Amid one of the most productive stretches of her NASCAR career, Danica Patrick faces the possibility that it could all end after this season because of sponsorship shortfalls. Or at least end at Stewart-Haas Racing.
And in an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Saturday at Watkins Glen International, she seems at peace with the prospect.
Various outlets have reported that SHR had begun negotiations with Patrick to extricate itself from the final year of her contract, but the situation isn't even that complex, Patrick said.
"There's no buyout needed," she said. "I don't have a sponsor. It's contingent on the sponsor."
"I've always been very fortunate from a sponsor perspective," Patrick admitted. "Even when my last [sponsor negotiation] came around, I didn't have to wait too long, in the summer, to know it was going to happen next.
"I would say mentally, emotionally, my approach has been peaceful and what will be will, and I don't know. I'm a little bit more present and a little less worried about the future or worried about what happened in the past. I'm just kind of letting it organically flow."
Patrick's business team is "looking really hard," she said, and believes SHR is also.
Patrick said she would consider racing for another team. She would not, she said, consider a part-time ride.
--- USA Today ---