Patrick out at Stewart-Haas

Danica Patrick revealed on her Facebook page Tuesday that she will not be returning to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018. Her post came just hours after S-H-R announced that Smithfield Foods would be joining the organization next season to sponsor an unnamed driver and team. In nearly five full seasons behind the wheel of the Number-10 Monster Energy Series entry, Patrick has failed to qualify for the post-season playoffs and never finished higher than twenty-fourth in the point standings. She ended the 2017 regular season twenty-eighth with a best finish of tenth in her twenty-six starts. And speaking of the Smithfield Foods announcement from earlier in the day on Tuesday, the Virginia-based company is currently sponsoring the Number-43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford for Aric Almirola. Team owner Richard Petty was not pleased with the day’s developments, who said his company had a “hand-shake agreement” with Smithfield for 2018. That deal would have kept Aric Almirola in the 43-car. Rumors have begun that Bubba Wallace will be replacing Almirola.