NASCAR: New primary sponsor for Danica Patrick for 2016

Nature's Bakery, a snacks and food brand headquartered in Reno, Nev., has joined Stewart-Haas Racing  to become the primary sponsor of driver Danica Patrick and the No. 10 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the 2016 season.

The multiyear sponsorship agreement will see Nature's Bakery and its signature tagline, "Energy for Life's Great Journeys," adorn Patrick's No. 10 Chevrolet SS for 28 races a year.

"Danica Patrick is one of the most fit and health-conscious drivers in all of racing and she embodies the Nature's Bakery customer," said Dave Marson, founder of Nature's Bakery. "We make great products that complement Danica's lifestyle and the always on-the-go environment in which she competes. Nature's Bakery provides 'Energy for Life's Great Journeys' and we're very proud to embark upon this NASCAR journey with Danica and Stewart-Haas Racing."

"It's an honor to represent Nature's Bakery and also a great deal of responsibility," Patrick said. "They have ambitious goals and they're going to rely on me and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing to deliver. I have ambitious goals too. It's why I came to NASCAR and, specifically, to Stewart-Haas Racing. There's still a lot I want to achieve in this sport and I'm looking to continue my professional journey with a brand as determined as I am."

Patrick has extended her Sprint Cup deal with Stewart-Haas Racing as part of the new multi-year arrangement. Now in her fourth full season of stock car racing with SHR, Patrick holds 21st in the Cup standings at present. A sixth place at Atlanta last year is her best result in the Cup series to date.

"Being able to re-sign with [co-owner] Tony [Stewart] and Stewart-Haas is very important to me," Patrick said. "I really, really do feel like family here and there's nowhere else I want to be. I'm just fortunate that I didn't have to look anywhere else and get to stay."

Patrick's long-time sponsor GoDaddy, which backed her since her IndyCar days, announced in April that it was ending its involvement, leading to considerable speculation about her future with the team.

"This is really the first year that I've had to wonder or worry what I'm going to do in the next year," she said. "I've been extremely fortunate in my career to not have to worry about that as one deal rolled into the next and I've had a lot of comfort over the decade."

Stewart declined to disclose the exact length of Patrick's contract extension but he said the agreement with both her and the new sponsor was "not a short-term deal by any means."

He added: "Watching her from her IndyCar days, I realized how big a talent she is – more so than a marketing tool. We're proud of her progress and what she does in a racecar.

"She's probably the most detail-orientated racing driver I've ever worked with. She's a great asset to this organization."

Patrick, motorsports' most recognizable athlete and the most marketable personality in NASCAR according to Repucom's 2015 Davie Brown Index, will remain part of a four-driver lineup in SHR's Chevrolets, alongside Stewart, champion Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

"All you need to say is 'Danica' and people know exactly who you're talking about," Marson added. "She has immersed herself and succeeded in a very intense sport and been recognized for her efforts. By offering convenient, easy-to-find and affordable products that people can feel better about eating, we've carved a niche for Nature's Bakery in the fast-growing, packaged snack-food industry. With our partnership with Danica and Stewart-Haas Racing, we're able to take that niche mainstream."