Phil Bienert, chief marketing officer for GoDaddy, issued a statement Wednesday, confirming that GoDaddy will not renew its primary sponsorship of Danica Patrick’s Sprint Cup Car which expires at the end of the current season.
“We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family,” Bienert said. “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. The fact Danica is having a record-setting season makes it tough to leave this motorsports sponsorship, without a doubt.”
Patrick has been a spokesperson for GoDaddy since 2007. GoDaddy began its NASCAR participation as an associate sponsor with Patrick in 2007, moving to full-time sponsorship in 2010 as she began a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide (now XFINITY) Series with JR Motorsports.
“GoDaddy has been an incredible partner for a very long time and our brands have really grown up together,” Patrick said in a statement. “It’s pretty cool, from a marketing perspective, that we helped GoDaddy build such strong brand awareness here in the U.S. I’m excited to work with GoDaddy on a personal level moving forward, but will miss having their bright green color on my racecar next year. At the same time, this is a new opportunity for a brand to pair with me and Stewart-Haas Racing and achieve the kind of growth we experienced with GoDaddy.”
Patrick is in her third full season in the Sprint Cup Series and in the final year of her contract with Stewart-Haas Racing. She is currently 16th in the points standings with two top-10 finishes this season.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s executive vice president, Brett Frood, issued a statement, concerning the announcement, saying, “GoDaddy has been an outstanding partner since joining our race team in 2012. They helped us grow from the two-car team we were at the beginning of 2012 to the four-car team we are today. Along the way, their business has grown exponentially, proving our relationship to be mutually beneficial. We value all of our partnerships and take great pride in seeing GoDaddy’s association with Danica Patrick and Stewart-Haas Racing serve as a springboard for their global marketing strategy.”
“Our organization has been fortunate to have committed corporate partners, a focused and dedicated employee base, and drivers capable of translating these tools to on-track success. It is our intent,” he continued, “to continue raising our performance bar with all four Stewart-Haas Racing teams and delivering results to our constituents now and in the future. With Danica, we see a driver with unparalleled resolve and tenacity. She is an individual who transcends the sport and we look forward to fostering new partnerships for her and the No. 10 team.”
Patrick was upbeat about the situation posting the following on her Twitter page.
