Danica Patrick's team sues sponsor Nature's Bakery
Stewart-Haas Racing is suing Nature's Bakery for more than $31 million, claiming that the snack food company has reneged on payments to sponsor Danica Patrick in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
The Nevada-based company, small by comparison to many NASCAR sponsors, informed the team Jan.19 that it believed Patrick was in breach of contract for promoting competing products and sought to terminate the deal. SHR disputes the claim in paperwork filed in North Carolina Superior Court, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the news.
At issue were Instagram posts highlighting products Nature's Bakery says are competitors. SHR claims the company had no complaints until finances became a sticking point and entered into evidence photos showing the company had "liked" several of the posts.
The company was scheduled to sponsor at least 20 races this season in the second year of a three-year deal. According to the suit, Nature's Bakery asked to rework the payment schedule on the more than $15 million owed each season beginning last season.
SHR said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports:
“Nature’s Bakery is in material breach of its contract with Stewart-Haas Racing. It is an unfortunate situation, as the team has delivered on all aspects of its contract and was prepared to do so again in 2017. Ultimately, this is a situation that will be resolved in a court of law.
“Stewart-Haas Racing remains focused on its preparation for the 2017 NASCAR season where it will again field four entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series while also introducing a full-time NASCAR XFNITY Series team. The litigation with Nature’s Bakery will not impact the organization’s on-track efforts.”
Nature's Bakery, founded by father Dave Marson and son Sam Marson, was scheduled to sponsor 25 of 36 points races this season, but had the option to sell five. Rounding out Patrick's portfolio is Aspen Dental (four races), TaxAct (three) and Code 3 (three). So if Nature's Bakery is out of the equation, Patrick is well short on sponsorship for the 2017 season that kicks off with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26.
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On Jan. 24, USA TODAY Sports reported that Nature's Bakery was currently in discussions with Patrick's team “about how the sponsorship might look in 2017."
Patrick wore a firesuit adorned with her TaxAct sponsor for her NASCAR media day appearance at the Charlotte Convention Center last week, prompting further questions and raised eyebrows.
Team co-owner Gene Haas, a millionaire who already sponsors the No. 41 Ford of Kurt Busch, could opt to fill in the gap for Patrick, one of NASCAR's biggest names. The team also fields cars for 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, who replaced Tony Stewart after his retirement in 2016. Haas also started Haas F1 Team, the only American team competing on the Formula 1 circuit, last season.
Patrick is in her fifth full-time season on the Cup tour. She has six top-10s in 154 Cup starts and made a splashy entrance to the sport by winning the pole for the Daytona 500 as a rookie after making a name for herself in IndyCar.
PHOTOS: Danica Patrick's NASCAR career
