Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. end 5-year relationship

Danica-Patrick,-right,-talks-with-Ricky-Stenhouse-Jr,-before-qualifying-for-Saturday's-NASCAR-Sprint-Cup-series-auto-race-at-Charlotte-Motor-Speedway-in-Charlotte,-N.C.,-Thursday,-Oct.-6,-2016.-(Chuck-Burton/AP)

Danica Patrick, right, talks with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, before qualifying for Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Chuck Burton/AP)

CONCORD, N.C. — Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have ended their nearly five-year relationship.

A spokeswoman for Patrick confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that the race car drivers "are no longer in a relationship."

Patrick didn’t attend the season-ending awards ceremony last month in Las Vegas with Stenhouse, who was honoured for making NASCAR’s playoffs in 2017. That led to speculation about the status of the most prolific couple in motorsports.

Patrick and Stenhouse announced they were dating in early 2013. She is retiring as a full-time driver and hopes to end her career next year by racing in both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. It’s an outgoing celebration she has dubbed the "Danica Double."

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