New Danica deal “a matter of time”

NASCAR racer Danica Patrick believes it's a matter of time before her contractual situation going forwards with Stewart-Haas Racing is resolved.

Speaking at Daytona this morning on the eve of Speedweeks, Patrick is entering her third full season of Sprint Cup competition. She finished 27th and 28th in the standings in her first two years.

"We talk about that kind of stuff all the time, we talked about that last year," she said of contractual talks.

"It's a matter of cart and horse; it's sponsor and team.

"Both are happy, so it's a matter of getting GoDaddy in a place where they're happy to committing to something. From my understanding, the team wants that too. It's a matter of time."

No change in her approach

Patrick insisted that she would approach this season no differently to any others, despite the fact her deal with team and main sponsor expire at the end of the season.

"I feel that every year is a pivotal year, when I first got into IndyCar I felt I did a good enough job to stick around," she said.

"I did enough to feel good, and felt I'd made enough of a splash for my sponsors and that I ran well. It can happen in year one, two three or four. I want to do well every year, I care the same every year.

"The most important thing is my sponsor, that GoDaddy is happy with its ROI on the relationship. On the other side that my team feels my desire, knows how determined I am and sees improvement."