SHR working on additional sponsorship for Patrick

Danica Patrick

Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Brett Frood said Tuesday the team is working to fill the eight-race gap on Danica Patrick's #10 car next season with the same companies that have shared space on the hood with GoDaddy the past two seasons. Nature's Bakery was announced as Patrick's new primary sponsor in a multiyear deal starting in 2016.

"We're working through the final solutions on that, and hopefully we'll have some upcoming announcements," Frood said. "Those current partners, it's worked well, so we hope to continue that." GoDaddy, which announced in May that it wouldn't be renewing its primary sponsorship after this season, funded all of Patrick's races during her 2013 rookie season in Sprint Cup but had sold off a handful the past two years to Aspen Dental and TaxAct.

Frood indicated that both companies could return next year, possibly in slightly larger roles. TaxAct already had increased its investment this season, buying the hood for Patrick's race at Texas after she finished seventh in the company's car the previous week at Martinsville.

"For us, it's just figuring out partners that make sense where we can help elevate their business and at the same time make sure we can be as competitive as possible and have the resources to continue going fast," Frood said. NBC Sports