GoDaddy Ends Sponsorship With Danica Patrick

Just at the peak of one of Danica Patrick’s best season’s under Stewart Hass Racing, according to USA Today, GoDaddy has decided that they are pulling the plug on being the main sponsor for Danica Patrick in Nascar in 2016. It’s also the last year that Danica Patrick is under contract to race with Stewart-Haas Racing, so Patrick will also be looking for another ride for next year.

It looks like GoDaddy, although respectful of the Patrick name and what’s it’s done for their web hosting company, is branching out beyond the mom and pop business and going for a more global name.

According to Phil Bienert, Chief Marketing officer for Go Daddy when speaking about Patrick,

"“We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they’ve been phenomenal partners. In fact, NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage, we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally diverse set of customers.”"

How this news ties in with Blake Irving’s (CEO of GoDaddy) announcement that they want to “Represent women proudly” has yet to be decoded.

In terms of Stewart-Haas Racing, the team hopes that she’ll return for next seasons pending new contract negotiations.

The 33-year-old racecar driver should have no problem finding a sponsor for next year. Not only has she been super consistent as of late when it comes time to her driving performance, Patrick has consistently improved every race with each subsequent season.

Just two weeks ago, she achieved a ninth place finish at Bristol at the Food City 500 in a finishing field of 50.

Not only will Patrick continue to be a positive face for women in motorsport, she’ll have the credentials after every race to back up her sponsorship.

Even outside of the primary sponsorship under GoDaddy, Danica Patrick brings in the dollars and visibility to Stewart-Haas racing. Just having Patrick in her racecar guarantees TV time every week for another Stewart-Haas driver or sponsor who wants to see their car on the starting grid and racing on television.

I would not be surprised if she already has a list of potential new sponsors before the week is done.