By Alicia Jessop, Contributor In the first race of her first season in the NASCAR Spring Cup racing circuit, Danica Patrick managed to do not only what no woman has ever done, but what many men have never done:  Win the pole position for the Daytona 500.  While obtaining the pole position in a NASCAR race does not solidify one’s chances of actually winning the race, being the pole car is a nice spot for a racer to find herself.  Given the historical news of Patrick’s pole position for the Daytona 500, NASCAR, Patrick and her endorsers have much to cheer about.  Since Patrick was awarded the pole position on February 17, all three have seen increases in their business opportunities. When it comes to athlete endorsements, Patrick’s unique status as being female and one of the world’s top racers has opened up many doors for her.  Couple those factors with her glaring good looks, and corporations see someone who can open doors for them like nobody else in the sports world.  This is apparent when considering the depths of Patrick’s endorsements.  Apart from her racing team, Patrick has 15 personal endorsement partners.  These partners range from expected racing corporations like Alpinestars and Schuberth to popular nail polish company OPI Nail Lacquer and Justin Timberlake‘s clothing company, William Rast.  Like many things in her life, Patrick’s collection of endorsement deals was strategic.  In 2009, Patrick made what at the time was considered a bold move, by signing with IMG to represent both her contract and endorsement negotiations.  Arguably, this jump paid off as she’s been able to collect a large number of broad endorsement deals.  These endorsement deals have lifted Patrick to being an athlete that 40 percent of the U.S. population is aware of, according to The Nielsen Company.  American awareness of Patrick is comparable to that of Michael Phelps and Troy Aikman.  More Americans know who Patrick is than those who know of Alex Rodriguez or Aaron Rodgers. One of the first sponsors who was struck by Patrick’s appeal was Go Daddy.  Like many endorsers who may be attracted to Patrick by the historical ground she is breaking today, Go Daddy was attracted to Patrick for her ability to make history.  According to Go Daddy‘s senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Barb Rechterman, “Go Daddy executive chairman and founder Bob Parsons was watching the Indianapolis 500 when Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead for 19 laps in 2005.  Bob was immediately drawn to Danica.  He slipped me a note about how we needed to sign her as a spokeswoman for Go Daddy, and the rest, as they say, is history.” Working with Patrick and her agent in 2006 to sign her for the 2007 IndyCar Series season, Go Daddy and Patrick have in a sense, grown up together as brands.  “Our brands have really grown together.  We signed Danica in 2006 for the 2007 season.  Since that time, she became the first woman to win an IndyCar race …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest