Danica Patrick is one of the three most important drivers in NASCAR. And that has nothing to do with her underwhelming performance on the track.
Because of her impact on stock-car racing, Patrick has new sponsorship and a renewed importance in the sport.
MORE: Looking back at Michigan | This week: Saturday night at Bristol | Chase standings
Patrick’s role at Stewart-Haas Racing is in line with, say, Kurt Busch. Her performance is in line with, say, AJ Allmendinger or Austin Dillon.
Patrick is 21st in standings, with no top-five finishes and two top-10s. She drives for the same team as Busch and points leader Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing.
Allmendinger, 22nd in points, has three top-10s.
Dillon, 20th in points, has one top-five and four top-10s.
So why is Patrick getting a new sponsor with a multi-year deal? Because she is Danica Patrick, the only female full-time Cup driver. She is a marketable asset. She is in no danger of losing her ride with Stewart-Haas with her fat new sponsorship.
Dillon is a rising driver for his grandfather’s team. His car carries the number of legendary driver Dale Earnhardt, who was the sport’s most popular driver under Richard Childress Racing.
Allmendinger drives for a small-time operation but received a five-year contract extension earlier this year. Casual fans don’t come to the track to see ‘Dinger.
Danica Patrick (Getty Images)Through no fault of his own, Clint Bowyer will lose his ride at season’s end. Bowyer, a Cup runner-up in 2012, had one year remaining on his contract but Michael Waltrip Racing is closing down its Cup operations after this season and announced Wednesday that it is releasing Bowyer from his contract. He is 15th in Cup standings.
Does Patrick deserve a ride in NASCAR’s biggest show while Bowyer must scramble for a seat?
In terms of popularity, Patrick rivals Dale Earnhardt Jr. In terms of success, there’s no comparison.
Here’s what will be interesting to watch: How will new sponsor Nature’s Bakery market Patrick? We’re betting her spots won’t be nearly as salacious as those of GoDaddy. Expect to see Danica the Wholesome rather than Danica the Tart.
Nature’s Bakery is tossing a huge slice of its advertising bread at Patrick because it needs exposure, a face to expand its brand. Danica is a face that sells.
While other drivers have trouble finding sponsors, Danica has no such problem.
Still, her average start is 26th and average finish is 24th.
“We all know what the value of Danica’s brand is,” Tony Stewart, SHR co-owner, told media members. “[But] watching her from her IndyCar days, I realized how big a talent she is more than a marketing tool. To have her as one of the drivers at Stewart-Haas Racing, we’re proud of her. We’re proud of her progress. We’re proud of what she does behind the racecar. She’s probably the most detail-oriented racecar driver I’ve ever worked with as far as her feedback, attention to detail, describing what the car does, the feel she has in the car. She’s much better at it than I am.
“I think she’s a great asset to this organization,” he added. “I look at it more from the racing side than the marketing side, personally.”
Truth is, Patrick’s best results are not from the racing side.
