Smithfield Foods has signed a multiyear deal to become a primary team sponsor for Stewart-Haas Racing beginning with the 2018 racing season. It had been a sponsor with Richard Petty Motorsports. The move became a catalyst in shakeups on both teams, with Danica Patrick saying she would leave Stewart-Haas Racing after the current season and Richard Petty Motorsports saying that driver Aric Almirloa would not return.