GoDaddy.com Sold: What Will the Effect Be on Danica Patrick and Racing?

GoDaddy.com is a major sponsor in NASCAR and IndyCar racing. Bob Parsons was the owner and CEO of the privately held company and perhaps he is Danica Patrick's biggest fan. Now the company has been sold.

The sale was thought to be in the works when it was announced in the Wall Street Journal the last week of June.

On July 1, WallStreetJournal.com announced that the sale to private equity firms KKR&Co., Silver Lake Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures was finalized.

Though the amount of the sale has not been disclosed, it was reported by sources close to the deal in the WSJ, that it was between $2 billion and $2.5 billion.

GoDaddy.com was founded by Bob Parsons in 1997. The company is known for it's edgy, sexy commercials, especially during the Super Bowl, and the famous GoDaddy girls.

The face most seen in the GoDaddy.com advertising is Danica Patrick.

Patrick's IndyCar ride with Andretti Autosport is sponsored by the company as is the JR Motorsports Nationwide car she drives and a Sprint Cup car driven by Mark Martin at Hendrick Motorsports.

Parsons was attending the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and after watching Patrick, he decided to see if they could use her in their marketing. She agreed and the rest is history.

In a video statement by Parsons on Bob Parsons.me, he expressed his thoughts about Patrick to a reporter from Fox Business, who was interviewing Patrick at Daytona in 2010.

Parsons stated, "We are in racing because of Danica. Danica Patrick is GoDaddy and Go Daddy is Danica." He also expressed his extreme loyalty to her.

Parsons is an entrepreneur having started a company prior to GoDaddy.com, which he sold for a significant amount.

It doesn't seem likely he will take the money and retire to some island to live the good life. Hopefully Parsons is still a major player who will be working with the new ownership.

The new owners must realize the impact of Patrick and the GoDaddy.com connection, especially if she moves to NASCAR full time and ends up driving a Cup car.

The sale could have the potential to be a real game changer, but logic would dictate—if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

In an ideal situation, they will expand their presence in motorsports, especially NASCAR, with the infusion of cash and Parsons will remain CEO.