One of NASCAR's power couples is no longer a couple.
Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have split after dating for about five years, having started seeing each other shortly before they entered their NASCAR Cup Series rookie seasons in 2013.
Stenhouse showed up at the NASCAR Cup Series awards ceremony Nov. 30 without Patrick, leading to speculation that the two had broken up. A Patrick spokeswoman confirmed the split Monday.
Patrick is 35; Stenhouse is 30. In a recent documentary directed by ESPN's Hannah Storm, Patrick revealed she had some eggs frozen a couple of years ago, and that she wanted kids but wanted to be married first.
Patrick's relationship with Stenhouse followed her first marriage. Patrick announced in November 2012 that she planned to divorce her then-husband Paul Hospenthal, and their divorce was finalized in April 2013. They had been married for seven years and had no children.
Last month, Patrick announced she would compete in the 2018 Daytona 500 and 2018 Indianapolis 500 and that would end her racing career. She has competed full time in the NASCAR Cup Series the past five years following a transition from IndyCar. She has one IndyCar victory in her career and has the highest finish of any female driver in the Indianapolis 500 (third) and the Daytona 500 (eighth).
Stenhouse made the NASCAR playoffs for the first time in 2017 and will continue racing for Roush Fenway Racing next season.