket, and then Natures Bakery comes along and finds out how expensive it is to fully fund a top tier cup team, and also finds little return for their huge expenditure, they drop out and are in litigation with SHR for breach of contract. I guess that the same events that got her a SHR seat also lost her a seat, her lack of drive to win along with sporadic results, has also been a drag on the whole scenario.

Focusing on being a cup driver is not fitting into to DPs career plans, and it seems that having a clothing line, and touting health foods is more aligned with her career goals. I see someone that is more money motivated than actually has the urge to win in a race car. In fact the money earned as a NASCAR cup driver is much more than what she earned in Indy cars, and was reported to be a major reason for her to leave Indy cars for a seat in cup racing. From the beginning the reason for wanting to drive a cup car was the probability of a bigger paycheck, with all the investment being on Go Dani, unfortunately the purse strings started closing.

Another reason that DP looked better in an Indy car is that there are less top tier teams and the starting fields are smaller, leading to less competition. When the talent and equipment is less, the mediocre talent doesn't have such a huge drop off when funded by one of the highest dollar teams competing in the field. When the same talent is thrown into a cup scenario there is a much wider gap and it shows up as mid twentieth place finishes in a NASCAR show. Chip Gnassi and Roger Penske own Indy teams and NASCAR teams, neither one was clamoring to sign up the touring princess to sit in their cars in either series. Bobby Rahal, her former team owner was likely happy she moved from his team, the replacement driver for DP had much better stats than DP the first season in her seat.

It would be interesting to see if she is ever a major business owner that she would sponsor a cup car with a female driver to advertise her own wares. I doubt that day will ever come, too little return on the investment for Danica.

[tom s]

Brad,I know that,they wanted to continue with the 77 as there are so many good young drivers waiting to get in a car but there is just no money out there right now.It cost too friggin much to keep a top tier Cup car running now.I think they need to outlaw all the wind tunnel testing that is a huge expense to the teams and many of the lower tier teams cant afford much,the reason for partner teams now.I think the new panel fit sections will help to tame the "cheating"and save teams money.One annalist came out and said once a car has passed tech,they go to a stage and the trailing arms are welded in place to avoid the moving trailing arms "cheating"JMO,Tom