Danica Patrick’s ‘Daytona 500 Story’ Generating Big Buzz & Inspiration!

 

Danica Patrick, Go Daddy’s long-time spokeswoman, made history this week as the first woman to take a NASCAR Sprint Cup pole position for the Daytona 500.  Leaders at Go Daddy, the Web’s top platform for small businesses, knew the Daytona 500 was going to be big, but with Danica Patrick securing the coveted starting spot for NASCAR’s marquee race … the event is generating even bigger buzz than expected. Increased social media chatter, heightened mainstream media coverage and a surge in fan support make this weekend’s races compelling to a much wider audience.

“To watch Danica’s story unfold at such a high-profile venue like the Daytona 500 has been inspirational, not just for women, but for anyone with a dream to compete at the highest level,” said Blake Irving, Go Daddy CEO. Irving is a dedicated proponent for women in male-dominated fields, having been involved with the Society of Women Engineers and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing for years. “When Danica took the pole Sunday, it represented another barrier being broken and another door being opened — and that makes us incredibly proud. We’re ecstatic for Danica and the whole Go Daddy crew in Daytona.”

Go Daddy has been Danica’s primary NASCAR sponsor from the beginning of her stock car career and sponsored her in open-wheel racing long before she made history as the first woman to win an IndyCar race in Motegi, Japan back in 2008.

Coincidently, the 2013 mantra for the Go Daddy Danica partnership is about ‘driving results,’ both on the track and on the Web. By driving faster than anyone else vying for the Daytona 500’s top spot, Danica launched the campaign with the kind of flare that can’t be bought. Go Daddy sees the history-making feat as a great way to shine more light on women entrepreneurs, who like Danica, work to build a brand in order to build their businesses.

As for Danica, she’s less focused on what makes her different from others and instead is concentrating on the results. “I don’t think about being a woman when I’m out there on the track, or when I’m managing my business … I’m really just focused on driving and working with the Go Daddy team to leverage all the assets we have in order to be successful. Whether it’s business or sports … it takes a team,” Danica said.

“Most people don’t think of Danica as a business owner, but she absolutely is,” said Go Daddy Chief Marketing Officer Barb Rechterman, who is at Daytona again this year to watch the races. “Danica is driving a race car in a male-dominated sport. She is also driving a business. Her website and social media presence have definitely helped her develop her brand, not unlike what other business owners do to nurture and grow their bottom line. At Go Daddy, we are focused on helping small businesses harness the power of the Internet, which is driving results for our Go Daddy customers.”

Go Daddy recently incorporated a new Content Delivery Network (CDN), technology that speeds up website load time. Go Daddy is also giving customers simple and affordable tools to build mobile websites in order to capture new customers using smartphone technology. Go Daddy also offers personalized 24/7 telephone support to help customers looking to build or develop their websites quickly.

The parallel between speed levels in website performance and racing were noted by one Go Daddy customer, who is already enjoying Go Daddy’s new CDN. “I’m a speed enthusiast, whether on the track or on the Web,” said Jonathan Farkas, Vice President of Marketing at AdamsInterior.us. Adam’s Interiors is a company dedicated to world-class contemporary furnishings. “Go Daddy’s new CDN sped up my website performance by more than 200 percent. That means my site loads in 1.1 seconds, or three times faster than the time it takes Danica to go from zero to 60.”

Danica is set to hit speeds approaching 200-miles-per-hour in Daytona this weekend. She is in the top spot, behind the wheel of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS for the 55th annual Daytona 500, scheduled to start Sunday at 1 p.m. E.T. on FOX.

Saturday, look for Danica in the No. 34 GoDaddy.com Nationwide Chevrolet Camaro on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. E.T.

Go Daddy PR