I thought it might happen eventually, but the day has come. Danica Patrick announced that she won't be returning to drive the #10 car for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. Although she hasn't specifically said that she won't be returning to NASCAR at all, there also doesn't seem to be much buzz indicating that there will be an open seat with her name on it. She has made statements recently that she's getting ready for opportunities outside of racing, so maybe this is it.
I have to wonder what this means for Danica's cardboard prospects going forward. Panini has got to have a few of her stickers around, so she'll likely show up in products for a while, but without a consistent ride there may not be too much they can do with her. Most of my favorite drivers are out of the game now or on their way out, so I don't know what comes next for me with NASCAR in general and racing cards in particular.
This Muscle Car Memorabilia card comes from 2012 Press Pass Redline, and it's an eBay pickup from a while back. It's numbered # 02 / 25. The card has a nice big piece of sheet metal embedded in it, and a picture of Danica Patrick's #10 GoDaddy car. There are still plenty of her cards that I don't have yet, but if new ones aren't being produced, I think I'll lose some of my interest in the older ones as well.
I hadn't heard that about her yet but I am not surprised at all. I thought she may win one at some point but I guess not.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed like she was trending upward until this year. Then she had the sponsorship issues with Nature's Bakery and this season never really got going for her. She had a lot of bad finishes and it seemed like there was friction between her and the team. I guess that all was enough to end the agreement.
DeleteIt's a shame that her NASCAR career never really took off - that said, she still broke down some major barriers in stock car racing. Now, I'm seriously hoping that the Indianapolis 500 and open wheel racing draw her back in. After all, she really seemed to know how to get around the brickyard and her star power could be quite helpful to the series.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm sure that she could find a spot in some racing series if she wants one, but who knows? She might be ready to leave racing and do something else.
DeleteI hope and pray that she doesn't come back to IndyCar. GO AWAY!!!
ReplyDeleteShe is a very polarizing figure.
DeleteShe had a longer run that Manon Rheaume... and she's still popular. I'm sure there will always be collectors out there who will chase her stuff... which means there's a chance Panini will continue to produce cards of her (assuming they produce "legends" cards/products). If her autographs end up crashing... I'll be first in line to snatch one up (on-card though). I'm not even a fan, but I'd want one for nostalgic sake.
ReplyDeleteYeah, she is heavily featured in nearly every product they make, so Panini will work to keep her in their sets. It's kind of interesting, as her cards tend to be more popular than nearly anyone else in NASCAR. Her autographs have come down a lot since Panini's cardboard and ink machine started running them off the presses. I guess there is room for them to drop further.
DeleteI was who shocked as well by the news. I can't imagine her being a contender for a seat at the moment. I wonder what she has in store next.
ReplyDeleteShe was quoted as saying that she would be open to racing for a competitive team that supports her, alongside what seemed like some backhanded criticism of the support she was getting at Stewart-Haas. That's been brewing for a while, though, as she hinted a lot this year that her crew/car weren't up to speed.
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